(1) & (2) Eating and Drinking
1- If a fasting person introduced food or drinks into his body through a way other than the normal one (e.g. introducing water through the nose), what is the ruling of his sawm?
A: Taking food or drink would invalidate the sawm even if they had been introduced through other than the normal manner.
2- Would the entrance of anything which breaks the fast into the body through a wound or the ear invalidate the sawm?
A: If it came to the mouth cavity and then through the throat to the stomach or it is considered as food and used for nutrition, then it would invalidate the sawm, otherwise it would not.
3- If the sa`im [fasting person] had swallowed nasal secretions before it reached the mouth cavity, would that harm his sawm?
A: In the given question, it would not harm the sawm.
4- A sa`im has something in his mouth wet with his saliva then he takes it out and returns it again to his mouth and swallowed the saliva on it, what is the ruling concerning this? With details please.
A: In the given question, his sawm would be invalidated by swallowing the moisture of his saliva unless this moisture was so little and it is mixed with amount of saliva in the mouth to the extent that it could not be considered that he had swallowed the saliva which had come out.
5- Is tooth picking after a meal obligatory for those who want to fast?
A: It is not obligatory unless one is certain that there are remnants of food between his teeth and he is sure that if he did not pick it out, they would get inside the throat.
6- If a sa`im had taken food or drink, forgetfully or inattentively, during the month of Ramadan or the sawm of its qada or during sawm al-mustahabb, what is the ruling concerning this?
A: Taking food or drink forgetfully or inattentively would not invalidate the sawm without any difference between its types.
7- If a sa`im while rinsing his mouth with water for wudu of salat al-wajibah or mustahabbah or not for salat and the water is inattentively swallowed, what is the ruling?
A: In the given question, this would not invalidate his sawm.
8- When I was fasting, my mother forced me to eat or drink. Did it invalidate my fast?
A: Eating and drinking invalidates fast, even if it is done at the request or insistence of someone.
9- If something is forced into the mouth of someone fasting, or his head is forcefully submerged in water, does it invalidate the fast? What if one is coerced to break his/her fast, and he/she does it to avoid danger, for instance if he/she is told: If you do not eat, we will hurt you or your property. Is his/her fast valid?
A: Forcing food into someone's month without his consent does not invalidate his/her fast and neither does submerging his/her head in water. However, if one breaks the fast himself when is forced or threatened by someone else, the fasting becomes void.
10- While suffering from a cold, some mucus gathered in my mouth and I swallowed it instead of spitting it out. Was my fast valid? Also, once, while staying for some days with one of my relatives during the blessed month of Ramadan as I had a cold, and moreover felt shy to perform major ablution for the state of major impurity [ghusl al-janabah], so I did dry ablution [tayammum] instead, which I did not perform until some time before noon. This happened for several days. Were my fasts for those days valid? If not, do I have to pay the kaffarah as well?
A: Swallowing the mucus does not make one liable to anything, though as obligatory caution one should perform qada of that fast if it is done after the mucus enters the mouth. As for not performing ghusl al-janabah before dawn, if the tayammum was done because of some legal excuse or done at the last moment due to shortness of time, then your fasting is valid; otherwise your fasts for those days are void.
(3) Masturbation while fasting and in other instances
1- About seven years ago I intentionally invalidated my fast for several days during the month of Ramadan by masturbating. However, I do not know for sure how many days of fasting I violated in this way during the course of three Ramadans. I do not think they were less than 25 to 30 days. What is my obligation and the kaffarah that I should make?
A: Invalidating a day's fast in the blessed month of Ramadan by masturbating, which is prohibited by Islamic law, requires one of the following: (1)fasting for sixty days; or (2)feeding sixty poor persons, although it is a recommended caution to observe both of the two. As far as feeding sixty persons is concerned, you can give each of them one mudd (750 grams) of food for each day missed. Giving money is not a substitute unless it is given to a poor person to buy food on your behalf; thus, his acceptance to buy the food for himself is considered as kaffarah. Determining the price of the food given as kaffarah depends on the kind of food you choose to give, either in the shape of wheat, rice, or any other kind of food. As for the number of fasts you invalidated by masturbating, you are allowed in performing its qada and giving kaffarah to consider the number of days that you are certain about.
