Question

Selamun aleykum,

My fast continues to break due to stupid reasons. I follow Hanafi Fiqh and according to Hanafi Mafhab, even accidentally eating/drinking breaks my fast. This results in waswasa and hardship for me.

Either I see blood when I spit (due to torn lips because they get dry from fasting) or I find eating leftovers from suhur when spitting (no matter how much I brush my teeth and rinse my mouth thereafter) or I wake up and find salvia next to me and on my mouth and it is nearly unavoidable that I will swallow some of the salvia which already had seperated from my mouth when sleeping.

But what botheres me most is that already twice now when praying I suddenly felt sth. like a hair near my throat which I couldn’t remove (May have gotten there when showering). So since it drove me cracy and I didnt know what to do i just tried to swallow it in both cases. Would this be concidered intentionally eating and require kaffara (60 days fasting)? I mean, I didnt put it there but I intentionally tried to swallow it. But then again, what else should I have done? I really couldn’t remove it since I was in Salah and it was too far behind near my throat. Could I just disregard it as waswasa? Even though the feeling was quite strong and I don’t now what else it should have been if not a hair? And even if it wasn’t a hair, wouldn’t the intention to swallow this supposed hair be enough to break the fast and require kaffara?

All of this makes me depressed and takes away everything which should be beautiful about this Month. I really don’t want to do Qada of all these days and I couldn’t take having to fast 60 days in a row because of the hair incident which I described. I really try my best but can’t avoid things like this.

Please help me with this. May Allah reward you

Answer

Shaytan’s whispers plague many people, putting them in doubts over the actions. You are not alone in this as many Muslims suffer from doubts. The remedy for this is two-fold: combat uncertainty and ignorance with knowledge and read A’uthubillah and other du’as regularly.

The common cause for these doubts is ignorance of the fiqh which governs that particular doubt. Once one learns the fiqh surrounding this topic, there is a sense of certainty and conviction in one’s heart. Thus. they are well-placed to disregard the doubt and focus on the certainty of the fiqh rules. Knowledge is necessary going forward to escape from these doubts. Secondly, seek Allah’s refuge from Shaytan regularly. Insha’Allah this will help immensely.

In the fiqh, there are exceptions made for ingesting certain things which are considered unavoidable, even if one is conscious that they are fasting: dust, a fly, tiny stones. Writing in a rural/medieval setting, the jurists considered these things as so small that it was very tricky to avoid ingesting them in common circumstances. Another example of this is the food stuck in between one’s teeth. If they are smaller than a chickpea, eating this would not invalidate the fast. Again, one may be conscious that they are fasting, and the same principle is evoked – the inability or difficulty in avoiding such a circumstance.[1]

Based on this, ingesting a small hair that is stuck in the back of the throat will not invalidate the fast, though one should always try their utmost to take the hair out without ingesting it. For precaution, you may wish to do a qada of this fast later on.

As for the blood when you spit, a similar principle is evoked that one should feel the taste of blood for it to invalidate the fast. Blood must reach the throat for the fast to be invalidated, and thus, noticing the taste of blood is a sensory indicator that this has taken place.[2]

