This excerpt is taken from Kitab al-Sawm, compiled by Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri, may Allah preserve him.
Question:
How is kissing and caressing the wife while fasting?
Answer:
It is permissible.
❀ Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates:
"The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, used to kiss and embrace (any of his pure wives) while fasting, even though he had more control over his desires than her."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1106)
Question:
If one falls asleep while fasting and wakes up to see blood in the mouth, what is the ruling?
Answer:
There is no disruption to the fast.
Question:
How is it to perform the janabah (major impurity) bath after dawn during Ramadan?
Answer:
It is permissible; it does not harm the fast. Fasting in a state of janabah is permissible.
❀ Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates:
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يدركه الصبح وهو جنب فيغتسل ويصوم
"When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would wake up in a state of janabah, he would perform ghusl and fast."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1925, Sahih Muslim: 1109, Al-Muntaqa li Ibn al-Jarood: 392)
❀ Hafiz Ibn Daqiq al-Eid (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (702 AH)
says: اتفق الفقهاء على العمل بهذا الحديث وصار ذلك إجماعا أو كالإجماع
"There is consensus among the jurists that it is permissible to act upon this hadith; there is ijma' (consensus) or near consensus on the permissibility of this issue."
Reference: (Ihkam al-Ahkam Sharh Umdat al-Ahkam: 2/11)
Question:
If blood from the gums goes down the throat, does the fast remain valid or not?
Answer:
The blood from the gums should be spat out; if it goes down the throat unintentionally, the fast remains valid.
Question:
If the red color of paan (betel leaf preparation) is mixed in saliva, does swallowing it break the fast or not?
Answer:
No, it does not break the fast.
Question:
Does smoking hookah break the fast?
Answer:
Yes, it does.
Question:
What is the ruling on intercourse during fasting?
Answer:
Entering intercourse during fasting is not permissible. It will break the fast and require expiation.
❀ Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
"A man came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said: I am ruined. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: What happened? He said: I had intercourse with my wife during Ramadan (while fasting). The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: Do you have the means to free a slave? He replied: No! The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: Can you fast for two consecutive months? He replied: No! He asked: Can you feed sixty poor people? He replied: No! The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Sit down. At that moment, a large basket of dates was brought to the Prophet (peace be upon him). He said: Take it and give it as charity. The man said: Should I give charity on a household that is more in need than us? There is no one more needy than our household between these two black mountains (i.e., in Medina). Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) smiled so broadly that his molars became visible and said: Take it and feed your family with it."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1936, Sahih Muslim: 1111)
Question:
Does masturbation break the fast?
Answer:
Undoubtedly, masturbation is unlawful, forbidden, and a futile act. It is an extremely vile and disgraceful sin. It is harmful for both religion and worldly life. It weakens physical powers, causes premature aging, diminishes the beauty of the face, leads to impotence and infertility, may cause forgetfulness, and destroys nervous, mental, and physical abilities.
❀ Allama Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (671 AH)
, says:عامة العلماء على تحريمه وقال بعض العلماء إنه كالفاعل بنفسه وهي معصية أحدثها الشيطان وأجراها بين الناس حتى صارت قيلة ويا ليتها لم تقل ولو قام الدليل على جوازها لكان ذو المروءة يعرض عنها لدناءتها
“Most scholars consider masturbation to be forbidden; some scholars have even said that it is equivalent to committing zina (fornication) with oneself. It is a sin, invented by Satan and spread among people, to the extent that it has become a subject of debate. I wish it were never discussed. Even if evidence were established in its favor, respectable people would still avoid it due to its baseness.”
Reference: (Tafsir al-Qurtubi: 12/106)
If someone masturbates during fasting, it is certainly forbidden and a major sin, but whether the fast remains valid or not is a jurisprudential issue.
Some scholars say that masturbation during fasting breaks the fast.
Their evidence is:
❀ Sayyiduna Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: Allah Almighty says:
يترك طعامه وشرابه وشهوته من أجلي
“My servant gives up food, drink, and desires for My sake.”
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1894, Sahih Muslim: 1151)
❀ Allama Samarkandi Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (540 AH)
, says:استمنى بالكف فأنزل فإنه يفسد لأنه اقتضى شهوته بفعله
“If someone masturbates with his hand and ejaculates, his fast becomes invalid because he has fulfilled his desire through masturbation.”
Reference: (Tuhfat al-Fuqaha, p. 358)
Indeed, fulfilling desire through masturbation is not permissible, but using this as evidence that the fast breaks is not correct, because masturbation is neither literally nor essentially intercourse.
