He said that some scholars may disagree about the nose spray just as some disagree that a sorbitrate, a pill placed under the tongue for patients suffering from heart problems, can break the fast. As for eye drops, scholars differ on this, so I recommend people avoid it unless they urgently need to take it during fasting hours.” Nose sprays can also break the fast if they reach the abdomen, so people should take precautions. “Water or ear drops entering the ears are most likely to break the fast because they are open ports that can reach the abdomen. Water or ear drops entering the ear, nose sprays and eye drops The Hanabli school of thought believes it does.” “There is some debate on this between various Muslim scholars, but the majority agree that it doesn’t. It’s better to be cautious when it comes to these things.”

Brushing your teeth using toothpaste and a brush is discouraged because the paste can reach the throat. “Muslims need to know that miswak is preferable and is encouraged to be used during fasting hours to brush the teeth and eliminate oral odour. However, said Dr Mashael, out of the four schools of thought, Al Maliki requires the Muslim to make up the fast after Ramadan.Īs for chewing gum or smoking, Dr Mashael said they definitely break the fast. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful’. In the Quran, it says: ‘And there is no sin on you if you make a mistake therein, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intend. “When a person is forgetful, it means they unintentionally ate or drank, this doesn’t break their fast. Muslims fasting must avoid aggressive swimming strokes or showering or else their fast cannot be counted and they need to make it up after Ramadan.”Īccidentally drinking or eating while fasting “Swimming doesn’t break a person’s fast but if water makes its way through the mouth into the throat or inside the nose, which in many cases is believed to reach the abdomen, then it can. Taking a dip in a swimming pool or a shower Intentional eating and drinking, intentional vomiting, sexual intimacy between a married couple and vitamin injections, all these break a Muslim’s fast and are never debatable between the four schools of thought, said Dr Mashael.ĭr Mashael discusses other situations that many Muslims may face on a daily basis and clarifies whether or not they break the fast, are discouraged, or are debatable. This is something that every Muslim needs to understand and be cautious about during Ramadan,” he said. “Muslim scholars all agreed that whatever enters an open port and makes its way to the abdomen will break a fast even if it’s part of a treatment procedure. For any people who fast during Ramadan, doubts arise regarding certain situations and activities that could potentially nullify their fast.ĭr Ali Ahmad Mashael, a Grand Mufti at the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai, explains what needs to be avoided during the fasting hours and clarifies some common myths that circulate due to lack of knowledge.

Break the fast