Things to Avoid During Ramadan – A Guide of Don’ts of Ramadan And Fasting

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a time of fasting, spiritual reflection, and self-discipline. It's crucial to be mindful of actions and behaviours that may invalidate or diminish the rewards of Ramadan. Our guide, Things to Avoid During Ramadan, is for that.

If you will observe Ramadan soon, this guide is for you. It includes behaviours, actions, and things to abstain from during fasting and Ramadan. This way, you can get the most out of this holy month.

This article explores Things to Avoid during Ramadan. Ramadan is the gift of Allah, and Muslims should be careful of the do’s and don’t guidelines of Ramadan to ensure a spiritually rewarding and beneficial experience.

What Things to Avoid during Ramadan?

Ramadan is a sacred month for Muslims characterised by heightened devotion to being submissive to Allah in his remembrance, worship, and obligations. In addition, Ramadan is one of the months in which the rewards of good deeds are numerous.

Muslims try to do good deeds and refrain from bad habits, behaviours, and actions. While Islam preaches that every Muslim must abstain from some acts in their everyday lives, they totally abstain from engaging in any invalid acts and behaviours in Ramadan.

Being mindful of certain behaviours and actions can help Muslims foster a stronger bond with Allah. Are you looking for Things to Avoid doing during Ramadan? Here is a guideline of what not to do:

1. Skipping Fasting without a valid reason: Fasting every day of Ramadan is compulsory. The primary duty of Ramadan is to fast from pre-sunrise to sunset every day of this glorious month. Skipping fasting without a valid reason is strongly prohibited.
2. Breaking the Fast before Sunset: Deliberately breaking the fast before the call to Maghrib prayer (sunset) invalidates the fast. Also, avoid intentionally consuming food or drinks during fasting hours.
3. Neglecting Suhoor (Pre-Dawn Meal): Skipping the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) out of laziness or neglect can make fasting unnecessarily tricky and discouraging.
4. Control your Gaze: Purity of the mind and soul is encouraged in the holy month; hence, Muslims are advised to watch how they gaze at the opposite sex during Ramadan.
5. Skipping Voluntary Prayers: In the month of Ramadan, the rewards of voluntary prayers are equal to the rewards of obligatory prayers. Neglecting voluntary prayers like Tahajjud, Ishraq, and others out of laziness is discouraging.
6. Not Giving Charity and Zakat: Giving donations and charity during Ramadan is one of the most noble acts.Fasting is an opportunity to cultivate empathy and compassion for needy people, so not giving charity during this time is a missed opportunity for spiritual growth.
7. Overeating at iftar: Ramadan is the season of fasting, not feasting. Please keep it simple. Enjoy your iftar, but remember that too much food can distract you from worship and affect your health.
8. Oversleeping: It might seem tempting to sleep most of the daylight hours, but you might miss out on the blessings of the fasting hours. We are all for a good power nap, but make sure you don’t miss prayer times or waste away the day.
9. Free mixing iftar parties and sehri nights: Non-Mahram men and women gather for so-called “Iftar” parties and “Sehri” nights and spend hours gossiping, laughing, singing and doing all kinds of other nonsense. 
10. Breaking fasts without valid reason: Deliberately breaking the fast without any valid reason can diminish the rewards of fasting, resulting in Allah’s wrath and anger.
11. Indulging in bad habits: Ramadan is a time to correct your actions and behaviours; it is a perfect time to quit bad habits. If you engage in bad habits, you are not respectful to Ramadan.
12. Neglecting Tarawih: Tarawih is a voluntary prayer performed only during Ramadan. It has numerous spiritual benefits and rewards. If you deliberately miss it, you will lose your rewards.
13. Skipping obligatory salah: Not performing the five daily prayers while fasting diminishes the overall act of worship.
14. Spending too much time shopping: It has become a trend to spend most of the time shopping for Eid. Avoid excessive shopping and spare your time praying and worshipping.
15. Indulging in indecent activities: Avoid engaging in Gossip or Backbiting, telling lies, using offensive language, and other obscene acts.
16. Showing Anger: Fasting requires patience, and displaying anger undermines the goal of self-restraint.
17. Listening to Music or watching un-Islamic Content: To maintain the purity of thought and action, avoid content that promotes immorality, vulgarity, or indecency.
18. Being Unkind to Others: Rudeness or harshness toward others contradicts Islam's teachings of kindness and compassion, especially while fasting.
19. Judging Others: Criticizing or judging others for how fast or pray goes against the spirit of humility and self-reflection during Ramadan.
20. Holding grudges: Islam is a religion of peace, and Muslims are expected to reconcile with people against whom they hold grudges even outside Ramadan. This is doubly so in Ramadan, as doing otherwise could invalidate one’s rewards.
21. Wasting food or water: It is not permissible to deliberately waste food and water. To avoid wasting them, try to give them to the needy.
22. Public displays of affection: Avoid public displays during Ramadan. You can have your private time in your personal space.

