(33) Niyyah (nia) ni sharti la lazima katika saumu za faradhi (za wajibu), na katika saumu nyingine za lazima kama vile kulipa saumu zilizokosekana au saumu zinazofanywa kama kafara (kafaarah), kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alisema: “Hakuna saumu kwa mtu ambaye hakuwa na nia ya kufunga tangu usiku uliotangulia.” (Imepokewa na Abu Dawood, namba 2454. Baadhi ya wanazuoni, kama al-Bukhaari, al-Nisaa'i, al-Tirmidhi na wengine, walidhani kuwa huenda ni hadithi ya mawqoof. Angalia Talkhees al-Hubayr, 2/188)

(33) Niyyah (intention) is a required condition in fard (obligatory) fasts, and in other obligatory fasts such as making up missed fasts or fasts done as an act of expiation (kafaarah), because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no fast for the person who did not intend to fast from the night before.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 2454. A number of the scholars, such as al-Bukhaari, al-Nisaa'i, al-Tirmidhi and others thought it was likely to be mawqoof. See Talkhees al-Hubayr, 2/188)

Nia inaweza kufanywa wakati wowote wa usiku, hata kama ni dakika moja kabla ya Alfajiri. Niyyah maana yake ni azimio lililo moyoni la kufanya jambo fulani; kulitamka kwa sauti ni bid'ah (uzushi unaokatazwa), na mtu yeyote anayejua kwamba kesho ni moja ya siku za Ramadhani na anataka kufunga amekwisha kufanya nia. (Majmoo' Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam, 25/215). Ikiwa mtu amekusudia kufungua saumu yake wakati wa mchana lakini hakufanya hivyo, basi kwa mujibu wa maoni sahihi zaidi, saumu yake haiathiriwi kwa sababu hiyo; yuko kama mtu anayetaka kuzungumza wakati wa sala lakini hazungumzi. Baadhi ya wanazuoni wanaona kwamba hafungi mara tu anapoacha kukusudia kufunga, hivyo ili kuwa katika tahadhari, anapaswa kulipa saumu hiyo baadaye. Hata hivyo, kuritadi hubatilisha nia; hakuna mzozo juu ya jambo hili.

The intention may be made at any point during the night, even if it is just a moment before Fajr. Niyyah means the resolution in the heart to do something; speaking it aloud is bid’ah (a reprehensible innovation), and anyone who knows that tomorrow is one of the days of Ramadaan and wants to fast has made the intention. (Majmoo’ Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam, 25/215). If a person intends to break his fast during the day but does not do so, then according to the most correct opinion, his fast is not adversely affected by this; he is like a person who wants to speak during the prayer but does not speak. Some of the scholars think that he is not fasting as soon as he stops intending to fast, so to be on the safe side, he should make up that fast later on. Apostasy, however, invalidates the intention; there is no dispute on this matter.

Mtu anayefunga Ramadhani hahitaji kurudia niya kila usiku wa Ramadhani; inatosha kuwa na niya mwanzoni mwa mwezi. Ikiwa niya itavunjika kwa kufuturu kutokana na safari au ugonjwa – kwa mfano – basi analazimika kufanya upya niya ya kufunga pale sababu ya kufuturu inapokuwa haipo tena. (34) Kufanya niya usiku uliotangulia si sharti kwa swaumu za sunna za jumla, kwa sababu ya hadithi aliyosimulia ‘Aa’ishah (Mwenyezi Mungu amridhie), aliyesema: “Mtume wa Mwenyezi Mungu ﷺ aliingia kwangu siku moja na kusema: ‘Je, mna chochote [cha kula]?’ Tukasema: ‘Hapana.’ Akasema: ‘Basi mimi nafunga.’” (Ameipokea Muslim, 2/809, ‘Abd al-Baaqi). Lakini kwa swaumu maalum za sunna kama ‘Arafah na ‘Ashura, ni bora kuwa upande wa tahadhari na kufanya niya usiku uliotangulia.

The person who is fasting Ramadaan does not need to repeat the intention every night during Ramadaan; it is sufficient to have the intention at the beginning of the month. If the intention is interrupted by breaking the fast due to travel or sickness – for example – he has to renew the intention to fast when the reason for breaking the fast is no longer present. (34) Making the intention the night before is not a condition of general nafl (supererogatory) fasts, because of the hadeeth narrated by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon me one day and said, ‘Do you have anything [food]?’ We said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘In that case I am fasting.’” (Reported by Muslim, 2/809, ‘Abd al-Baaqi). But in the case of specific nafl fasts such as ‘Arafaah and ‘Aashooraa’, it is better to be on the safe side and make the intention the night before.

