There are many things that the fasting person must avoid because if he does them during the daytime of the month of Ramadan his fast would be void, and he would have increased his sins. The following are things that break the fast:
- Eat, drink or indulge in cohabitation intentionally.
- If water goes down the throat while gargling.
- Deliberate inhalation of smoke.
- Vomit mouthful intentionally.
- Any injection which has some nutritional value.
- Eating deliberately after having eaten mistakenly.
- To swallow something edible, equal to or bigger than a grain of gram, which was stuck between the teeth. However, if it is first taken out of the mouth and then swallowed, it will break the fast whether it is smaller or bigger than the size of the grain.
- Swallow the blood from gums with saliva. However, if the blood is less than the saliva and its taste is not felt then the fast will not break.
- Breaking (iftar) fast without the intention of doing so.
- Lustful kissing of ones spouse.
- Ejaculation, either by masturbation or any other method of ejaculating short of intercourse, whether the cause was kissing the wife, or hugging her, or by use of the hands, etc.
- Remaining in the state of janabah (uncleanliness due to seminal discharge) till dawn.
- Menstruation and post-partum bleeding. Even if the bleeding starts just before the sun sets.
Other things that break the fast are only considered to do so, if the following three conditions apply:
- If a person knows that it breaks the fast and is not ignorant
- If he is aware of what he is doing and has not forgotten that he is fasting
- If he does it from his own free will and is not forced to do it
