Does Swallowing Dry Skin Break the Fast?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

Does swallowing dry skin which comes from the lips after licking them break the fast?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

If you actually swallow a piece of skin from your lips or elsewhere, and it is not just a doubt or otherwise, your fast would be invalidated.

Any type of ingestion invalidates the fast as it goes against the very meaning of it, namely, to refrain from eating or drinking, even if the item is not customarily deemed food or drink.

The exception is in the case of forgetfulness which is excusable.

And Allah alone knows best.

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.