He had intercourse with his wife thinking that it is the day of ‘Eed

24-6-2013 | IslamWeb

Question:

In Qatar, we are used to breaking our fast after Ramadan with Saudi Arabia. However, there was one year in which Saudi Arabia declared ‘Eed and I thought that Qatar would also declare it and it is simply a matter of time. I slept without making the intention to fast, woke up at dawn and had intercourse with my wife. Then, I discovered that the people of Qatar considered it a day of Ramadhaan and they fasted. Should I offer expiation?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.

 

You should have made sure whether this day was ‘Eed or not. Since what happened has happened, you should make up for this day and you are not obliged to offer any expiation because you did not intend to violate the sanctity of the month. Expiation is obligatory upon whoever does so intentionally.

Whoever does this by mistake is not required to offer any expiation as Allaah The Almighty says (what means): {Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred.} [Quran 2:286]

Allaah The Exalted also says (what means): {And there is no blame upon you for that in which you have erred but [only for] what your hearts intended.} [Quran 33:5]

Allaah Knows best.