Must Read: A Guide on Things to Avoid When Fasting and Praying

Things to Avoid during Ramadan Fasting

As the crescent moon signals, Muslims prepare for a month-long dawn-to-dusk fast to deepen their connection with Allah and experience spiritual renewal. Fasting reflects piety, perseverance, and spiritual growth. When Muslims fast, they know the value of poverty and hunger.

Fasting is one of the essential pillars of Islam, without which you can’t be devoted towards your Allah. In addition, fasting comes with countless physical, mental and spiritual benefits and rewards. It is up to you to make or break your fasting experience in Ramadan.

To make your fast effective, it is necessary to know what not to do:

1. Eating or Drinking: Consuming any food or drink (even a small amount) from dawn (Fajr) until sunset (Maghrib) invalidates the fast.
2. Injecting non-essential medications: Do not consume medicines during fasting, and avoid injecting non-essential medications. Some injective medicines are permissible in times of emergency.
3. Consuming haram (forbidden) foods: Allah has taught Muslims about what to Halal and Haram Foods. Avoid consuming haram foods during iftar. It will invalidate your act of fasting.
4. Not making intention for fasting: Your actions depend on your intention; if you don’t have a pure intent to fast, your fasting is invalid.
5. Breaking the Fast before Sunset: Deliberately breaking the fast before the call to Maghrib prayer (sunset) invalidates the fast. Also, avoid intentionally consuming food or drinks during fasting hours.
6. Neglecting Quran recitation: Quran recitation during fasts brings countless rewards; avoid neglecting Quran recitation.
7. Breaking the fast without valid reason: Deliberately breaking the fast without any valid reason can diminish the rewards of fasting, resulting in Allah’s wrath and anger.
8. Sexual Intimacy: During Fasting Hours: Sexual relations between husband and wife are prohibited during daylight hours in Ramadan.
9. Vomiting intentionally: Don't induce vomiting to break your fast.
10. Excessive physical exertion: Avoid strenuous activities that may weaken you or break your fast.
11. Breaking the Fast before Sunset: Deliberately breaking the fast before the call to Maghrib prayer (sunset) invalidates the fast. Also, avoid intentionally consuming food or drinks during fasting hours.
12. Being Lazy or Neglecting Responsibilities: Fasting should not be used as an excuse to shirk work, family, or other essential duties.
13. Overeating at Iftar: Though it’s permissible to break the fast at sunset, overeating is discouraged as it can detract from the spiritual experience.
14. Listening to Music or watching un-Islamic Content: To maintain the purity of thought and action, avoid content that promotes immorality, vulgarity, or indecency.
15. Engaging in Gossip or Backbiting (Gheebah): Talking negatively about others behind their back is sinful and detracts from the spiritual benefit of fasting.
16. Swearing or Using Offensive Language: Fasting is not just about abstaining from food but also from deviant behaviour, including harsh speech.
17. Smoking or using tobacco products: Smoking is considered to break the fast and should be avoided entirely during fasting hours. Inhaling smoke, such as from incense or cigarettes, can break the fast if done deliberately.
18. Quarreling or Arguing: Getting into disputes or arguments can reduce the spiritual rewards of fasting.
19. Lying: Telling lies, even small ones, negates the moral benefit of fasting.
20. Engaging in Idle or Frivolous Talk: Engaging in meaningless or trivial conversations detracts from the mindfulness required during fasting.
21. Using perfumes/scents: Avoid strong and alcoholic perfumes and fragrances.
22. Pause the binge-watching: You might be trying to make time pass faster, but there are better Ramadan activities than watching new shows.

Wrapping Up:

Muslims are taught to adhere to the teachings of Islam, whether it's Ramadan or not. But Ramadan is one of the sacred months that holds significant importance for Muslims in terms of fostering connection to Allah, spiritual growth, and self-discipline. Being mindful of the Things to Avoid During Ramadan, Muslims can experience effective fasting and truly transformative and spiritually uplifting Ramadan.