Fasting and Vomiting

by Asma bint Shameem

QUESTION

I vomited during the day while I was fasting. Is my fast valid?

ANSWER

If you vomited INVOLUNTARILY and it just came out on it’s own, it does NOT invalidate the fast, EVEN IF IT’S A LOT.

You don’t have to do anything and your fast is still GOOD.

BUT if you vomited DELIBERATELY by putting your fingers down the throat or by any other means, then the fast is INVALIDATED.

And you’ll have to make up that day later on. 

🔺Proof

🍃The Prophet ﷺ said:

“The one who cannot help vomiting does not have to make up the fast, but the one who vomits deliberately has to make it up.”

(at-Tirmidhi 720; saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi)

🔺 NOTE: 

Some people think that if the vomit is a LARGE vomit then it would break their fast even if it's unintentional. 

That's NOT CORRECT. There’s no proof of that.

What if I swallowed some of my vomit? 

If you could have spit it out but you didn’t; rather you swallowed it back down purposely, then that will break the fast.

But if it was UNINTENTIONAL and beyond your control and it just somehow went down your throat, your fast is still valid.

🍃 The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“If he vomited deliberately then his fast is invalidated, but if he could not help it then his fast is not invalidated. Similarly it is not invalidated by his swallowing it so long as he did not do that deliberately.”

(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah 10/254)

What about reflux/burping that brings up food?

The same rulings apply to reflux or burps that bring up food.

So if you feel the reflux in your throat, try to spit it out and do not swallow it.

But if you can’t spit it out and it’s not within your control then it does not invalidate the fast, even if you unintentionally swallow some of it.

🍃 Ibn Hazm said:

“Reflux that comes out of the throat does not invalidate the fast, so long as the person does not deliberately swallow it back after it reaches the mouth when he is able to expel it.”

(al-Muhalla 4/225)

🍃Someone asked Shaykh al-Albaani:

“As it relates to mucus which descends from the nose to the throat, does it break the fast?”

Shaykh Al Albaani said:

“Directly from the nose to the throat does not break the fast.”

Question:

“What if they gather the mucus in their mouth (and then swallow it)?”

Shaykh Al Albaani said:

“No, it has the same ruling my brother.

But it is not permissible to intake mucus from an outside source, because it will then have the ruling of food and drink.

And although this (swallowing mucus) is something disgusting and it is better to spit it out; but as for invalidating the fast, then it does not invalidate the fast.”

And Allaah knows best.