Can You Sleep Beside Your Wife while Fasting?

Praise be to Allah.

Yes, it is permissible for a man to sleep beside his wife in Ramadan. In fact, it is permissible for a man to be intimate with his wife when he is fasting , so long as no intercourse or ejaculation takes place. 

Al-Bukhari (1927) and Muslim (1106) narrated that `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to kiss and be intimate when fasting, and he was the most able of you to control his desire.” 

Al-Sindi said: 

“The word yubashir (translated here as “be intimate”) means touching the wife’s skin and her touching him, such as putting his cheek against hers and so on.” 

What is meant here is touching the skin, not intercourse . 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: 

What is it permissible for a man who is fasting to do with his wife who is fasting?

 He replied: 

“A man who is observing an obligatory fast is not permitted to do anything with his wife that will lead to ejaculation . People vary in how quickly they reach climax; some of them are slow and can control themselves completely, as `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said concerning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “he was the most able of you to control his desire.” Some of them cannot control themselves and ejaculate quickly. Such a person should not be intimate with his wife and touch her or kiss her, etc. when observing an obligatory fast. If a person knows that he can control himself, then he can kiss and hug his wife even when observing an obligatory fast, but he must beware of intercourse because having intercourse (during the day) in Ramadan for one who is obliged to fast results in five things: 

• It is a sin
• The fast is invalidated
• He should refrain from eating, etc. for the rest of the day. Everyone who breaks his fast in Ramadan with no legitimate Shar`i excuse has to refrain from eating etc. (for the rest of the day) and also has to make up that day.
• He has to make up that day because he forfeited an obligatory act of worship, which he has to make up.
• He has to offer an expiation which is one of the most burdensome of expiations: freeing a slave; if he cannot do that then he must fast for two consecutive months; if he cannot do that then he must feed sixty poor persons.

If it is an obligatory fast that was being observed at a time other than Ramadan – such as making up a day missed in Ramadan, or observing an expiatory fast etc., then breaking the fast results in two things: sin and having to make it up.  But if it was a voluntary fast and he has intercourse during it, then he does not have to do anything.

And Allah knows best.