Fatwa ID: 03942

Answered by: Imam Abdul-Malik Sheikh

Question

Salam, do you know the answer to the following question? I’m having trouble finding it.

My lips were very dry when fasting a so I pressed the skin with my fingers, then realized that the taste of my fingers was getting in my mouth by doing that.

I figured it must be from sweat and it said on a fatwa somewhere that even if you swallow sweat intentionally then it doesn't break your fast, so I kept doing it. However, later I found another fatwa that said a condition is that it's not mixed with salt.

So, the question is: does it break your fast if you touch your lips with your fingers and the salty taste gets in your mouth, and should I do qadha for those two fasts?
 

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Placing your finger on your lips or inside your mouth will not break the fast unless it is covered with a substance that reached the throat.

With regards to swallowing sweat and tears, it is mentioned in Al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah:

“Swallowing one or two drops of the tear will not invalidate the fast, but swallowing many drops whose saltiness is felt in the whole mouth will result in the invalidation of the fast. The same ruling applies to sweat.”[1]

Therefore, if you have been intentionally swallowing sweat in the manner described above, then the fast was broken and it would need to be made up.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Imam Abdul-Malik Sheikh

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham