What Breaks a Fast? A Clear Guide (Hanafi)

Every Ramadan the same questions come up. Does brushing my teeth break my fast? What about a blood test, an inhaler or eye drops? And what if I ate by mistake? This guide answers the most common questions according to the Hanafi school, using fatwas from SeekersGuidance, Darul Uloom Deoband and Zamzam Academy.

Medical questions in particular depend on your situation, so please speak to a qualified scholar (and your doctor) about your own case.

The basis: from dawn until night

وَكُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡخَيۡطُ ٱلۡأَبۡيَضُ مِنَ ٱلۡخَيۡطِ ٱلۡأَسۡوَدِ مِنَ ٱلۡفَجۡرِۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّواْ ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيۡلِۚ

"And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the night [i.e., sunset]." (Quran 2:187, part of the verse. Translation: Saheeh International)

In general, Hanafi scholars explain that a fast is broken when something with physical substance deliberately reaches the inside of the body through a recognised opening, such as the mouth or nose, or by marital relations. What matters next is how it happened, because that decides whether you owe a make-up fast (qada) or the much heavier expiation (kaffarah).

1. Things that do NOT break the fast

Situation	Hanafi ruling
Eating or drinking forgetfully	Fast is valid. Stop as soon as you remember and carry on.
Vomiting unintentionally, or deliberately vomiting less than a mouthful	Fast is valid
Injections (including insulin)	Do not break the fast. Some scholars say it is better to avoid them while fasting if possible.
Eye drops	Do not break the fast
Blood test	Does not break the fast. Disliked only if it would weaken you so you cannot complete the fast.
Miswak	Permitted at any time of the day
Toothpaste	Does not break the fast if none is swallowed, but it is disliked (makruh). Brush with paste at night instead.
Swallowing your own saliva	Does not break the fast
A wet dream	Does not break the fast. Ghusl is required.
Smelling perfume, or smoke you could not avoid	Does not break the fast
Tasting food and spitting it out	Does not break the fast if nothing is swallowed, but it is disliked without a need

For eating by mistake, Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "If anyone forgets that he is fasting and eats or drinks he should complete his fast, for it is only Allah Who has fed him and given him drink." (Sahih Muslim 1155; see also Sahih al-Bukhari 1933)

2. Things that break the fast: make-up (qada) only

These break the fast, but you only need to make up one day later. Hanafi scholars also say you should keep away from food and drink for the rest of that Ramadan day out of respect for the month; check the details with a scholar if this happens to you.

• Water going down the throat by accident, for example while rinsing your mouth for wudu, while remembering you are fasting.
• Getting the time wrong: eating after dawn because you thought it had not come yet, or opening the fast before sunset because you thought it had set.
• Deliberately vomiting a mouthful.
• Swallowing something that is not food or medicine, such as a pebble or paper.
• Using an asthma inhaler. Hanafi fatwas from SeekersGuidance and Darul Uloom Deoband say an inhaler breaks the fast. If you need it, use it: your health comes first, and you make the day up later. Ask your doctor whether your medication can be taken outside fasting hours.
• Medicine inhaled into the nose, such as nasal drops.
• Deliberately inhaling smoke, such as incense. (Smoking cigarettes also breaks the fast. Ask a scholar whether kaffarah is due.)
• The start of menstruation, even shortly before sunset. The fast is made up later; the prayers missed during menstruation are not.

On vomiting, Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "if one has a sudden attack of vomiting while one is fasting, no atonement is required of him, but if he vomits intentionally he must make atonement." (Sunan Abi Dawud 2380, graded sahih by al-Albani). Hanafi scholars explain that in this case the "atonement" is a make-up fast, not kaffarah.

Ear drops: a difference of opinion

The classical Hanafi texts say putting oil into the ear breaks the fast. Many contemporary Hanafi scholars, such as Mufti Rafi Usmani as cited by SeekersGuidance, say ear drops do not break the fast unless the eardrum is perforated, while still advising caution. Ask your local scholar which view to follow.

3. Things that break the fast: qada AND kaffarah

Kaffarah is due in the Hanafi school when someone has started a Ramadan fast and then deliberately breaks it, without a valid excuse, by:

• eating or drinking, or
• marital relations (both spouses owe qada and kaffarah).

The kaffarah is to fast two consecutive months, or to feed sixty poor people if you genuinely cannot fast. This is explained in full in our guide to qada, fidya and kaffarah.

Protecting the reward of your fast

A fast can be technically valid but lose its reward. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1903)

Quick FAQs

I drank water after the Fajr adhan because I did not hear it. What now?
If dawn had already come, the fast is broken and you make up one day (qada). No kaffarah is due for a genuine mistake about the time.

Can I use mouthwash?
Swallowing mouthwash or toothpaste breaks the fast. It is safest to avoid both during fasting hours.

Does a vaccine or insulin injection break my fast?
Hanafi fatwas from SeekersGuidance say injections do not break the fast. For drips and other treatments, ask a scholar and your doctor.

I accidentally swallowed water during wudu. Do I owe kaffarah?
No. An accident needs a make-up fast only.

Related reading: Qada, fidya and kaffarah explained · How to complete the Quran in Ramadan.

This guide gives general information based on the Hanafi school. Rulings on fasting, especially medical questions, depend on personal circumstances, so please consult a qualified scholar and your doctor. Getting ready for the holy month? See our Ramadan preparation checklist.