Dua for Opening a Fast: Niyyah and Suhoor

The dua for opening a fast is the niyyah — the intention you make before the fast begins. Here is exactly what to say and how to make it correctly.

The Niyyah: Dua for Opening a Fast

Arabic:

وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ نَوَيْتُ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ

Transliteration:

Wa bi-ṣawmi ghadin nawaytu min shahri ramaḍān

Translation:

"I intend to keep the fast tomorrow in the month of Ramadan."

Source: This verbal formula appears in classical fiqh texts as a tool for focusing the niyyah. The foundational obligation of intention in worship is established by the hadith: "Actions are judged by their intentions." (Narrated by Bukhari, 1; Muslim, 1907)

Note on authenticity: Scholars note that this specific wording is not traced to a direct hadith of the Prophet ﷺ with a strong chain. What is authentically established is that the intention itself — in the heart — is obligatory. The verbal formula is a permissible aid, not a requirement.

Looking for more duas? Browse our complete Dua Collection — organized by occasion with Arabic text, transliteration, and translation.

When and How to Recite

• Make the niyyah before Fajr — for obligatory fasts like Ramadan, the intention must be formed before the Fajr prayer each day (Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali position)
• Simply waking for suhoor counts — most scholars agree that waking with the purpose of fasting is itself a sufficient expression of the niyyah
• The Hanafi position allows making the niyyah before Dhuhr (midday) for Ramadan fasting, provided you have not eaten
• Say it in your heart, not your tongue — the niyyah is a matter of awareness and sincerity, not performance
• For voluntary fasts, the niyyah can be made before midday if you have not yet eaten that day
• For make-up fasts (qadha), specify that the fast is a qadha for Ramadan by adding the awareness: qadha'an 'an Ramadan — "as a make-up for Ramadan"

Dua When Starting to Eat Suhoor

Begin your suhoor meal with:

Arabic:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ

Transliteration:

Bismillāh

Translation:

"In the name of Allah."

Source: The Prophet ﷺ said: "When one of you eats, let him say 'Bismillah.'" (Narrated by Bukhari, 5376; Muslim, 2017)

If you forget to say it at the start: Bismillāhi awwalahu wa ākhirah — "In the name of Allah at its beginning and its end." (Narrated by Abu Dawud, 3767)

Virtues and Rewards of the Fasting Niyyah

The niyyah is not a mere formality — it is the soul of the act of worship. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Eat suhoor, for there is blessing (barakah) in suhoor." (Narrated by Bukhari, 1923; Muslim, 1095)

He ﷺ also said:

"The difference between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is the eating of suhoor." (Narrated by Muslim, 1096)

The suhoor meal is itself considered a Sunnah indication of fasting intention. Even eating a single date or drinking a sip of water at suhoor time earns the blessing of following the Prophet's practice ﷺ.

Allah ﷻ says in a hadith qudsi:

"Every deed of the son of Adam is for himself, except fasting — it is for Me, and I shall reward for it." (Narrated by Bukhari, 1904; Muslim, 1151)

Making the niyyah sincerely — whether silently in the heart or with the verbal formula — is the act of surrendering the coming hours to Allah. That sincerity is what transforms an ordinary act of not eating into an act of worship deserving of divine reward.

Suhoor also overlaps with the last third of the night, one of the most powerful times for supplication. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven every night during the last third of the night and says: 'Who is calling upon Me, so that I may answer him? Who is asking of Me, so that I may give him? Who is seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?'" (Narrated by Bukhari, 1145; Muslim, 758)

Use this time — while making your niyyah and eating your suhoor — to make sincere personal duas for yourself, your family, and the Muslim ummah.

Related Duas

• Dua for Breaking Fast — the authentic iftar supplications recited when ending the fast at sunset
• Dua for Fasting — the complete collection covering before, during, and after fasting
• Dua for Beginning Fasting — focused niyyah formulas and suhoor supplications
• Dua for Forgiveness — powerful supplications for seeking Allah's forgiveness, especially during Ramadan

Check your daily Prayer Times to know when Fajr begins — this is the deadline for making your niyyah for Ramadan fasting each day.