Kitab al-Sawm: Unconsciousness, Recovery, Menstruation and Abstention

1. Four distinct legal situations

The four consecutive rulings concern loss of consciousness, recovery from insanity, menstruation or postnatal bleeding, and refraining from food and drink after a relevant condition ends during the day.

A validly completed fast, a make-up fast (qaḍāʾ), and abstention during remaining daylight (imsāk) are different legal concepts. The cause of each ruling must be kept distinct.

2. Complete primary text: unconsciousness

وَمَنْ أُغْمِيَ عَلَيْهِ فِي رَمَضَانَ: لَمْ يَقْضِ الْيَوْمَ الَّذِي حَدَثَ فِيهِ الْإِغْمَاءُ، وَقَضَى مَا بَعْدَهُ.
Translation: If a person loses consciousness in Ramadan, the day on which the unconsciousness occurred is not made up, while the following days are made up.

Quduri distinguishes the day on which unconsciousness starts from subsequent days affected by it. The first is not made up where the fast had been validly commenced; subsequent days without valid fasting intention are made up.

This rule is not a universal statement about every possible onset time. The already commenced fast and the lack of a renewed intention for subsequent days explain the distinction.

3. What “ighmāʾ” means

“Ighmāʾ” is a temporary loss of consciousness. It must be distinguished from ordinary sleep, a deliberate decision to break a fast, and legal incapacity arising from insanity.

The central issue in this passage is not that unconsciousness itself counts as eating. It is the validity of the fasting intention on the first day and its absence for later days.

4. Why the first day is treated differently

Where a person has already begun a Ramadan fast with an effective intention and then faints during the day, Quduri does not require making up that day. Commentary explains that the fast’s foundation—intention joined to abstention—had been present.

The wording should not be stretched to every conceivable timing of unconsciousness. Different circumstances before dawn or before a valid intention require their own legal assessment.

5. Why later days need make-up

“Wa qaḍā mā baʿdahu” requires make-up of later Ramadan days not validly observed because the person remained unconscious and could not form the required fresh intentions. Each day has its own fasting-intention requirements.

A valid start on the first day does not automatically validate all later dates. Those missed dates are counted and made up after recovery.

6. A three-day illustration

Example: a person properly starts the Ramadan 8 fast, faints during the day, and wakes on the evening of Ramadan 10. Under the ordinary application described here, Ramadan 8 does not need make-up, while the days 9 and 10 without valid intentions are made up.

The example illustrates the principle rather than resolving every special medical or timing circumstance.

7. Sleep is not unconsciousness for this rule

Ordinary sleep differs from the “ighmāʾ” discussed here. Sleeping through much of a day is not automatically equivalent to the loss-of-consciousness scenario.

A person who sleeps after a valid intention, someone unconscious through several days without renewed intention, and a person affected by insanity raise different legal questions.

8. Intention, make-up, and expiation

The passage speaks of qaḍāʾ, not the special kaffārah for certain deliberate violations of Ramadan. Qaḍāʾ replaces a fast that was not validly performed; kaffārah has separate legal conditions.

Later missed fasts during unconsciousness should not be incorrectly categorized as deliberate fast-breaking merely because make-up is required.

9. Complete primary text: regaining sanity

وَإِذَا أَفَاقَ الْمَجْنُونُ فِي بَعْضِ رَمَضَانَ: قَضَى مَا مَضَى مِنْهُ.
Translation: If a person affected by insanity regains sanity during part of Ramadan, that person makes up the days that have passed from it.

Quduri moves from unconsciousness to a different legal category: recovery from insanity. If a person regains sanity during Ramadan after an earlier portion of that month passed in that state, Quduri requires make-up of the earlier period.

The passage must not be read as if recovery during Ramadan and a condition lasting throughout the entire month were identical; the commentaries distinguish them.

10. The morphology of “afāqa”

“Afāqa” is a third-person masculine singular past-tense verb meaning to recover consciousness or sanity. In this sentence it indicates recovery from insanity.

“Al-majnūn” is its grammatical subject; “fī baʿḍ Ramaḍān” is an adverbial prepositional phrase specifying that recovery took place during a portion of Ramadan.

11. Commentarial distinction: an entire month

The Hanafi commentary al-Jawhara al-Nayyira treats insanity persisting throughout the whole of Ramadan differently from recovery occurring within that month; in its discussion, a full-month condition does not produce the same make-up result.

This is a commentarial qualification, not an extra phrase inserted into Quduri’s quoted sentence. Detailed rulings depend on the full circumstances and duration.

12. Example: recovery mid-Ramadan

For instance, a person remains affected by insanity at the beginning of Ramadan and recovers on Ramadan 12. Under this particular clause, the earlier days require make-up, and later days are governed by the restored legal capacity.

Whether the day of recovery itself is a validly performed fast depends on further details such as the timing and the intention; it cannot be assumed solely from the calendar date.

13. Syntax of the recovery clause

“Idhā” introduces the conditional situation; “afāqa” is the verb and “al-majnūn” its subject. “Qaḍā” gives the consequent ruling.

The pronoun in “minhu” refers back to Ramadan. Thus “mā maḍā minhu” denotes the elapsed portion of that month, not a separate unrelated period.

14. Complete primary text: menses and postnatal bleeding

وَإِذَا حَاضَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ، أَوْ نَفِسَتْ: أَفْطَرَتْ، وَقَضَتْ إِذَا طَهُرَتْ.
Translation: When a woman menstruates or experiences postnatal bleeding, she does not continue fasting and makes up the affected fasts after attaining purity.

The third clause names menstruation and postnatal bleeding together. The fast is not maintained in those states; missed days are made up after purity.

This is not exactly the same as the concession to a traveller or an ill person. Menstruation and postnatal bleeding are impediments to a valid fast during their occurrence.

