What is prohibited during the fast of Ramadan?

A fasting person must not do anything that would invalidate the fast or cause its reward to be forfeited. Fasters should, therefore, guard their senses and actions against anything that displeases Allah Almighty or invalidates the fast, such as backbiting, tale-bearing, engaging in idle talk, looking at what Allah has forbidden, quarrelling and discord, severing ties of kinship, and other such matters that lead to the loss of the reward of fasting. This is supported by the hadith of Abu Huraira who narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “One may fast and gain nothing from one’s fast except hunger, and one may stand in prayer and gain nothing from one’s standing except sleeplessness” (recorded by al-Nasa`i, ibn Majah, and Ahmad, and deemed authentic by ibn Khuzayma, ibn Hibban, and al-Hakim).

In other words, a fasting person should avoid everything that would erode or lessen one’s piety, for fasting was prescribed to attain it. Allah Almighty says, “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain piety” (Quran, 2:183).

And Allah Almighty knows best.