The Things That Invalidate Fasting
556. Both these and sexual intercourse break one’s fast by consensus, for Allah (ST) says:
(A) + (+H, +M, +S): Eating non-food items (by mouth) invalidates fasting.
557. (A) + (+H, +M, +S), for the Prophet (SA) said:
“Sniff water far into your nostrils unless you are fasting.” (D – from Laqeeṭ ibn Ṣabirah. al-Albâni:S)
بَالِغْ في الِاسْتِنْشَاقِ إلا أَنْ تَكُونَ صَائِمًا.
558. Medical Care and Fasting
In the madh-hab, anything that reaches the jawf (lit. cavity; here it refers to the abdominal and cranial cavities) through any orifice, including the eyes (if he finds its taste in his throat), ears (they said: if the fluid goes into the cranial cavity), anus, vagina (if it is liquid), or even a penetrating wound, would nullify the fast. Also, if he allows someone to cause a penetrating wound into his abdomen and the instrument reaches its cavity, his fast would be invalid; this means that, in addition to endoscopy and colonoscopy, any laparoscopic surgery would nullify the fast. The only orifice excepted from the above is the male urethra. Also, the vagina is an exception, if non-disintegrable items were introduced into it and didn’t reach beyond it. The other madh-habs generally agree with these views except that there is some disagreement over the jawf and the orifices leading to it. (H) excludes the male urethra and the eye, and they have some disagreement about the ear. (M) excludes the male urethra and penetrating wounds; they also exclude non-liquids in the anus. (S) excludes only the eye. (Z) excludes all orifices, including the nostrils. (t) excludes all orifices except the nostrils, and his position seems to be adopted by many contemporary scholars, as you may notice in the following segment. Note: The following discussion is not restricted to the madh-hab and relies mainly on the positions of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation).
Injections (other than nutritious ones): They do not invalidate the fast, according to IIFA.
Nutritious Injections: They invalidate the fast, according to IIFA. Enemas: Controversial. IIFA deferred the discussion on them. Many contemporary scholars allow them while fasting because even though they reach the hollow interior of the body, they do so from a route that is not natural for food or drink; it is not even close to this natural route.
Vaginal Suppositories and douches: They do not break the fast, according to IIFA.
Urinary Catheterization (Including the Placement of Dyes):
This does not break the fast, according to IIFA.
Sublingual Tablets: IIFA maintains that as long as the patient avoids swallowing them, there should be no harm because they are completely absorbed by the mucous membranes of the mouth and do not reach the hollow interior of the body.
4. Intentionally vomits, 559
.٤.أَوِ اسْتَقَاءَ
Inhalers and Nasal Sprays: The Permanent Fatwa Committee in Saudi Arabia ruled that they do not invalidate the fast, but the matter is still controversial. IIFA maintains the same position on nasal sprays but refrained from issuing a fatwa on inhalers.
Nasal Drops: Controversial; the scholars who say that they invalidate the fast support their view with the previous hadith about sniffing water into the nostrils. The scholars who argue that they do not break the fast maintain that even if a small amount made it to the stomach, it would still be negligible. IIFA maintains that as long as the patient avoids swallowing them, there should be no harm.
Eye Drops and Eardrops: They do not invalidate one’s fasting, according to IIFA and many scholars – particularly eardrops, because there is no connection between the external ear and the interior of the body, except in the case of perforation of the eardrum, and then what might reach the hollow interior of the body would be extremely negligible.
Endoscopes: Even if they enter through the mouth, they do not break the fast, according to IIFA, because they are not nutritious and they do not remain in the abdomen. The majority of the earlier scholars would consider them invalidators because they enter the hollow interior of the body.
Skin Preparations That Are Absorbed into the Body: They do not invalidate the fast, according to IIFA and the vast majority of contemporary scholars.
Dental Procedures: They do not break the fast, according to IIFA, as long as one tries to not swallow any liquids. It would certainly be preferable to defer elective procedures after Ramadan.
Laparoscopic Surgeries: They do not break the fast, according to IIFA. Blood Donation: This does not invalidate the fast, according to the vast majority of contemporary scholars.
559. The Prophet (SA) said:
“He who is overwhelmed by vomiting does not have to make up, but he who intentionally vomits must make up.” (T – from Abu Hurayrah. Kh, Ḥib and others:S)
من ذَرَعَهُ الْقَيْءُ فَلَيْسَ عليه قَضَاءٌ وَمَنْ اسْتَقَاءَ عَمْدًا فَلْيَقْضِ.
5. Masturbates, 560
6. Kisses or touches [the opposite sex] and subsequently ejaculates semen or has madhy, 561
7. Has ḥijâmah (cupping with bloodletting) or does it to someone else,
562
.٥.أَوِ اسْتَمْنَى
.٦.أَوْ قَبَّلَ، أَوْ لَمَسَ فَأَمْنَى أَوْ أَمْذَى
.٧.أَوْ حَجَمَ أَوِ احْتَجَمَ
.٨.عَامِدًا، ذاَكِرًا لِصَوْمِهِ، فَسَدَ صَوْمُهُ
Intentional vomiting is when one does something to bring it on, not vomiting because one feels very nauseous.
560. That is the position of the four schools of fiqh, for in the divine hadith, Allah the Almighty says about the fasting person:
The one who masturbates does not give up his sexual desire.
561. Kissing One’s Spouse, with Subsequent Discharge
In the case of the ejaculation of semen, the four schools of fiqh agree, but in the case of madhy, it is controversial.
(A): The fast becomes invalid.
(a) + (-S): It does not break the fast, since the Prophet (SA) allowed touching and kissing, and this is not infrequently associated with madhy.
(A/SM): Also, if he looks at a woman more than once and consequently ejaculates semen (not madhy), his fasting is invalidated.
