Does a fasting person break their fast if they delay expelling the water from rinsing their mouth and feel it reach their throat unintentionally, taking into account the method of rinsing and sniffing used?
If the intention is to complete the rinsing of the mouth (madmadah), sniffing water into the nose (istinshāq), and expelling it (istinathār) with a single scoop of water, then expelling the water from the mouth three times, this action is sufficient. It is also sufficient to rinse the mouth with three separate scoops of water, and then sniff water into the nose with three separate scoops of water. As for swallowing some water from the mouth rinse unintentionally, it does not invalidate the fast. However, if it is done intentionally, the fast is invalid and must be made up. The questioner is also advised to ignore obsessive thoughts (waswās) and not pay attention to them.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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