2- A person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf], knowing that masturbation does invalidate the fast, and does masturbate; does he have to offer the two-fold kaffarah? What is the rule if he does it without knowing that masturbation invalidates the fast?
A: In both cases he must offer just one kind of kaffarah, if he masturbates intentionally, although it is a recommended caution to observe the two fold kaffarah.
3- I had an emission of semen during the blessed month of Ramadan for no reason other than excitement that I felt during a telephone conversation with a non-mahram woman. If the phone conversation was not for the purpose of pleasure, was my fast invalid? And if it was, do I have to pay kaffarah as well?
A: If it was not a previous habit of yours to have an emission of semen while conversing with a woman, and the phone conversation was not intended for pleasure and the emission was involuntary, then your fast is valid, and you are not liable to anything.
4- A person had the habit of masturbating for a number of years while fasting in the month of Ramadan and at other times. What is the rule regarding his prayers and fasts?
A: Masturbation is absolutely prohibited, and when it leads to ejaculation it causes one to become in the state of major impurity [junub]. If this done during fasting, it amounts to breaking the fast by unlawful means. If one performs prayers and fasts in the state of major impurity [janabah], without performing major ablution [ghusl] or dry ablution [tayammum], his prayers and fasting are void and he must make them up [do their qada].
5- Someone at the beginning of legal maturity [bulugh] fasts during the month of Ramadan, and masturbates while fasting, continuing in fasting for some days without knowing that fasting requires a state of purity [taharah], that is not being in the state of major impurity [janabah]. Is it sufficient for him to perform qada of the fasts of those days, or some other rule applies to him?
A: In the light of the question, he has to perform both qada and kaffarah.
6- If someone who is fasting looks at a sexually arousing scene during the month of Ramadan, does it void his fast?
A: If he looks with the purpose of having an orgasm, or if he knows that it will cause him to become in the state of major impurity [junub], and it had been his habit before, and still he views it intentionally and becomes junub, then the rule that applies to him is the one that applies to someone who makes himself junub intentionally.
(4) Sexual Intercourse
1- How would sexual intercourse be achieved?
A: It would be achieved by the complete penetration of the glans penis inside the vulva or the anus of a human being or an animal.
2- If a sa`im [fasting person] intended to have sexual intercourse but he did not do it, would this intention invalidate his sawm?
A: This intention is considered like the intention of doing practices or taking things that would break the fast, and the sawm would not be invalidated just by this intention.
3- If a sa`im had sexual intercourse in a state of forgetfulness, what is the ruling regarding his sawm?
A: His sawm would not be invalidated.
4- If a sa`im is forced to have sexual intercourse and becomes deprived of his volition, what is the ruling about his sawm?
A: If he had been really forced to the extend that he is deprived of his volition; his sawm would not be invalidated.
(5) Plunging
1- If a sa`im had plunged his head into water while his body was out, what is the ruling of his sawm?
A: It is haram for sa`im to do this and his sawm would be invalidated according to the obligatory caution.
2- If he introduced his head into water gradually until the entire head was in the water, was the strict meaning of plunging be applied here?
A: After the entire head was under the water, it will be counted as plunging.
3- If he plunged the right side of his head into water and then got it out to plunge the left side, would this act invalidate the sawm?
A: There is no objection to it and the ruling of plunging would not be applied here.
4- A fasting person was unaware that he was in the state of janabah [major ritual impurity - caused by discharged semen] until the time of the afternoon prayers. He then performed the major ablution via submerging the whole body in water [ghusl al-irtimasi]. Does this invalidate his fast? And if he realizes what he has done only after performing ghusl al-irtimasi, does he have to perform the qada of the fast?
A: If one performs ghusl al-irtimasi out of forgetfulness or unintentionally (to the fact that he is fasting), then both his fast and the major ablution [ghusl] are valid; thus, he does not have to perform qada of the fast.
5- What rule applies to someone who immerses himself in water wearing waterproof clothing such as a diving suit which does not allow the body to become wet?
A: If the clothing has close contact with his head, there is a problem in his fast being valid. Hence, as an obligatory caution he should perform its qada.
6- What are the boundaries of the head in the issue of plunging?
A: What is meant by the head, plunging of which while fasting is haram, is the entire head till the neck.
7- If one plunges the upper part of his head down to the ears, would this harm the correctness of his sawm?
A: Unless the entire head is plunged into the water, the sawm would not be harmed.
