Does Swallowing Food Just after True Dawn Invalidate the Fast?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I had the intention to fast this morning and was eating suhur when I unexpectedly found out that Fajr time had just arrived. I spat out any food that was in my mouth, but there was some in my throat that I could not spit out, so I deliberately swallowed it. Did swallowing that food, which was partially ingested, break my fast?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

As you swallowed the food after the beginning of fajr, your fast for that day is invalid. You will have to keep a make up (qada) fast for that day after Ramadan. Expiation (kaffara) will not be necessary. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; ‘Ala’uddin Ibn ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya]

Related: The Complete Guide to Fasting.

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.