Dear respected Shaykh, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Does a serious intention to break the fast without eating invalidate the fast? النية الجازمة للفطر دون أكل هل يفطر بها الصائم؟

Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions.   Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.   As to what follows:   In response to your question, we say:     It is known that the reality of fasting is the intention and abstaining  from the nullifiers of fasting. Thus fasting is based on two realities; the intention and practical abstinence from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse. If a person abstains from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse without making an intention he would not be fasting. If he makes an intention to fast then eats he would not be fasting because his actions would have contradicted his intention. Thus the jurists said that whoever intends to break the fast has indeed broken the fast, meaning that he lost what he was supposed to uphold in observing worship by his intention to break the fast. Thus his fasting was invalidated. His action lacks an intention and is not correct.