What is the ruling on using a patch to suppress hunger or a nicotine patch while fasting?
Fasting is a great act of worship and one of the pillars of Islam. If people knew the immense reward of Ramadan, they would wish for the whole year to be Ramadan.
Whoever eats Suhoor and breaks their fast according to the Sunnah will not experience extreme hardship, making such patches unnecessary.
However, using these patches does not break the fast because they are not a source of nourishment and do not enter the body cavity (jauf) through an open passage.
What is the ruling on someone who eats or drinks thinking that the night is still present, then realizes that dawn has broken?
Whoever eats or drinks thinking that the night is still present, then later discovers that dawn has broken, must refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day out of respect for the sacred month. However, they must make up that day after Ramadan, and there is no sin upon them.
Is it obligatory to have an intention (niyyah) for every prayer?
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is obligatory for the worshiper to have a specific intention (Niyyah) for every prayer, meaning they must consciously intend the act of worship they are performing. The intention is a pillar (Rukn) of the prayer, and the prayer is not valid without it. It is not a requirement to utter the intention verbally; rather, doing so is considered a recommended Sunnah. And Allah the Exalted knows best.
Which is better for a traveler: fasting or breaking the fast?
Fasting is better, unless it causes hardship—in that case, breaking the fast is better.