Pillars of fasting
Fasting has four pillars:
1- Intention.
2- Abstaining from breaking the fast.
3- Time.
4- Fasting person.
Here is a brief explanation.
The first pillar: intention:
It is necessary to spend the night overnight, and it is required in fasting, and in every act of worship and deed. For God Almighty says: And they were commanded only to worship God, sincere to Him in religion, upright, and to perform prayer and pay zakat. ﴾ [البينة: 5]And according to his saying, may God bless him and grant him peace: ((Actions are based on intentions, and every person will receive only what he intended))[1].
The second pillar: Abstaining from things that break the fast:
The fasting person must abstain from all things that break the fast. From eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, and other corrupt things[2]Fasting.
The third pillar: time:
The fasting person is abstained from all things that break the fast from the rising of the true dawn until sunset; For God Almighty says: And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread, then complete the fast until nightfall. ﴾ [البقرة: 187].
The Fourth Pillar: The Fasting Person:
He is an adult Muslim who is able to fast without any obstacles[3].
[1] Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 22, and Sahih Muslim, vol. 6, p. 48.
[2] It will be detailed when talking about things that invalidate the fast.
[3] The place for detailing the hadith is when talking about who is required to fast. See: Bidayat al-Mujtahid, vol. 1, p. 274, and Nihayat al-Muhtaj, vol. 3, p. 158.