Question

Assalamualaikum, in Ramadan a few years ago I saw my friends opening their fast for iftar and I saw that my mum had not opened her fast yet and she was waiting a bit longer. I knew that my friends might not know the proper timing for iftar, but I still opened my fast with them. I do not remember if the time was actually before sunset or not as I did not check afterwards and cannot remember now. Do I have to do kaffarah?

Answer

If a person breaks their fast before sunset by mistake, then one fast will have to be made up. A kaffarah will not be necessary in this scenario as it was done by mistake. As for your case, you mention that you do not know whether or not you opened your fast before time. Even if we assume you opened it before sunset there will be no kaffarah due, as there is doubt whether you broke it on time or not.

You should think carefully about your friend’s knowledge and understanding of fasting times compared to your mother’s. If it is possible for you to ask your friends regarding this to gain an understanding of what they followed then you should do so. If you know that they were not properly aware of fasting times and your mother was, and your predominant thought leads you to believe that they opened their fast before time then you should make up the fasts opened with your friends as a precautionary measure.

Answered by:
Ifta Research Fellow

Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel