Which Quran verse contains the white-thread and black-thread rule for fasting?

Al-Baqarah 2:187 contains the Quran’s white-thread and black-thread rule for fasting. The verse instructs believers to eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct from the black thread of night, then to complete the fast until nightfall.

The “threads” are a vivid image for the arrival of dawn and the departure of darkness, not physical strands placed beside one another. The verse also addresses other Ramadan rules, including the permissibility of marital intimacy during the night and the prohibition of sexual relations during i‘tikaf, a period of retreat and worship in a mosque.

This verse is frequently confused with Al-Baqarah 2:183, which commands believers to fast and explains the spiritual aim of fasting: attaining taqwa, or God-consciousness. Al-Fatiha 1:5 is a prayer for worship and help, while Al-Qadr 97:1 concerns the revelation of the Quran on the Night of Decree. The precise answer is therefore the chapter-and-verse citation Al-Baqarah 2:187.