QUESTION: "Can I use nasal drops while fasting to open a blocked nose, or will it break my fast?"
Islamic Answer: By Mufti Muhammad Shahid Barkaati
Using nasal drops during fasting can break the fast if the liquid reaches the brain, throat, or stomach. According to Hanafi Fiqh, any substance entering the body through an open passage (nose, mouth, ears) and reaching the stomach or brain will invalidate the fast.
Ruling on Nasal Drops & Nasal Spray in Fasting
In the state of fasting, it is not permissible / Forbidden to intentionally insert medicine or water into the nose if there is a risk of it reaching the throat or stomach. If the substance stays within the nasal passage, the fast remains valid. However, if it reaches the throat or stomach through the nasal passage, then the fast is broken, and Qaza (making up the fast) becomes necessary.
📖 Authentic References:
- Durr-e-Mukhtar – States that anything reaching the stomach or brain through an open passage invalidates the fast.
- Bahar-e-Shariat (Part 5) – Discusses actions that break the fast, including inserting medicine into the nose.
- Hanafi Fiqh – Confirms that nasal medicine can break the fast if it travels beyond the nasal cavity.
FAQs About Nasal Drops, Ear Drops & Fasting
❓ Does nasal spray break intermittent fasting?
🚫 Intermittent fasting is different from Islamic fasting. Nasal sprays do not break intermittent fasting, but for Ramadan fasts, it depends on whether the spray reaches the throat or brain.
❓ Can you use ear drops while fasting?
✅ Yes, ear drops do NOT break the fast unless the eardrum is perforated, allowing liquid to pass into the throat or brain.
❓ Does using nasal spray break the fast in Hanafi Fiqh?
🚫 Yes, if it reaches the throat, brain, or stomach. If it remains inside the nose, the fast remains valid.
❓ Does nasal spray break the fast? (Islamic ruling)
🔹 Hanafi scholars state that if nasal spray enters the throat, it invalidates the fast.
❓ Can I use nasal drops before Sehri or after Iftar?
✅ Yes, it is permissible to use nasal drops before Fajr and after Maghrib when you are not fasting.
May Allah (SWT) grant us the knowledge to follow Islamic rulings correctly and keep our fasts in accordance with Sunnah. May He help us spread the right knowledge and grant us barakah in our ibadah.
📿 Wa Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
📿 Allah knows best.