8- If a sa`im had plunged his head into water sparing his hair, what is the ruling of his sawm?
A: Plunging by sparing just the hair is considered haram and would invalidate fasting.
9- Plunging the head in adulterated water [mudaf], would it validate the sawm?
A: There is no objection in plunging the head in mudaf liquid. However, it is according to caution to avoid plunging of the head in rose-water.
10- If a sa`im had smeared his head with a substance that would prevent water reaching it and then plunged it into water, then what is the ruling about his sawm?
A: The standard is the actual plunging of the head into water even if one had smeared it with such a substance.
11- If one had plunged while he was putting his head in a bottle, then what is the ruling of his sawm?
A: If this was in such a way that it would not be applied correctly to the plunging of the head i.e. he put his head into a bottle and then plunged the bottle into the water, it would not harm his sawm.
12- If a sa`im had jumped into a water imagining that he would not plunge but plunging occurred, then what is the ruling?
A: If the water was not of the kind that which usually necessitates plunging or he was not aware that it would necessitate it, it would not harm the correctness of his sawm, but he is obliged to get his head out of the water immediately.
13- If a sa`im was in state of janabah and he could not perform his ghusl but by plunging, then what could he do?
A: If he could not perform sequential ghusl (tartibi) his duty will be diverted to tayammum and he is not allowed, as per obligatory caution, to plunge into water for ghusl.
14- What is the ruling if a sa`im plunges into water for ghusl in the following cases: a) The sawm is mustahabb or wajib [obligatory] but unspecified for a certain time;
b) The sawm is wajib but specified for a certain time.
A: In a mustahabb and unspecified wajib sawm, his ghusl is correct but the sawm is invalidated. While in a specified wajib sawm, if it is a sawm of the month of Ramadan, both ghusl and sawm are invalid; unless he repents after plunging and then intends to do ghusl even at the time he is getting out of the water. In this case, his ghusl is correct but his sawm is invalidated by the plunging.
(6) Making dust to reach the throat
1- What about the ruling concerning dust which is difficult to avoid?
A: In the given question, to say that the sawm is void is a matter of contemplation. Thus, caution should not be neglected in combining fasting and qada.
2- Would the sa`im break his sawm if he swallowed steam?
A: There is no objection in swallowing steam unless it would covert into water inside the month.
3- If smoke had entered the mouth of the sa`im, what is the ruling of his sawm?
A: Smoke would not harm the correctness of sawm.
4- Would smoking invalidate sawm or not?
A: It is based on the obligatory caution to avoid it.
5- I work in an iron mine and the nature of my work requires me to enter the mine daily. While working with mining equipments dust enters my mouth. This is my daily routine throughout the year. What is my duty? Is my fast valid in such a case?
A: Swallowing dust invalidates the fast as per obligatory caution. Therefore, one must guard against it. However, the mere entering of dust into the mouth and the nose without its being swallowed does not invalidate the fast.
(7) Lying
1- Would lying in general invalidate sawm or is there a special kind of it?
A: Lying which would invalidate sawm is specified by inventing of lie about Allah, His Prophet Muhammad (s.) and about the Infallible Imams (a.) according to the obligatory caution.
2- If a sa`im had invented a lie about jurisprudents and mujtahids would that entail invalidating of his sawm?
A: Although inventing lies about them is haram, yet it would not invalidate the correctness of the sawm.
3- If the sa`im intended to say the truth but it appeared to be an untruth and vice versa, what about the ruling?
A: In both cases his sawm is correct.
4- If a sa`im had just quoted a saying from someone which was lying, would that invalidate the sawm?
A: If the saying was a kind of narration or quotation from a person or a book, it would not harm the correctness of his sawm, although it is based on obligatory caution to relate the saying to the book from which it is quoted.
5- If the sa`im tells a lie, which invalidates the sawm, without directing his speech to someone or he is directing it to an irrational creature (like an animal); will this invalidate sawm?
A: It does not invalidate his sawm unless it could be truly said that he was informing someone, i.e. he wants to make someone understand it, even in case the later will hear it later.
6- If a sa`im invents a lie about the Prophet Muhammad (s.) or the Infallible Imams (a.) in a secular issue, would that invalidate his sawm?
A: In invalidating the sawm there is no difference, according to the obligatory caution, whether one invents a lie about them in the religious or in the secular issues.
