FATAWA
washroom, one may quickly shower
in place of wudu)
» To wash one’s hands to eat (similar
to above, if one leaves the boundaries
for a legitimate reason, he
may also wash his hands while already
out)
Question: If a person accidentally
breaks his i‘tikaf, does he need to make
up the i’tikaf later?
Answer: If a person accidentally breaks
i‘tikaf, he/she should repent and make
up one day of i‘tikaf (qada). However,
this is only in the case of Sunna i‘tikaf.
If one was performing nafl i‘tikaf, he/
she may end his/her i‘tikaf whenever
he/she wishes and no qada would be
necessary.
Question: Is it permissible to use
toothpaste while fasting?
Is it permissible
to use toothpaste
while fasting?
Answer: Using toothpaste will not
break the fast provided it does not go
down the throat, although it is makrooh
(disliked) to do so since one is putting
his/her fast at risk. Furthermore, the
fast would break if any of the toothpaste
is swallowed. Thus, it would be
better to use a miswaak if one wishes to
cleanse his/her mouth during the fast.
Question: Is a fasting person permitted
to apply oil or any other liquid in
the ears, eyes, or nose?
Answer: In principle, only medicine
or fluid entering the body through
the gastrointestinal tract would nullify
the fast. Thus, applying oil or any
other liquid in the ears or eyes will not
break the fast since it does not enter
the body through the gastrointestinal
tract. However, since the nose is directly
connected with the throat and
any fluid that goes through the nose
will enter the stomach through the
gastrointestinal tract, any medicine
taken through the nose would nullify
the fast.
Note: The mainstream opinion of the
earlier jurists was that medicine entering
through the ears would nullify the
fast. This was based on the belief that
the ears are also directly connected to
the gastrointestinal tract. Later, this
was proven not to be the case and thus
the fatwa of the fast remaining valid
has been adopted.
28 March – April 2021 | AL-MADINAH