What if I sleep through suhoor?

If you sleep through suhoor, you still fast that day. Suhoor is a blessed sunnah, not a condition of the fast, so missing it doesn't cancel anything. As long as you meant to fast Ramadan, your fast is valid even if you wake up after dawn.

Your fast is still valid

Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal. The Prophet ﷺ encouraged it strongly: "Take suhoor, for in suhoor there is blessing" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1923). But encouraging something is not the same as making it a pillar. The fast itself is simply holding back from food, drink and intimacy from dawn (Fajr) until sunset (Maghrib).

So if your alarm failed and you wake up at 7 am, don't eat. Carry on fasting as normal. You lose the reward and energy of the meal, not the fast. For exact start and end times, see What time do I start and stop fasting in Ramadan?

What about my intention?

Many new Muslims worry that without eating suhoor they never "made the intention". The intention (niyyah) is in the heart. Going to bed knowing tomorrow is a Ramadan day, and planning to fast, is already an intention. Most scholars consider that enough, and several (the Maliki school in particular) see one intention at the start of Ramadan as covering the whole month.

If you wake up just before Fajr

If there are a few minutes left, have a glass of water or a date. Even a small bite counts as suhoor. The Quran allows eating until dawn is clear:

وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلْخَيْطُ ٱلْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْطِ ٱلْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ ٱلْفَجْرِ "And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]." Quran 2:187

If you only realise after eating that Fajr had already started, scholars differ. The majority say you should make up that day later; some (including a view among early scholars and Ibn Taymiyyah) say an honest mistake about the time doesn't break the fast. Either way, there is no sin and no penalty.

How to get through the day

Slow down: skip the gym and heavy chores if you can.
Rest at lunchtime if your day allows it.
Plan a gentle iftar: water, dates, then a proper meal.
If you feel genuinely unwell (dizzy, faint, a medical condition), you may break the fast and make it up later.

Stop it happening again

Set two alarms, put your phone across the room, and prepare suhoor before bed so it takes two minutes. Overnight oats, yoghurt and fruit are easy wins. See What is suhoor and what should I eat? If you live with family, ask someone to knock on your door; that's an old Ramadan tradition.

Key points

Missing suhoor does not cancel your fast.
Don't eat after dawn; just keep fasting.
Your plan to fast counts as the intention.
Prepare suhoor the night before to make waking easier.

Tip: If you're a deep sleeper, try going to bed right after Isha in Ramadan. Getting a few hours before suhoor makes the alarm much easier to hear. And on a weekend, a nap after Dhuhr is fine; see Can I still sleep in on weekends as a Muslim?