Ruling on having intercourse with one’s wife during Ramadaan

Intercourse with one’s
wife in Ramadaan may mean one of two things, either at night or during the
day.

Intercourse at night is permissible. Night lasts from when
the sun first sets until dawn comes. 

The ruling at the beginning of Islam was that intercourse was
permissible during the nights of Ramadaan so long as one had not yet gone to
sleep. If a person went to sleep it became haraam for him to have
intercourse after that, even if he woke up before dawn came. Then Allaah
made the ruling easier and allowed intercourse at any time during the night
in Ramadaan. This is indicated by the words of Allaah (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“It is made lawful for you to have sexual relations with
your wives on the night of As‑Sawm (the fasts). They are Libaas [i.e.
body-cover, or screen, or Sakan (i.e. you enjoy the pleasure of living with
them)] for you and you are the same for them. Allaah knows that you used to
deceive yourselves, so He turned to you (accepted your repentance) and
forgave you. So now have sexual relations with them and seek that which
Allaah has ordained for you (offspring), and eat and drink until the white
thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread
(darkness of night), then complete your Sawm (fast) till the nightfall.”

[al-Baqarah 2:187] 

al-Sa’di (p. 87) said: 

When the fast was first enjoined, it was haraam for the
Muslims to eat, drink or have intercourse at night after having slept, but
that caused hardship for some of them, so Allaah made it easier for them and
allowed them to eat, drink and have intercourse at any time during the
nights of the fast, whether they had slept or not, because they were
deceiving themselves. 

“so He turned to you” means that He made something
easier for you that would have caused to fall into sin otherwise; “and
forgave you” for what is past. “So now” means, after this
concession and ease that has been granted by Allaah, “have sexual
relations with them” means intercourse, kissing, touching, etc. 

“and seek that which Allaah has ordained for you”
means intend, when you have relations with your wives, to obey Allaah
thereby and to achieve the greater purpose of intercourse, which is to have
children, keep oneself and one’s wife chaste, and to achieve the purposes of
marriage. 

Al-Jassaas said in Ahkaam al-Qur’aan (1/265): 

Intercourse, eating and drinking are permitted during the
nights of the fast from the beginning (of the night) until dawn comes. 

Al-Bukhaari (4508) narrated from al-Bara’ (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that when the obligation of fasting was first revealed,
they would not come near to their wives for the whole of Ramadaan, and some
men deceived themselves, then Allaah revealed “Allaah knows that you used
to deceive yourselves, so He turned to you (accepted your repentance) and
forgave you”. 

Al-Haafiz said:

 With regard to the phrase, “when the obligation of fasting
was first revealed, they would not come near to their wives for the whole of
Ramadaan” – it appears from the context of this report that intercourse was
forbidden both night and day, unlike eating and drinking which were allowed
at night so long as one had not slept. But the rest of the ahaadeeth
narrated on this topic indicate that no such distinction was made, so the
words “they would not come near to their wives” may be understood as
referring to what most of the people did, so as to reconcile between the
reports. 

“you used to deceive yourselves” means that they had
intercourse with their wives and ate and drank at the time when it was
forbidden to them. This was mentioned by al-Tabari. And it was narrated from
Mujaahid that “you used to deceive yourselves” means that they
wronged themselves. From ‘Awn al-Ma’bood. 

With regard to
intercourse during the day in Ramadaan on the part of one who is obliged to
fast, the scholars are agreed that it is haraam and is one of the things
that invalidate the fast. 

It says in al-Mughni (4/372): 

We do not know of any differing opinion among the scholars
with regard to the fact that whoever has intercourse in the vagina, whether
he ejaculates or not, or ejaculates outside the vagina, has broken his fast
if he did that deliberately. This is indicated by the saheeh reports.  

Indeed intercourse is the most serious of the things that
break the fast, and expiation must be offered for that. 

Al-Bukhaari (2600) and Muslim (111) narrated that Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: a man came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of
Allaah, I am doomed!” He said: “Why is that?” He said, “I had intercourse
with my wife when I was fasting.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do you have a slave whom you can set
free?” He said, “No.” He said: “Can you fast for two consecutive months?” He
said, “No.” He said, “Can you afford to feed sixty poor persons?” He said,
“No.” Then a man from among the Ansaar brought a basket of dates. He said:
‘Take this and give it in charity.” The man said: “To someone poorer than
us? O Messenger of Allaah, by the One Who sent you with the truth, there is
no family between the two lava fields (i.e., in Madeenah) poorer than us.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Go an
feed it to your family.” 

For more information on the consequences of intercourse
during the day on Ramadaan, see question no.
49614.