Invalid Fast

Tasting Something When Fasting


Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question: Is my fast invalid if I taste something in my mouth?

Answer: Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh

I pray you are well.

Merely getting a taste of something in your mouth does not invalidate your fast. It has to pass down your throat to invalidate the fast. In these situations, you merely tasted something, and that does not affect the fast.

Unavoidable Substances

Steam, smoke from traffic, flour that disperses in the air, and similar substances which are hard to avoid do not invalidate the fast if they are inhaled with a valid excuse. It would be pretty difficult to cook or have a shower without having any of the streams enter one’s mouth or nose, so it is excused. (Shurunbulali, Maraqi al Salah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al Muhtar)

Learn for Confidence

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Indeed [the practice of] the din is eased itself, and no one makes it hard on themselves except that it overwhelms them.” (Bukhari) This is a central hadith, and it clearly shows that following the sunna should make religious practice easy.

One of the ways to make things easy is to learn them properly from an experienced and qualified teacher. This goes a long way in alleviating unnecessary worries. Please register for a course, and actively take part in it to maximize the benefit you get. Registration will open in a week or so.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with erudite scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish, and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic with teachers such as Dr. Ashraf Muneeb, Dr. Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr. Mansur Abu Zina, and others. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabir and Shaykh Yahya Qandil. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.