[1]              تبيين الحقائق شرح كنز الدقائق وحاشية الشلبي» (1/ 324):  وَأَمَّا إذَا دَخَلَ حَلْقَهُ غُبَارٌ أَوْ ‌ذُبَابٌ وَهُوَ ذَاكِرٌ لِصَوْمِهِ فَلِأَنَّهُ لَا يُسْتَطَاعُ الِامْتِنَاعُ عَنْهُ فَأَشْبَهَ الدُّخَانَ وَهَذَا اسْتِحْسَانٌ وَالْقِيَاسُ أَنْ يُفَطِّرَهُ لِوُصُولِ الْمُفَطِّرِ إلَى جَوْفِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ لَا يَتَغَذَّى بِهِ كَالتُّرَابِ وَالْحَصَا وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ وَجْهُ الِاسْتِحْسَانِ مَا بَيَّنَّا أَنَّهُ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى الِامْتِنَاعِ عَنْهُ فَصَارَ كَبَلَلٍ يَبْقَى فِي فِيهِ بَعْدَ الْمَضْمَضَةِ وَنَظِيرُهُ مَا ذَكَرَهُ فِي الْخِزَانَةِ أَنَّ دُمُوعَهُ أَوْ عَرَقَهُ إذَا دَخَلَ فِي حَلْقِهِ وَهُوَ قَلِيلٌ مِثْلُ قَطْرَةٍ أَوْ قَطْرَتَيْنِ لَا يُفَطِّرُ وَإِنْ كَانَ أَكْثَرَ بِحَيْثُ يَجِدُ مُلُوحَتَهُ فِي الْحَلْقِ يُفْسِدُهُ وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي الثَّلْجِ وَالْمَطَرِ وَالْأَصَحُّ أَنَّهُ يُفْسِدُهُ لِإِمْكَانِ الِامْتِنَاعِ عَنْهُ بِأَنْ يَأْوِيَهُ خَيْمَةٌ أَوْ سَقْفٌ وَأَمَّا إذَا أَكَلَ مَا بَيْنَ أَسْنَانِهِ فَالْمُرَادُ بِهِ مَا إذَا كَانَ قَلِيلًا مِنْ الَّذِي بَقِيَ مِنْ أَكْلِ اللَّيْلِ لِعَدَمِ إمْكَانِ ‌الِاحْتِرَازِ عَنْهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ كَثِيرًا يُفَطِّرهُ» وَقَالَ زُفَرُ يُفَطِّرُهُ فِي الْوَجْهَيْنِ لِأَنَّ الْفَمَ لَهُ حُكْمُ الظَّاهِرِ أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّهُ لَا يَفْسُدُ صَوْمُهُ بِالْمَضْمَضَةِ فَيَكُونُ دَاخِلًا مِنْ الْخَارِجِ وَلَنَا أَنَّ الْقَلِيلَ مِنْهُ لَا يُمْكِنُ الِامْتِنَاعُ عَنْهُ عَادَةً فَصَارَ تَبَعًا لِأَسْنَانِهِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ رِيقِهِ وَالْكَثِيرُ يُمْكِنُ الِاحْتِرَازُ عَنْهُ فَجُعِلَ الْفَاصِلُ بَيْنَهُمَا مِقْدَارُ الْحِمَّصَةِ وَمَا دُونَهُ قَلِيلٌ وَإِنْ أَخَذَهُ بِيَدِهِ وَأَخْرَجَهُ ثُمَّ أَكَلَهُ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَفْسُدَ صَوْمُهُ لِمَا رُوِيَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ أَنَّ الصَّائِمَ إذَا ابْتَلَعَ سِمْسِمَةً مِنْ بَيْنِ أَسْنَانِهِ لَا يَفْسُدُ صَوْمُهُ وَلَوْ ابْتَلَعَهَا ابْتِدَاءً مِنْ خَارِجٍ يَفْسُدُ وَلَوْ مَضَغَهَا لَا يَفْسُدُ لِأَنَّهَا تَتَلَاشَى وَفِي مِقْدَارِ الْحِمَّصَةِ عَلَيْهِ الْقَضَاءُ دُونَ الْكَفَّارَةِ عِنْدَ أَبِي يُوسُفَ وَعِنْدَ زُفَرَ عَلَيْهِ الْكَفَّارَةُ لِأَنَّهُ طَعَامٌ مُتَغَيِّرٌ وَعَنْ أَبِي يُوسُفَ أَنَّهُ يَعَافُهُ الطَّبْعُ وَلَوْ جَمَعَ رِيقَهُ فِي فِيهِ ثُمَّ ابْتَلَعَهُ لَمْ يُفَطِّرْهُ

الهداية في شرح بداية المبتدي (1/ 121) ولو دخل حلقه ذباب هو ذاكر لصومه لم يفطر ” وفي القياس يفسد صومه لوصول المفطر إلى جوفه وإن كان لا يتغذى به كالتراب والحصاة ووجه الاستحسان أنه لا يستطاع الاحتراز عنه فأشبه الغبار والدخان.

مجمع الأنهر في شرح ملتقى الأبحر (1/ 246) وَقَالَ صَاحِبُ الْفَرَائِدِ: وَجْهُ التَّأَمُّلِ إمْكَانُ الِاحْتِرَازِ عَنْ الْغُبَارِ وَالدُّخَانِ وَالذُّبَابِ بِضَمِّ فَمِهِ أَيْضًا انْتَهَى. أَقُولُ هَذَا لَيْسَ بِسَدِيدٍ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يُمْكِنُ الِاحْتِرَازُ عَنْ الْغُبَارِ وَالدُّخَانِ بِضَمِّ فَمِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ إذَا أَطْبَقَ الْفَمَ لَا يُسْتَطَاعُ الِاحْتِرَازُ عَنْ الدُّخُولِ مِنْ الْأَنْفِ كَمَا بَيَّنَ آنِفًا فَلْيُتَأَمَّلْ

[2]              فتح القدير للكمال ابن الهمام وتكملته ط الحلبي» (2/ 332): وَنَظِيرُهُ فِي الْخِزَانَةِ إذَا دَخَلَ دُمُوعُهُ أَوْ عَرَقُهُ حَلْقَهُ وَهُوَ قَلِيلٌ كَقَطْرَةٍ أَوْ قَطْرَتَيْنِ لَا يُفْطِرُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ أَكْثَرَ بِحَيْثُ يَجِدُ مُلُوحَتَهُ فِي الْحَلْقِ فَسَدَ وَفِيهِ نَظَرٌ لِأَنَّ الْقَطْرَةَ يَجِدُ مُلُوحَتَهَا، فَالْأَوْلَى عِنْدِي الِاعْتِبَارُ بِوِجْدَانِ الْمُلُوحَةِ لِصَحِيحِ الْحِسِّ، لِأَنَّهُ لَا ضَرُورَةَ فِي أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْقَدْرِ، وَمَا فِي فَتَاوَى قَاضِي خَانْ: لَوْ دَخَلَ دَمْعُهُ أَوْ عَرَقُ جَبِينِهِ أَوْ دَمُ رُعَافِهِ حَلْقَهُ فَسَدَ صَوْمُهُ يُوَافِقُ مَا ذَكَرْتُهُ، فَإِنَّهُ عَلَّقَ بِوُصُولِهِ إلَى الْحَلْقِ وَمُجَرَّدُ وُجْدَانِ الْمُلُوحَةِ دَلِيلُ ذَلِك

Answered by:
Maulana Ikramul Hoque Miah

Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel