By Mufti Abdul Malik Misbahi, New Age Islam
Translated into English by Ghulam Ghaus
Siddiqi, New Age Islam
6 April 2023
Question: If an asthmatic patient uses an inhaler while
fasting, would the fast be broken? If the fast is ruled invalid, will the Qazaa
be necessary or will paying the Fidyah be sufficient?
Answer: There are different kinds of asthma patients:
One type of asthma patient uses these inhalers at
night and can spend the day normally while fasting. On days when such people
observe fasts, inhalers are not allowed to be used. If inhalers are used during
the daytime without an absolute necessity, both the Qazaa and Kaffarah
of the fast are necessary. If these patients need to use the inhalers due to
extremely high levels of anxiety, they may do so, but they must perform the Qazaa
later.
Patients with serious illnesses who extremely need
to use inhalers on fasting days should refrain from fasting; instead, they
should fast on days that are convenient for them. If such days are impractical
for them and, given their advanced age, if they do not anticipate encountering
such days in the future, they should pay Fidyah for fasting. (The
specifics of which were detailed on earlier pages)
Question: If a catheter is inserted into the urinary tract
of a patient while fasting, will it break the fast or not?
Answer: Inserting a catheter into the urinary tract of a
man while fasting will not invalidate the fast, because the medicine will reach
the bladder as much as possible from the urinary tract and there is no orifice
[Manfaz] between the bladder and the stomach. It is mentioned in Bahar-e-Shariat
in these words:
If a male inserts water or oil into the opening via
which he discharges urine (i.e. inside the urethra), then in this case the fast
will not break, even if it reaches the bladder. The fast will be broken if a
female drops this (water or oil) into the private part. [Alamgiri, cited in
Bahar-e-Shariat, vol.5, p.98]
The fast will be broken if a female places a piece
of cotton wool (or other similar objects) entirely inside her private area. It
won't break the fast if a dry finger is inserted into the anus or a female
inserts a dry finger into her private area. If the finger was wet or had
anything applied to it, then this will break the fast provided that it was
inserted in the area of the anus where the end of the clyster is placed when
performing an enema. [Alamgiri, cited in Bahar-e-Shariat, vol.5,
p.986]
Question: Will a fast be broken or not if someone who is
fasting administers an enema to cure haemorrhoids or relieve constipation?
Answer: As an enema involves injecting medication into
the anus, it is a more advanced form of injection. As a result, if he conducts
an enema while fasting, his fast will be invalid and he will require performing
the Qazaa of the fast.
Question: If heart patients are fasting, can taking a pill
under their tongue invalidate their fast or not?
Answer: Investigation revealed that when a pill is placed
beneath the tongue, it dissolves in the mouth and mixes with saliva. As the
saliva passes down the throat, the taste of the dissolved pill may then be
tasted. Hence, it was decided by consensus that if such a pill was placed under
the tongue while fasting and it had been dissolved and saliva had been
ingested, the fast would be regarded as being invalid.
A similar view has been described in Bahar-e-Shariat
as follows:
The fast is broken if someone swallows saliva after
putting sugar or something similar in their mouth, which dissolves when kept in
the mouth. Similarly, the fast will be broken if a particle the size of a Chana
or larger was stuck between the teeth and was eaten, if it was smaller but was
taken out of the mouth and then eaten, or if blood came out of the teeth and
flowed into the throat and the blood was equal to, or more than, the saliva,
and its taste could be felt in the throat. And if it was less (than this) and
the throat didn't even feel its taste, the fast won't be broken. [Durr-e-Mukhtar,
cited in Bahar-e-Shariat, vol.5, p.986]
Question: Does artificial anaesthesia or numbness
invalidates fast or not? And if the unconsciousness lasts for two or three
days, what is the ruling for a person in that case?
Answer: On this point, all Ulama agree that
unconsciousness itself does not invalidate the fast, whether the
unconsciousness is created artificially or not. Absolutely, the judgements may
vary depending on the origins and sources of artificial anaesthesia. For
instance, if artificial anaesthesia is administered via injection, the fast
will not be invalid because nothing will enter through the primary orifice [Manfaz-e-Asali]
into the stomach in that scenario, as stated in the response to question number
2.
And if gas is inhaled by the nose through a
cylinder or delivered through the mouth to create artificial anaesthesia, this
will invalidate the fast because the anaesthesia will undoubtedly enter the
throat or brain through the nose or mouth in these circumstances.
Now, if the anaesthesia is prolonged, the first
fast will still be valid and the Qazaa will be required for the
remaining days if the anaesthesia is administered by injection. However, if the
anaesthesia is administered by delivering gas to the throat or brain through a
cylinder, the Qazaa will be required for the entire duration of the
anaesthesia.
