What Breaks the Fast and What Does Not

The fast starts at dawn and ends at sunset (Quran 2:187). If one of these things happens during that time, the fast of that day is invalid:

• Eating or drinking on purpose.
• Marital relations (intercourse).
• Deliberate vomiting. If you make yourself vomit, most scholars say the fast is broken.
• Deliberately causing ejaculation. Most scholars say this breaks the fast, while a wet dream during sleep does not.
• Menstruation or post-natal bleeding. If it begins even a short time before sunset, the fast of that day is not valid (Sahih al-Bukhari 1951).

Scholars agree on the main points, which are eating, drinking and intercourse on purpose, and menstruation. The word "on purpose" is important. The rules below show why.

Think of the fast as a trust between you and Allah. The rules are clear, so that you can fast with confidence and peace of mind.

Allah does not hold a person responsible for a real mistake, and the believers ask Him not to blame them if they forget or make an error (Quran 2:286). The Prophet ﷺ taught that if a fasting person eats or drinks because of forgetting, they should complete the fast, because Allah fed them and gave them drink (Sahih al-Bukhari 1933; Sahih Muslim 1155).

These things do not break the fast:

• Eating or drinking by forgetting.
• Swallowing something without intending to, such as a drop of water during wudu (ablution) or a little dust or a fly. Take care when you rinse your nose, because the Prophet ﷺ told a man to sniff water deeply except when fasting (Jami at-Tirmidhi 788; Sunan Abi Dawud 2366).
• Vomiting that you did not cause.
• Taking a bath or shower, or putting water on your head to stay cool.
• Brushing your teeth, if you are careful not to swallow water or paste.
• Waking up in the state of janabah (needing a full bath) after dawn. The Prophet ﷺ sometimes woke up in this state, then took a bath and fasted (Sahih al-Bukhari 1925; Sahih Muslim 1109). You take the bath and continue the fast.
• A kiss or embrace between spouses that does not lead to ejaculation or intercourse. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said that the Prophet ﷺ used to kiss and embrace while fasting, and that he had the best control of himself (Sahih al-Bukhari 1927). Scholars dislike it for a person who fears losing control.

If you remember that you are fasting, even in the middle of a meal, stop at once and spit out what is in your mouth.

Remember that a small mistake does not need worry. Do not doubt your fast without a clear reason.

Some modern questions are not described in the early texts. Examples are injections, eye or ear drops, nasal sprays, inhalers and blood tests. Scholars differ on some of these, and the answer can depend on the kind of treatment. Many contemporary fiqh councils say that eye and ear drops, inhalers, blood tests and injections that do not feed the body do not break the fast, while intravenous feeding does. Some scholars are stricter on a few items, such as nasal sprays and drops that may reach the throat. The Prophet ﷺ himself was cupped while fasting (Sahih al-Bukhari 1938), though the Hanbali school holds that cupping breaks the fast.

Please do not decide by guessing. Ask a qualified local scholar, and ask your doctor about the medicine itself. Never stop a needed medicine without medical advice.

Islam gives ease to the sick, so a person who must take regular treatment may have an excuse not to fast.

If you are unsure whether something broke your fast, keep a note of the question and ask a scholar after iftar. Do not delay the fast or your worship because of doubt.

If your fast breaks for a reason that is not allowed, or you break it with a valid excuse, you make up that day after Ramadan (Quran 2:185). This is called qada.

Marital relations during the day in Ramadan are more serious. Beyond making up the day, scholars teach an expiation called kaffarah. In the report of the man who said he was ruined because he had intercourse with his wife while fasting, the order is to free a slave, or if that is not possible to fast two months in a row, or if that is not possible to feed sixty poor people (Sahih al-Bukhari 1936; Sahih Muslim 1111).

Scholars differ on whether kaffarah also applies to eating or drinking on purpose. The Hanafi and Maliki schools say it does, and the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools limit it to intercourse. Ask a scholar about your case. In all cases, the person should repent and ask Allah for forgiveness.