Excerpt from: Urdu Sharḥ ʿUmdat al-Aḥkām — Translated by: Ḥāfiẓ Faizullah Nāṣir
The Prophet ﷺ said:“Whoever forgets while he is fasting and eats or drinks, he should complete his fast, for it is Allah who has fed him and given him drink.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1923, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1155]
✔ If a person eats or drinks out of forgetfulness while fasting,
✔ Neither his fast is invalidated,
✔ Nor is there any qadāʾ (make-up) or kaffārah (expiation) due.
Another narration confirms:
“Whoever breaks the fast of a day in Ramadan out of forgetfulness, there is no qadāʾ nor kaffārah due upon him.”
[Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 2/178]
If you unintentionally eat or drink while fasting:
Continue fasting once you remember.
No sin, no make-up, no penalty – because it's a mercy from Allah ﷻ.
◈ Ḥadīth
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah (RA):The Prophet ﷺ said:“Whoever forgets while he is fasting and eats or drinks, he should complete his fast, for it is Allah who has fed him and given him drink.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1923, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1155]
◈ Explanation of Terms
- فَلْيُتِمَّ: He should complete it (i.e., the fast).
- أَطْعَمَهُ اللَّهُ وَسَقَاهُ: Allah is the one who fed and quenched him.
◈ Commentary
This hadith makes it explicitly clear that:✔ If a person eats or drinks out of forgetfulness while fasting,
✔ Neither his fast is invalidated,
✔ Nor is there any qadāʾ (make-up) or kaffārah (expiation) due.
Another narration confirms:
“Whoever breaks the fast of a day in Ramadan out of forgetfulness, there is no qadāʾ nor kaffārah due upon him.”
[Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 2/178]
Key Takeaway
If you unintentionally eat or drink while fasting: Continue fasting once you remember. No sin, no make-up, no penalty – because it's a mercy from Allah ﷻ.