السؤال: هل الكذبُ والغيبةُ والنميمةُ تُبطل الصوم ؟

الجواب : الغيبةُ والنميمةُ والكذبُ ونحوها من المعاصي تُبطل ثوابَ الصوم لا نفسَ الصوم ؛ فمن فعل شيئاً من ذلك لم يبطل صومُه لكن يفوته ثوابه كما في الحديث :” ربَّ صائمٍ ليس له من صومه إلا الجوع والعطش “.

فلذا يتأكدُ على كل صائم اجتناب المعاصي زيادةً على تأكده في غير الصوم ، وفي الحديث :” مَن لم يدعْ قولَ الزور والعملَ به ، فليس لله حاجة في أن يدع طعامه وشرابه “. فبينَ أنّ المقصودَ الأعظمَ من الصوم يتحقق في تهذيب النفس وصونها عن المعاصي لا بمجرد ترك الطعام والشراب فإن هذا يطيقه البر والفاجر ، وإلى هذا أشار الحقُّ تعالى في آيات الصيام حيث قال : ( لعلكم تتقون ) .

أما ما يروى :” خمسٌ يفطرن الصائم : الغيبة والنميمة :والكذب والقبلة واليمين الفاجرة “. فهو حديثٌ باطلٌ كما قال الإمام النووي في “المجموع” ، ولو صحَّ لكان المرادُ منه بطلان الثواب كما قال الإمام الماوردي ، ونقله ابنُ حجر في “التحفة” (3/424)

Lying, backbiting and tale-telling and others such sins that take away the reward of fasting, but do not invalidate the fast itself. Whoever does such a thing, his fast is not broken, but he loses the reward of it, as has come in the hadith, “How many may fast but get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst.”

For this reason, a fasting person should avoid these things even more than a person who is not fasting, for it has come in a hadith, “Whoever does not leave speaking ill and acting by it, then Allah has no need to give him food and drink.”

It is clear that the great purpose of fasting is to try controlling the nafs (ego), and keeping it from disobedience, not just by leaving food and drink, because this is done by the pious and the sinners, alike. The Real, Most High (Allah) has indicated this in His verses of fasting, where He has said, “….so that you may have taqwa”.

As for what was related from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that, “Five things invalidate one’s fast, backbiting, tale-telling, lying, kissing and the false oath”, this hadith is false, as Imam al-Nawawi said in the Majmu`. If it was authentic, the meaning of it would have been loss of reward, as Imam al-Mawardi has said; Ibn Hajar related it in the Tuhfa (3:424).

Amjad Rasheed

[Translated by Sr. Shazia Ahmad]

السؤال : هل يجوز للصائم أن يتمضمضَ لتقليل جفاف فمه خصوصاً في البلاد الحارة ؟

الجواب : نعم يجوز له ذلك ، لكن ليتنبه من وصول شيء من ماء المضمضة إلى الجوف فإنه مبطلٌ للصوم ولو لم يبالغ في المضمضة ؛ لأنها أمرٌ غير مطلوب .

Yes, it is permissible. But, he should be careful about any water reaching his body cavity, for that would break his fast, even if he doesn’t exaggerate in his rinsing, because this is an action that is not required.

Amjad Rasheed

[Translated by Sr. Shazia Ahmad]

If he can taste the food without it reaching the body cavity, it is permissible and does not break the fast, but it is disliked out of fear that it might reach his throat, as it says in the Tuhfa with the Minhaj, (3:425).

[s. It is not disliked for] one who needs to do it, such as a person who chews on some bread to soften it for a child, or someone who is trying to improve the food. It is not disliked for them to taste it, as the imams have stated. Refer to the Hashiya of Abd al-Hamid on the Tuhfa. (3:425)

Amjad Rasheed

If he fears that this will stimulate his desire, such that sperm will exit, then [s. kissing her] is haram.

But if he does not fear this, then it is not haram, though it is better for him not to do it, as has come in the Minhaj with the Tuhfa. (3:410-411)

Amjad Rasheed

The jurist’s axiom concerning water accidentally entering the body cavity during purification is that water which inadvertently goes down from something which is requested by the Sacred Law, even a sunna, does not invalidate the fast and water that goes down from something which is not requested does.1

Washing the ears along with the face is sunna, so this water should not break the fast. And Allah knows best and he alone gives success (tawfiq).

1. Muhammad Shatta, I’anah al-Talibin (Beirut, Dar al-Fikr, 1998), 2:367.

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Karim Yahya, SunniPath Academy Teacher

First of all, it is important to be known that it is disliked for one fasting to exaggerate in rinsing the mouth and sniffing water up his nose during wudu and ghusl, because of the probability that something will reach his body cavity. And of course, the sunna is to do it three times, and to do it more than that is disliked.

Having said this, know that our scholars have set apart the ruling of water reaching the body cavity, unintentionally, while rinsing the mouth during wudu and ghusl. They said that if the water reached the body cavity by rinsing out the mouth a fourth time, or because one exaggerated [s. during the first three times], then the fast is invalid, because it originated from an action that was disliked.

However, if it reached the throat, during the first three legitimate rinses of wudu, without exaggeration, the fast is not invalidated, because it originated in an action that was called for.

Amjad Rasheed