Back to search

What is the ruling on fasting while using nasal drops?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars differed concerning the ruling on using eye drops for a fasting person. The majority of them held that it breaks the fast if it reaches the throat, and they cited the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibition of excessive sniffing (instinshāq) for a fasting person. However, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah disagreed, holding that it does not break the fast because it is neither food nor drink, and because the prohibition of excessive sniffing pertains to the entry of water that nourishes the body, which does not apply to eye drops. It is preferable to delay using them until after breaking the fast, but if one is compelled to use them during the day, there is no harm, and making up that day is more cautious.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy