Regarding the considered opinion in fasting breakers

Question:

What is the ruling regarding insulin injections taken by the diabetics during Ramadan? May Allah reward you with what is best?

Answer:

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon whom Allah sent as a mercy to the Worlds, upon his Family, his Companions and his Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.

What is considered in breaking the fast by eating or drinking is to introduce deliberately something that breaks the fast into the stomach, through the usual way which is the mouth or through the nostril, according to the saying of the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم: “Exaggerate in sniffing water into the nose (i.e. during ablution) except when you are fasting”⁽¹⁾, whether the introduced thing is useful or useless, or is neither useful nor useless. The religious text stated that the breaking of fasting happens by eating or drinking, which doesn’t occur except through the usual way. Apart from this way, all the other things are not considered to be food or drink, and we do not intend, through them, to eat or drink.

The Sheikh of Islam Ibn Taymiyya said, about using kohl, injections, drops, smell perfume and curing of Al-Ma'muma (a wound in the brain) and Al-Jâ'ifa (a penetrating thrust) among things which may be introduced in the body through the unusual way, the following: “what is more relevant is that fasting is not broken with such things, because fasting is an integral part of the religion of the muslims that they all need to know, whether ordinary or of the elite. Moreover, if these things were among what Allah عزَّ وجلَّ and His Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم had forbidden as regards fasting, and fasting would be invalidated because of them, the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم, then, should have informed us. If this had been stated, the Companions would know it and convey it to the nation, as they did with all his sharia رضي الله عنهم. As the scholars have not reported from the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم any hadith, whether authentic or weak, Musnad (linked narration) or Mursal, we know that the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم didn’t state anything of that. However, the hadith reported about kohl is weak. It is narrated by Abu Dâwûd in his “Sunan”. In addition, this hadith has not been narrated by others⁽²⁾”⁽³⁾.

Finally, the cause of breaking fast is not necessarily limited to nourishment. However, it implies a composition of nourishment and getting pleasure with food in order to reach the objective of breaking fast; as we know, the patient may be nourished with injections and still longs for food and drinks. For that reason, all nutritive and non-nutritive injections don’t break fast, due to the absence of the compound cause, because: “If the ruling depends on two attributes, it does not stand with just one”, as it is stated in the science of fundamentals of jurisprudence.

The perfect knowledge belongs to Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Our last prayer is all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon our Prophet, his Family, his Companions and his Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.

Algiers, Sha`bân 26^th, 1428 H
Corresponding to September 8^th, 2007

(1) Reported by Abu Dâwûd, chapter of “fasting”, concerning pouring water by a fasting person on himself due to thirst and exaggerating in doing it (hadith 2366), and Al-Hâkim in “Al-Mustadrak” (hadith 525), and Al-Bayhaqi in “As-Sounan Al-Kubra” (hadith525), according to the hadith of Laqît Ibn Sabira رضي الله عنه. This hadith has been authenticated by Al-Albâni in “Al-Irwâ'” (hadith 935) and Al-Wâdi`i in “As-Sahîh Al-Musnad” (hadith 1104).

(2) The hadith is reported by Abu Dâwûd in his “Sunan”; chapter of “fasting”; concerning the use of kohl by the fasting person when going to bed (hadith 2377), that the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم ordered to use the kohl which contains perfume when going to bed and said about it “Let the fasting person avoid it”. It is also reported by At-Tabarâni in “Al-Kabîr” (20/341), according to the hadith reported by Ma`bad Ibn Hauda Al-Ansâri. Abu Dâwud said in his “Sunan” (7/4): Yahya Ibn Ma`în told me: “It is a Munkar (denounced) hadith”. This hadith has been weakened by Al-Albâni in “Al-Irwâ'” (hadith 936) and “Ad-Da`îfa” (hadith 1014).

(3) Majmû` Al-Fatâwâ (Collection of Fatwas) of Ibn Taymiyya (25/234).