Question: Is it permissible to take a blood test while
fasting, or to donate blood to a blood bank, or to donate blood to save
someone's life in an emergency or not?
Answer: There are three parts to this question: 1) taking
a blood test while fasting, 2) donating blood to a blood bank and 3) saving
someone's life in an emergency. Their answers are as follows:
(1) There is no
problem with taking a blood test when fasting because it just requires a small
volume of blood and there is no risk of becoming weak. Hence, this is
permissible.
(2) It is prohibited
and Makrooh to donate blood at a blood bank when fasting since doing so
results in the removal of 250 to 300 millilitres of blood, which raises serious
concerns that doing so will weaken the person who is fasting.
(3) In the same
manner that one's personal needs are recognized in the Shariat, the
needs of other Muslims are also acknowledged, hence it is permissible to give
blood during a fast in order to save a life. Yes, furthermore, it will be Makrooh
to donate blood while fasting if a non-fasting individual is discovered to do
so and his blood is sufficient for the patient. It will also be Makrooh
to do so during the day if there is space to donate blood even at night.
It is mentioned in Bahar-e-Shariat:
It is impermissible to engage in activities during
Ramadan that render one so weak that they feel there is a high likelihood of
breaking the Fast. Hence, a baker should only work until noon, after which he
should relax the rest of the day. [Durr-e-Mukhtar] This order also
applies to labourers, workers, and people who work physically demanding jobs.
If there is a chance of getting really weak, one should reduce their workload
and observe fasts. (Bahar-e-Shariat, Vol.5, p.998)
It is mentioned in Fatawa Razawiyyah:
The needs of other Muslims have also been taken
into account, just as personal needs are respected. For instance,
(a) If a person is performing Salah on the
bank of a river and someone starts to drown, the person performing Salah
must break his intention of Salah and rush to save the person. This is
valid even if it is forbidden to cancel an act (like Salah) because
Allah Almighty said: "Do not cancel your acts."
(b) If the person performing Salah rushes to
assist a person who is in danger of drowning, the time allotted for prayer will
expire, he must save the drowning person first and then perform the Qazaa
prayer in its place, even though it is forbidden to conduct the Qazaa on
purpose.
(c) If someone is performing Salah while a
blind person approaches a well and is about to fall into the well, then it is
permissible for him to break the intention of Salah and compulsory to
warn the blind person.
(Continued)
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Mufti
Abdul Malik Misbahi is the author of multiple books. He has also lectured and
held positions such as Mufti, Shaykhul Hadith, president, founder, and
director at a number of institutions, including Darul Uloom
Ghousia in Hubli, Karnataka, and Darul Uoom Solemaniya Rahmaniya in
Bikaner Darul Uloom Reza-e-Mustafa, Bihar, Madrasa Shah
Khalid, Vanwa Libo Muslim League, Fiji (near Australia), Madina
Educational Society, Rajasthan. He currently holds the positions of Mufti
in the Sunni Darul Ifta in the Madina Masjid, General Secretary of
the Raza Foundation, Director of the Darain Academy, Founder
of the Afkar-e- Raza Institution, and Chief Editor of the Do-Maahi
Raza-e-Madina (Urdu, Hindi) in Azadnagar, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
Previous Articles:
Thirty
Lessons of Ramadan: Welcome to Ramadan and First Lesson on the Virtues of
Ramadan
Thirty Lessons of Ramadan:
Second Lesson on the Respect of Ramadan – Part 2
Thirty
Lessons Of Ramadan: Third Lesson On The Horrific Consequences Of Desecrating
Ramadan – Part 3
Thirty
Lessons of Ramadan: Fourth Lesson on the Fasting Of Ramadan and its Intention –
Part 4
Thirty Lessons Of Ramadan:
Seventh Lesson On Sehri [Pre-Dawn Meal] Part 7
Thirty Lessons of Ramadan: Eighth Lesson on Iftar –
Part 8
Thirty Lessons of Ramadan: Ninth
Lesson on Rulings and Laws Related to Fasting – Part 9
Thirty Lessons Of Ramadan: Tenth
Lesson On Rulings And Laws Related To Fasting – Part 10
Thirty Lessons of Ramadan: Twelfth
Lesson on Rulings Related to Qazaa, Kaffarah and Fidyah – Part 12
Thirty Lessons of Ramadan: 13th Lesson on Rulings of
Kaffarah and Fidyah – Part 13
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/ramadan-guidelines-treatment-fasting-part-15/d/129499
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