❀ Ata ibn Abi Rabah, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
إن أمنى الصائم أفطر
“If a fasting person ejaculates through masturbation, his fast breaks.”
Reference: (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 9482, and its chain is authentic)
❀ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (728 AH)
, says:أما من استمنى فأنزل فإنه يفطر
“Whoever masturbates and ejaculates, his fast will break.”
Reference: (Majmu’ al-Fatawa: 25/224)
❀ Allama Rafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (623 AH)
, says:المني إن خرج بالاستمناء أفطر وإن خرج بمجرد الفكر والنظر فلا
“If semen is emitted due to masturbation, the fast breaks; but if it is emitted merely by thinking or looking, the fast does not break.”
Reference: (Al-Sharh al-Kabir: 6/388)
❀ Allama Ibn Abi al-Izz Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (792 AH)
, says:كالمستمني بالكف على ما قالوا يعني لا يفطر وفيه نظر قال في الذخيرة هذا قول أبي بكر وأبي القاسم وعامة المشايخ على خلافه وهو قول الأئمة الثلاثة قال في الينابيع وهو المختار
“Similarly, the fast of one who masturbates with the palm does not break. However, this view is subject to scrutiny. In ‘Dakhira’ it is written: This is the position of Abu Bakr and Abu al-Qasim, but most scholars oppose it, and this is also the position of the three Imams. It is recorded in ‘Yanabi’ that this is the preferred opinion.”
Reference: (Al-Tanbih ‘ala Mashakil al-Hidayah: 9/207, Al-Binayah lil-‘Ayni: 2/330)
❀ Allama Tahtawi Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (1231 AH)
, says:لو استمنى بكفه فعامة المشايخ أفتوا بفساد الصوم وهو المختار
“If someone masturbates with his hand, most scholars issue a fatwa that his fast becomes invalid, and this is the preferred opinion.”
Reference: (Hashiyat al-Tahtawi ‘ala Marāqi al-Falah, p. 658)
Dominant Position:
The prevailing view seems to be that masturbation does not break the fast, because there is no evidence for it. It is not correct to analogize it to intercourse for several reasons. Intercourse breaks the fast and requires expiation; those scholars who believe that masturbation breaks the fast do not consider expiation obligatory for it.
❀ Allama Albani, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (1420 AH)
, says:لو كان هذا صحيحا لكان إيجاب الكفارة في الاستمناء أولى من إيجابها على الإيلاج بدون إنزال وهم لا يقولون أيضا بذلك فتأمل تناقض القياسيين
"If this position were correct, then it would be more appropriate to impose expiation for masturbation than for penetration without ejaculation, whereas these people do not accept that, so consider the contradiction of those who use analogy."
Reference: (Tamam al-Minnah, p. 419)
❀ Allama Ibn Hazm, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (456 AH)
, says:ممن ينقض الصوم بالإنزال للمني إذا تعمد اللذة ولم يأت بذلك نص ولا إجماع ولا قول صاحب ولا قياس
"According to some scholars, the fast of a person who deliberately causes ejaculation breaks. However, there is no text, consensus, companion's statement, or analogy supporting this."
Reference: (Al-Muhalla bil Athar: 4/338)
❀ Muhaddith Albani, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (1420 AH)
, says:لا دليل على الإبطال بذلك وإلحاقه بالجماع غير ظاهر ولذلك قال الصنعاني الأظهر أنه لا قضاء ولا كفارة إلا على من جامع وإلحاق غير المجامع به بعيد وإليه مال الشوكاني وهو مذهب ابن حزم
"There is no evidence that masturbation invalidates the fast, and it is not correct to analogize it to intercourse. Therefore, Amir San'ani, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The correct view is that only the one who has intercourse is required to make up the fast and pay expiation. It is unlikely to analogize anyone else to the one who has intercourse. Allama Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, also leans towards this view, and Allama Ibn Hazm, may Allah have mercy on him, holds the same belief."
Reference: (Tamam al-Minnah, p. 418)
Benefit:
It is narrated from the trustworthy jurist Jabir bin Zaid, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (93 AH)
:عن رجل نظر إلى امرأته في رمضان فأمنى من شهوتها هل يفطر قال لا ويتم صومه
"He was asked about a person who looks at his wife during Ramadan, and due to desire, his semen is emitted. Will his fast be broken? He said no. He should complete his fast."
Reference: (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 9480, and its chain is Hasan)
