What nullifies the fast? A- • Sexual intercourse. • Eating. • Drinking. • The emission of Mani (semen) due to desire. • Whatever bears the characteristics of food and drink. • Intentional vomiting. • The emission of blood due to cupping. • The emission of menstrual and postpartum blood. And Allah knows best. On flight Q- If the sun set upon a person and the Mu'azzin called the Adhan while he was in the airport and he broke his fast. Then after the plane took off, he saw the sun, should he fast? A- Our answer to this is that he is not required to because the time for breaking the fast came while they were on the ground. So, the sun set while they were in a place in which it set, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “When night falls from this side, and the day vanishes from this side, and the sun sets, then the fasting person should break his fast.” So, if a person, upon whom the sun set, broke his fast while he was on the ground in the airport, then his day has ended. If his day has ended, then he is not obliged to fast except on the next day. So, based on this, it is not necessary to fast in these circumstances, because breaking the fast was only according to a legal evidence, and it is not required to fast except based upon a legal evidence. And Allah knows best. Q- Is the fast invalidated by tasting food? A- Tasting food does not invalidate the fast, if a person does not swallow it. But you should not do it unless there is a need for it; and in this situation, if any of it enters the stomach without your intending it, then your fast is not invalidated. And Allah knows best. – Extracted from Islamic Verdicts on the Pillars of Islam by the Honorable Sheikh Muhammad Bin Salih Al-‘Uthaimeen. Compiled by Fahd Bin Nasir Ibrahim As-Sulaiman Asthma Inhalers Q- In some of the pharmacies (they sell) inhalers which some of the asthma sufferers use; Is it permissible for the fasting person to use it during the day in Ramadan? A- The use of the inhaler by the one who is fasting is permissible whether his fast is in Ramadan or other than Ramadan. That is because the particles in the inhaler do not reach the stomach, rather they reach the lungs and cause them to open up thereby allowing the person to breathe normally. So, it is not regarded as food nor drink, and that which is known is that the basic principle is the validity of the fast (is maintained) until (authentic) evidence from the Book, or the Sunnah, or consensus (ijmaa') or valid juristic reasoning (qiyaas) indicates otherwise. – Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen Fataawa Ramadan – Volume 2, Page 531, Fatwa No.502 Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen - Volume 1, Pages 169-170 Swallowing saliva Q- Does saliva break the fast in Ramadan or not, since I get a lot of saliva, especially when I read the Qur.aan and (when this occurs) in the mosque it causes inconvenience? A- The fasting person swallowing his saliva does not invalidate his fast, even if there is a lot and it occurs in the mosque or any other place. However, if it is thick and heavy phlegm, then don't swallow it, rather, spit it out in a tissue or something similar if you are in the mosque. – The Permanent Committee Fataawa Ramadan - Volume 2, Page 541, Fatwa No.518 Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa.imah lil-Buhooth al-`Ilmiyyah wal-Iftaa. - Fatwa No.9584 Special to Saudi Gazette, courtesy Fatwa