Note that he did not mention intercourse here with the nullifiers. He addressed it separately, in the previous chapter, because unlike the rest of the nullifiers, kaffârah (expiation) is required for it.
562. Bloodletting, Blood Donation, and Blood Tests
That is the position of (A). The majority (-H, -M, -S) do not consider ḥijâmah to break one’s fast.
The disagreement is because the Prophet (SA) said:
“Both the one doing bloodletting and the one having it done to him break their fast.” (D – from Thawbân. al-Albâni:S)
أفطَرَ الحاجِم والمَحْجُوم.
intentionally and while remembering [that he is fasting]. [For all the above,] the fast is nullified.
If one does it absentmindedly or is forced, his fast is not nullified.563
وَإِنْ فَعَلَهُ نَاسِيًا أَوْ مُكْرَهًا، لَمْ يَفْسُدْ.
If flies or dust fly into one’s mouth, or one rinses the mouth or sniffs water into
وَإِنْ طَارَ إِلَى حَلْقِهِ ذُبَابٌ أَوْ غُبَارٌ، أَوْ تَمَضْمَضَ أَوِ
However, many of the Companions considered this to be abrogated, so they allowed ḥijâmah while fasting. They include Anas ibn Mâlik (RA), who indicated that it was initially forbidden out of fear that they might become weak. (B) It was also reported that:
“The Prophet had ḥijâmah done to him while he was between Makkah and Madinah, while he was fasting and in the state of iḥrâm.” (B and T – from Ibn ‘Abbâs; this wording is from T)
احْتَجم فيما بين مَكة والمدينة وهُو مُحرِم صَائم.
A middle position is to consider ḥijâmah while fasting to be disliked if it weakens the person. This reconciliation was reported from Anas and Mâlik.
Bloodletting without ḥijâmah is controversial in the madh-hab.
Of those who believe that ḥijâmah breaks the fast, some of them would prevent blood donation, but most of them allow blood tests since only a small amount of blood is taken.
563. For the Prophet (SA) said:
“The Prophet had ḥijâmah done to him while he was between Makkah and Madinah, while he was fasting and in the state of iḥrâm.” (B and T – from Ibn ‘Abbâs; this wording is from T)
من نَسِي وهو صَائم، فأكَلَ أو شَرِب، فليُتم صَومَه، فإنَّما أطعَمَه الله و سَقَاه.
The same would apply to one under compulsion, since he did not intentionally break his fast. According to the madh-hab, this does not apply to one who has intercourse without remembering that it is a day of Ramadan. The majority would still consider the same rule applicable to intercourse.
the nostrils and water reaches his pharynx, 564 or if one thinks [about sex] and ejaculates, 565 or injects liquid into his urethra, 566 or has a wet dream, or is overwhelmed by vomiting, his fast is not nullified.
اسْتَنْشَقَ، فَوَصَلَ إِلَى حَلْقِهِ مَاءٌ ، أَوْ فَكَّرَ فَأَنْزَلَ، أَوْ قَطَّرَ فِيْ إِحْلِيْلِهِ، أَوِ احْتَلَمَ، أَوْ ذَرَعَهُ الْقَيْءُ لَمْ يَفْسُدْ صَوْمُهُ.
If one eats while thinking that it is night, and it turns out to be day, he must make up that day. 567 If he eats because of doubt that the time of fajr has arrived, his fasting is not
وَمَنْ أَكَلَ يَظُنُّهُ لَيْلاً، فَبَانَ نَهَارًا، فَعَليْهِ القَضَاءُ. وَمَنْ أَكَلَ شَاكًّا فِيْ طُلُوْعِ الْفَجْرِ، لَمْ يَفْسُدْ صَوْمُهُ. وَإِنْ أَكَلَ شَاكًّا فِيْ غُرُوْبِ
564. None of these breaks the fast because he did not intend to break his fast, he did not do anything wrong, and he did not do anything that would probably result in the invalidation of his fast.
565. The Prophet (SA) said:
“Allah exempted my nation from what they do by mistake, absentmindedly, or under compulsion.” (Ma – from Ibn ‘Abbâs. Ḥib, H, al-Albâni:S)
إنَّ الله تَعالى وَضَعَ عَن أمَّتِي الخَطَأ، والنِّسيان، وما استُكرِهوا عَلَيه.
566. This is the position of the majority, and it is correct due to the lack of connection between the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts.
567. Ate Thinking It Was Nighttime (Whether at the Beginning or End of the Day), Then Came to Know It Was Daytime
The position here is the opinion of the majority. (A) + (+H, +M, +S) Some scholars (a) + (-Is-ḥâq -t) argued that his fasting would not be nullified if he did not act on mere conjecture. This position is the sounder of two reports from ‘Umar (RA). Another reason for their disagreement is an incident during the time of the Prophet (SA), which was reported by (B, D) from Asmâ’ (RAH). The sky became cloudy, so the people broke their fast, thinking the sun had set, but then the sun came out again. There are conflicting reports as to whether or not they made up that day.
The opinion of the majority is safer.
568. Unlike the previous scenario, here and in the following scenario, he did not come to know that he ate after fajr or before maghrib; he continued to be unsure.
The principle governing this issue is the presumption of continuity of the night until one knows that the day has begun. Therefore, his fast is not invalidated here.
569. (A) + (+H, +M, +S): The principle here is the presumption of continuity of the day. If he continues to have doubt that he ate before maghrib, his fast is invalidated.
Note that doubt (shak) means that the chances are 50/50. However, he is allowed to break the fast on the basis of propensity (ghalbat adh-dhan), and if he does, and then has doubts afterwards, his fast is still valid. If he breaks the fast based on propensity, and then becomes sure that he ate before maghrib, then the discussion above about the one who became sure he ate during the day applies to him.