And Allah—magnified and exalted—is displeased with those who merely voice matters, as in His statement: “The Bedouins say, ‘We have believed.’ Say, ‘You have not believed; rather say, We have submitted’” (al-Ḥujurāt 49:14), and again: “Say, ‘Are you informing Allah about your religion while Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth?’” (al-Ḥujurāt 49:16).

Thus, articulating the intention means a person is informing his Lord—glorified be He—that he has resolved to do such-and-such for His sake, and Allah has forbidden that and reproached whoever does it.

Question: What is the ruling on withdrawing the intention to perform a voluntary fast or a make-up fast before dawn breaks?
Answer: Before Fajr it is permissible to retract, because one has not yet started the fast. He may postpone fasting that day and observe it later.

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Question: What is the ruling on breaking a fast being observed as a make-up for a day missed in Ramadan?
Answer: It is not permissible for someone who is making up a Ramadan fast to interrupt it and break his fast. Once he has formed the intention and begun the fast, he must complete that day; breaking it is unlawful. The jurists—may Allah have mercy on them—have said: “Whoever embarks upon an obligation whose time window is flexible is forbidden to abandon it.”

Question: Does the same apply when the fast is obligatory because of a vow or an expiation?
Answer: Every obligatory fast—whether a make-up, a vowed fast, or an expiation—must be completed once one has begun that day’s fast. It may only be broken for a pressing necessity.

Question: If he does break it, is the ruling the same as the expiation for breaking a Ramadan fast?
Answer: It is not treated like breaking a fast in Ramadan, but he is nevertheless sinful for doing so.
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