Does an injection break the fast?
The question as asked, details removedCan I take an injection, a vaccine or a drip while fasting?More
This is a sample answer written to show how the site works. It follows the standard Hanafi books, but no mufti has reviewed or signed it yet, so it is not a fatwa. For a real answer, ask a question. Ask a mufti
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِكِ الْوَهَّابِ اَللّٰهُمَّ هِدَايَةَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
1Short answer
No. An injection into the muscle or a vein does not break the fast, because the medicine does not enter through a natural opening of the body. It is better to take a nourishing drip or a non-urgent injection after iftar.
2Detailed answer
The fast is broken by something reaching inside the body through a natural opening, such as the mouth, nose or other passages. An injection goes in through the skin, not through such an opening. So:
- Injections into the muscle, under the skin or into a vein do not break the fast.
- Vaccines given by injection do not break the fast.
- A drip into a vein does not break the fast. But a drip given for nourishment or strength, when there is no medical need during the day, goes against the spirit of fasting; take it after iftar.
- Blood tests do not break the fast.
Inhalers, nasal sprays and anything swallowed are different and do break the fast.
3Evidence and sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Fasting
- Radd al-Muhtar, Book of Fasting
Arabic texts, translations and how the ruling was derived
ولم ير أنس والحسن وإبراهيم بالكحل للصائم بأسا
Meaning: Anas, al-Hasan and Ibrahim saw no harm in kohl for a fasting person.
Kohl in the eye reaches the body through the skin and pores, not through a natural opening, and the early scholars did not count it as breaking the fast. The Hanafi fuqaha state the same principle for oil absorbed through the skin, and contemporary scholars apply it to injections.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُهُ أَعْلَمُ صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