15. If menstruation begins during a fast

If a woman began the day with a valid fast but menstruation starts at noon or later, that day’s fast ceases to be valid and is made up subsequently. Its invalidation does not depend on a deliberate act of eating.

This is a natural and legally recognized impediment, not the type of deliberate Ramadan violation that triggers the special expiation.

16. When menstruation is present at dawn

If menstruation is ongoing at dawn, a valid Ramadan fast cannot be commenced for that day. The day is later made up after attaining purity.

This differs in timing from menstruation beginning mid-day, though both lead to make-up. Fasting intention alone does not override the impediment.

17. Postnatal bleeding (nifās)

“Nifās” is the juridical category of postnatal bleeding. Quduri joins it to menstruation in this fasting ruling: fasting is not valid while the relevant bleeding state lasts, and affected days require make-up.

The duration and finer classification of bleeding belong to the law of purification. They should not be improvised from a generic medical assumption.

18. Make-up follows purity

“Wa qaḍat idhā ṭahurat” places make-up after the state of impurity has ended. Days lost to menstruation or nifās are counted and later observed as qaḍāʾ fasts.

For example, five validly missed fasting days mean five make-up fasts, not an automatic punitive expiation for each day. The actual number must be correctly determined.

19. Complete primary text: arriving or becoming pure

وَإِذَا قَدِمَ الْمُسَافِرُ، أَوْ طَهُرَتِ الْحَائِضُ فِي بَعْضِ النَّهَارِ: أَمْسَكَا عَنِ الطَّعَامِ وَالشَّرَابِ بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِمَا.
Translation: When a traveller arrives, or a menstruating woman becomes pure during part of the day, they refrain from food and drink for the remainder of that day.

Quduri combines two changes of status: a traveller arrives and a menstruating woman becomes pure during the day. Where the special abstention ruling applies, they refrain from eating and drinking for the remaining daylight.

Such abstention does not in itself prove that a complete obligatory fast was valid from dawn, especially when menstruation ended only after dawn.

20. Meaning of imsāk

“Imsāk” means refraining. Here it refers to avoiding food and drink during the remainder of the Ramadan day in recognition of the sanctity of its time.

Remaining-day abstention is not automatically equivalent to a complete fast begun at dawn with a valid intention. The two have different legal implications.

21. A traveller returns during the day

A traveller lawfully does not fast or has already broken the fast under the travel concession, then returns to their place of residence the same day. The Quduri passage requires abstention for the remaining hours in this type of case.

Because a full valid fast was not completed, make-up remains a distinct obligation. Do not confuse this situation with a traveller who has been fasting validly throughout.

22. Traveller who is already fasting

A traveller who validly fasts from the beginning of the day and returns home without invalidating that fast simply continues and completes the fast. This is not the same as abstaining for the remainder of an already unfasted day.

Being a traveller does not make all situations identical; the existence of a valid ongoing fast matters.

23. Purity returns after dawn

If menstruation ends at noon, the woman follows the remaining-day abstention rule described in the source.

Since menstruation existed at dawn, that day was not a valid obligatory fast from its beginning. She must also make up the day later; abstention from noon does not retroactively turn it into a complete fast.

24. Early return: a later commentarial qualification

Hanafi commentary distinguishes an early return while the time for a valid intention remains and no fast-breaking act has occurred: such a case has additional conditions for a valid fast.

This is a commentarial qualification, not a set of conditions spelled out in the brief matn. It would be wrong to infer that any traveller may begin a complete fast at noon and avoid make-up.

25. Why the menstruation and travel cases differ

Menstruation present at dawn prevents a valid fast from commencing. Travel, by contrast, is a concession and does not itself nullify a fast; a traveller can validly keep fasting.

Thus the same statement about abstention for the rest of the day does not imply that each person’s earlier-day fasting status was the same.

26. Dual morphology in “amsakā”

“Amsakā” is a third-person dual masculine past-tense verb. Its dual subject suffix refers to the two people named earlier: the traveller and the menstruating woman. Arabic commonly uses the masculine dual for a mixed-gender pair.

“ʿAn al-ṭaʿām wa-l-sharāb” is a prepositional phrase; “baqiyyata yawmihimā” specifies the rest of their day.

27. Compare qaḍāʾ, valid fasting, and imsāk

Validly performed fast: A fast meeting its legal conditions over the prescribed day.

Qaḍāʾ: Performing a required replacement fast later for a day not validly observed.

Imsāk: Abstaining for the remaining daylight in a specified circumstance, even if a make-up obligation still exists.

28. Synthesis of all four source clauses

Unconsciousness distinguishes the first day from later missed days; recovery from insanity during Ramadan carries a different make-up rule; menstruation and nifās prevent a valid fast and require later make-up; and relevant mid-day recovery or arrival brings abstention for the remaining hours.

A reliable method is to identify the cause, timing, and validity of the fasting intention, then determine qaḍāʾ and imsāk separately.

29. Application: four scenarios

Case 1: A correctly begun fast is followed by fainting during the day—identify the ruling for that first day.

Case 2: Sanity returns partway through Ramadan—assess the elapsed days.

Case 3: Menstruation begins late in the day—decide the status of the fast and later make-up.

Case 4: Purity returns at noon—distinguish remaining-day abstention from later make-up. Apply these distinctions to the quiz.

30. Boundary of the next lesson

This level ends with “baqiyyata yawmihimā.” The following passage concerns eating before dawn or breaking the fast at sunset on a mistaken factual assumption about time.

That later issue concerns the timing of dawn or sunset and its distinct consequences. It should not be merged into the present clauses about unconsciousness, insanity, menstruation, postnatal bleeding, and abstention.