7- Would the invention of lies about the Prophets and legates or Fatimat al-Zahra (s.) invalidate the sawm?
A: It is based on obligatory caution to join them with Infallible Imams (a.) in this issue.
8- If one tells a lie as a joke, i.e. he did not mean the real meaning, what about the ruling?
A: The ruling of lying would not be applied here unless one was serious in telling it.
(8) Remaining intentionally in the state of janabah
1- If one stays in the state of major impurity [janabah] (because of some difficulty) until the morning call to prayer [adhan], can he/she fast the following day?
A: There is no problem if one is performing a fast other than that of Ramadan or its qada. However, as to the fasting of Ramadan or its qada, if one has a lawful excuse for not performing ghusl, then it is obligatory to perform tayammum. And if he does not perform dry ablution [tayammum] either, the fast is invalid.
2- A person fasts for some days in the state of major impurity [janabah] without knowing that taharah from janabah is required for a valid fast. Does he/she have to pay kaffarah for the days fasted in the state of janabah, or it is enough to perform the qada of those fasts?
A: If he woke up in a state of major impurity [janabah] and stayed in that state because of ignorance of the fact that one has to perform major ablution [ghusl] (or dry ablution [tayammum]), then as per obligatory caution he should also observe kaffarah in addition to performing their qada. However, if his ignorance was due to negligence with inability to get the ruling, apparently kaffarah is not obligatory upon him, though caution lies in making it.
3- Is it permissible for one who is fasting qada or recommended [mustahabb] fast to perform major ablution [ghusl] for the state of major impurity [janabah] after sunrise?
A: If one deliberately stays in the state of janabah until morning call to prayer [adhan], then his fast is not valid if it is a fast of Ramadan or one of its qada fasts. Other than that, it is strongly probable that the fasting is valid, especially recommended one.
4- A faithful brother has asked me the following question: He got married ten days prior to the month of Ramadan. He had heard that the legal ruling regarding a person in a state of major impurity [janabah] was that if one becomes in that state after the morning call to prayer [adhan] and performs major ablution [ghusl] before the call to the afternoon prayers, his fast would be valid (he claims he was convinced that this was the rule). Accordingly, he would have intercourse with his wife on the basis of such a notion. Later, he realized that the rule on the issue was not what he believed to be. What is the ruling concerning this case?
A: The rule for one who intentionally becomes in a state of major impurity [junub] after morning prayers is the same as that of one who intentionally breaks the fast; that is, both qada and kaffarah are obligatory upon him.
5- A person staying as a guest in his host's house becomes in a state of major impurity [junub] at night during the month of Ramadan. As he is a guest and does not have any extra clothes, he decides to travel the following day to avoid fasting. He takes off after the morning call to prayer [adhan] with the intention to travel without breaking the fast. The question is, does his intention to travel relieve him of the kaffarah or not?
A: Neither mere intention of traveling at night nor traveling in the day is sufficient to relieve one of the kaffarah if one becomes in a state of major impurity [junub] and knows that he is in the state of janabah without making an immediate attempt to perform major ablution [ghusl] or dry ablution [tayammum] before dawn.
6- Is it permissible for one to intentionally become in a state of major impurity [junub] during the night in the month of Ramadan even if he does not have water or has another excuse for not performing ghusl (except shortness of time)?
A: It is permissible, if his duty was to perform tayammum and he had sufficient time to perform it.
7- A person woke up before the morning call to prayer [adhan] but did not realize that he was in a state of major impurity [junub] and went back to sleep. Later, he woke up during the morning call to prayer [adhan] and realized that he has been in a state of major impurity [junub]. What is the ruling concerning his fast?
A: If he did not realize that he was in the state of janabah before the morning call to prayer [adhan], then his fast is valid.
8- A person wakes up after the morning call to prayer [adhan] during the month of Ramadan and realizes that he is in a state of major impurity [junub] and then goes back to sleep to rise some time after sunrise (without performing the morning prayers). Then he delays the major ablution [ghusl] until after the call to the afternoon prayers, and says the afternoon [zuhr] and late afternoon [`asr] prayers. What is the ruling regarding his fast on that day?
A: His fast is valid, and delaying ghusl until noon does not affect it.