(36) Mtu akianza funga ya lazima, kama vile kulipa siku ya Ramadhani aliyoikosa, au kutimiza nadhiri, au funga ya kafara (kaffara), lazima aikamilishe, na haruhusiwi kuivunja isipokuwa ana sababu halali ya kufanya hivyo. Kwa upande wa funga ya naafila, “mtu anayefunga funga ya sunna ana hiari ya kuikamilisha au kuivunja” (imepokewa na Ahmad, 6/342) – hata kama hakuna sababu ya kuivunja. Mtume ﷺ aliamka asubuhi moja akiwa amefunga, kisha akala. (Kama ilivyopokewa katika Saheeh Muslim, katika habari ya al-hais (aina ya chakula) iliyotolewa kama zawadi kwake alipokuwa nyumbani kwa ‘Aa’ishah; Na. 1154, ‘Abd al-Baaqi). Lakini je, mtu anayevunja funga yake bila sababu atapata thawabu kwa funga aliyokwisha kufunga? Baadhi ya wanazuoni wanasema kwamba hatapata thawabu (al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 28/13). Kwa hiyo, ni bora kwa mtu anayefunga funga ya sunna kuikamilisha, isipokuwa ikiwa kuna sababu halali na ya dharura inayomlazimu kuacha kufunga.

(36) If a person embarks on an obligatory fast, such as making up for a day missed in Ramadaan, or fulfilling a vow, or fasting as an act of expiation (kafaarah), he must complete the fast, and he is not permitted to break it unless he has a valid excuse for doing so. In the case of a naafil fast, “the person who is observing a voluntary fast has the choice either to complete the fast or to break it” (reported by Ahmad, 6/342) – even if there is no reason to break it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got up fasting one morning, then he ate. (As reported in Saheeh Muslim, in the story of the al-hais (a type of food) that was given to him as a gift when he was in ‘Aa’ishah’s house; no. 1154, ‘Abd al-Baaqi). But will the person who breaks his fast for no reason be rewarded for the fasting that he has already done? Some of the scholars say that he will not be rewarded (al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 28/13), so it is better for the person who is observing a voluntary fast to complete it, unless there is a valid, pressing reason for him to stop fasting.

(36) Ikiwa mtu hajui kwamba Ramadhani imeanza hadi baada ya alfajiri, anapaswa kuacha kula na kunywa kwa muda wote wa siku hiyo, na anapaswa kuilipa siku hiyo baadaye, kwa mujibu wa wanachuoni wengi, kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alisema: “Hakuna kufunga kwa yule asiyekuwa na niya ya kufunga tangu usiku uliotangulia.” (Imepokewa na Abu Dawood, 2454).

(36) If a person does not know that Ramadaan has started until after dawn, he has to stop eating and drinking for the rest of the day, and he has to make that day up later on, according to the majority of scholars, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no fasting for the one who does not have the intention to fast from the night before.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 2454).

(37) Ikiwa mfungwa au mateka anajua kwamba Ramadhani imeanza kwa kuuona mwezi mwenyewe au kwa kuambiwa na mtu mwaminifu, ni lazima afunge. Asipojua mwezi wa Ramadhani unapoanza, lazima ajitahidi kulikisia mwenyewe (ijtihaad) na kutenda kulingana na kile anachoona kuwa kina uwezekano mkubwa zaidi. Akigundua baadaye kwamba funga yake iliafikiana na Ramadhani, hilo ni sawa kwa mujibu wa wanachuoni wengi; na ikiwa funga yake ilikuja baada ya Ramadhani, hilo pia ni sawa kwa mujibu wa wengi miongoni mwa mafuqahaa’; lakini ikiwa funga yake ilikuja kabla ya Ramadhani, hilo halikubaliki, na lazima ailipe funga hiyo. Ikiwa sehemu ya funga yake iliafikiana na Ramadhani na sehemu nyingine haikuafikiana, basi kile kilichoafikiana nayo au kilichokuja baada yake ni sawa, lakini kilichotangulia hakiko sawa. Ikiwa jambo hilo halijawahi kubainika kwake, basi funga yake ni sahihi kwa sababu alifanya awezavyo, na Allaah humtwika mtu mzigo usiozidi uwezo wake. (Al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 28/84).

(37) If a prisoner or captive knows that Ramadaan has begun by sighting the moon himself or by being told by a trustworthy person, he has to fast. If he does not know when the month is beginning, he must try to work it out for himself (ijtihaad) and act according what he thinks is most likely. If he later finds out that his fasting coincided with Ramadaan, this is fine according to the majority of scholars, and if his fasting came after Ramadaan, this is fine according to the majority of fuqahaa’, but if his fasting came before Ramadaan, this is not acceptable, and he has to make up the fast. If part of his fasting coincided with Ramadaan and part of it did not, what coincided with it or came after it is fine, but what came before is not OK. If the matter never becomes clear to him, then his fasting is fine because he did the best he could, and Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope. (Al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 28/84).