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What is the ruling on a fasting person using ear drops, eye drops, nasal and throat sprays, intramuscular injections, intravenous drips, suppositories, and inserting an endoscope with a local anesthetic into the pharynx and larynx?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The madhhabs (schools of thought) have agreed that eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse are among thethings that invalidate fasting. They differed on other matters based on whether fasting is considered an understandable act of worship (maqulat al-mana) or not. The Islamic Fiqh Academy issued a resolution stating that the following matters do not invalidate fasting: eye drops, ear drops, nasal drops, and sprays, provided swallowing is avoided; sublingual tablets, provided swallowing is avoided; anything inserted into the vagina, uterus, or urethra; drilling a tooth, extracting a molar, cleaning teeth, using a miswak (tooth-stick), and a toothbrush, provided swallowing is avoided; rinsing the mouth, gargling, and topical mouth sprays, provided swallowing is avoided; therapeutic injections given subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intravenously, excluding nutritional ones; oxygen gas and anesthesia, unless the patient is given nutritive fluids; substances absorbed through the skin, such as creams and patches; insertion of catheters into arteries; insertion of an endoscope through the abdominal wall; taking biopsy samples, unless accompanied by solutions; gastroscopy, if not accompanied by the introduction of fluids; insertion of an instrument or therapeutic substances into the brain or spinal cord; and unintentional vomiting. The Academy also stressed the necessity of postponing what can be postponed without harm. It deferred judgment on certain issues, such as asthma inhalers, cupping (hijama), phlebotomy, taking blood samples, injections used in treating kidney failure, anything inserted into the anus, and surgical operations under general anesthesia if the intention to fast was made the night before. Meanwhile, the Ninth Medical Fiqh Symposium held the view that asthma inhalers, anything inserted into the anus, surgical operations under general anesthesia, kidney failure injections, and gastroscopy do not invalidate fasting.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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