Can I Apply Ointment to Dry Lips While Fasting?

Answered by Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra

Question

Can we apply Vaseline to chapped/cracked lips whilst fasting or does this invalidate the fast?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

Yes, you can apply Vaseline and other external ointments to cracked/chapped lips while fasting and this will not affect the fast. This is because the lips are considered outside of the body, and once applied onto the surface of the skin, the ointment is absorbed even if the lips are moist or oily. One need not avoid licking their lips, even if there is a slight residual taste of the ointment. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdullah Anik Misra
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1983. His family hails from India, and he was raised in the Hindu tradition. He embraced Islam in 2001 while at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study the Arabic language and Islamic sciences in Tarim, Yemen, for some time, as well as Darul Uloom in Trinidad, West Indies. He spent 12 years in Amman, Jordan, where he focused on Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith Sciences, Prophetic Biography, and Islamic Spirituality while also working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as Director of Programs. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies (Alimiyya, Darul Uloom) and authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith and is currently pursuing specialized training in issuing Islamic legal verdicts (ifta’). He holds a certificate in Counselling and often works with new Muslims and those struggling with religious OCD. He is an instructor and researcher in Sacred Law and Theology with the SeekersGuidance The Global Islamic Seminary. Currently, He resides in the Greater Toronto Area with his wife and children. His personal interests include Indian history, comparative religion, English singing, and poetry.