Here is the commonly taught dua for keeping fast (niyyah for sawm) , along with meaning and a bit of practical context.

Main dua for keeping fast

Many authentic scholars explain that the intention (niyyah) is in the heart , not a fixed wording. However, across the Muslim world a well-known phrase is recited to express that intention:

Arabic (very commonly taught):
وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ نَّوَيْتُ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ

Transliteration:
Wa biṣawmi ghadin nawaytu min shahri Ramaḍān.

Meaning (simple English):
“I intend to keep the fast for tomorrow in the month of Ramadan.”

Another, slightly longer wording that some people use, especially in books and pamphlets, is:

Transliteration:
Nawaitu ṣawma ghadin an adā’i farḍi shahri Ramaḍāna hādhihi as-sanati lillāhi taʿālā.

Meaning:
“I intend to do the obligatory fast tomorrow in the month of Ramadan this year for Allah, the Most High.”

Both convey the same core idea: you are fasting tomorrow, for Ramadan, for Allah.

Is this dua mandatory?

  • Scholars agree that what is required is the niyyah (intention) in your heart before Fajr, not necessarily saying a particular sentence out loud.
  • If you have decided, “I am fasting tomorrow for Ramadan,” your fast is valid, even if you did not recite the Arabic wording.
  • Reciting one of these duas can still be beneficial as a reminder and a way to bring presence of heart before starting the fast.

Simple way to practice it

If the Arabic is difficult, you can:

  1. Learn the short line first: Wa biṣawmi ghadin nawaytu min shahri Ramadan.
  1. Say it before Fajr , ideally after your suhoor, while firmly intending the fast.
  1. If even that is hard, say the meaning in your own language (for example, in English: “O Allah, I intend to fast tomorrow for Ramadan, for Your sake.”), because du’a and intention can be in any language, as long as the heart is sincere.

Bonus: dua for breaking the fast (iftar)

Since it is often memorized together with the niyyah, here is a well-known dua when opening the fast:

Arabic:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي لَكَ صُمْتُ وَعَلَى رِزْقِكَ أَفْطَرْتُ

Transliteration:
Allāhumma innī laka ṣumtu, wa ʿalā rizqika aftartu.

Meaning:
“O Allah, for You I have fasted, and with Your provision I break my fast.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.