9- During the month of Ramadan a person doubts before the morning call to prayer [adhan] whether he has had a wet dream or not. However, he goes back to sleep without ascertaining his doubt. After the morning call to prayer [adhan], he wakes up gain to realize that he had been in a state of janabah. What is the ruling concerning his fast?
A: If no sign of janabah was observed the first time he woke up but had a mere suspicion that was not confirmed, and he went back to sleep until after the morning call to prayer [adhan], then his fast is valid, even if he finds later that he had been in a state of janabah before the morning call to prayer [adhan].
10- A person used impure [najis] water to perform major ablution [ghusl] during the month of Ramadan. A week later, he remembered that the water was impure. What is the ruling concerning his prayers and fasts during that period?
A: His prayers are void and he is liable to their qada, but the days he fasted are valid.
11- A person suffers from dripping of urine for a limited duration, i.e. it continues for an hour or more after passing urine. What is the ruling concerning his fast if he has a wet dream on some nights and he might wake up an hour before the morning call to prayer [adhan] and it is probable that semen may come out with urine afterwards? What is he to do to start the fast in a state of taharah?
A: If he performs the major ablution [ghusl]or dry ablution [tayammum] before the morning call to prayer [adhan], his fast is valid, even if there is an involuntary discharge of semen afterwards.
12- A person sleeps prior to, or after, the morning call to prayer [adhan]. He becomes in a state of major impurity [junub], realizing it after the morning adhan. How much time does he have to perform the major ablution [ghusl]?
A: Being in janabah under the condition stated does not void that day's fast. However, it is obligatory on him to perform ghusl for prayers, and he may delay it until the time of prayers.
13- If one forgets to perform ghusl al-janabah during the month of Ramadan, or during other days, and remembers during the day, what is the rule in this case?
A: If one forgets to perform the major ablution for the state of major impurity [ghusl al-janabah] during the month of Ramadan at night before morning call to prayer [adhan], his fast is void. As per obligatory caution, the same rule applies to qada of Ramadan fasts. However, other fasts do not become void if one forgets to perform ghusl al-janabah before morning call to prayer [adhan].
14- If the sa`im thought that there was enough time till the fajr so he did not do ghusl and then it appeared to be not, what about the ruling?
A: In the given question, if the sawm was that of Ramadan, it would be correct, but if it was of its qada, then it would not be correct.
15- Remaining on the state of the hadath of menstrual period [hayd] or puerperium [nifas] till the fajr time, would it invalidate the sawm?
A: The ruling of this during the sawm of the month of Ramadan is the same as the ruling of remaining in the state of janabah during it.
16- If the sa`im did tayammum instead of ghusl before the fajr time, is he obliged to stay awake till the fajr time?
A: No, he is not. He is allowed to sleep after doing tayammum.
17- If one had a wet dream [ihtilam] during the day in the month of Ramadan, is he obliged to hasten immediately to do the ghusl?
A: No, he is not.
18- Is the ghusl of touching the dead [mass al-mayyit] a condition in the correctness of the sawm?
A: No, it is not a condition.
19- Is it permissible for a person who had a wet dream to sleep before doing ghusl?
A: After he became aware of this he is allowed to go back to sleep as long as he believes that he would wake up before the fajr time and he was intending to do ghusl after awaking up. But, in the given question, if he did not wake up until fajr then he is obliged to do qada.
20- If he was not already used to waking up, yet he slept until fajr came, what is the ruling of his sawm?
A: If he was not used to waking up and he did not think it possible that he would wake up when he went back to sleep and he slept until the fajr time, then he is just like someone who intentionally remained in the state of janabah.
21- If he was used to waking up, so he went back to sleep until fajr came, what is the ruling?
A: If he thought that he would wake up and he was already used to waking, then he slept with the intention of doing ghusl after waking up but he remained asleep till the fajr time; qada would rest on him. Although it is based on recommended caution to pay the kaffarah as well.
22- If he repeatedly slept for two or three times and he was used to waking up but he did not, then what is the ruling here?
A: In case before going to sleep he had intended to do ghusl after waking up, he is morally obliged to refrain from eating and do qada later on in both given cases, otherwise he is obliged to make kaffarah as well.
23- In the month of Ramadan, someone is sure that he will have a nocturnal seminal emission if he sleeps. Is he allowed to sleep?
A: He is allowed to sleep and there is nothing upon him if he has a nocturnal seminal emission during sleep.
24- A sa`im had a wet dream during the day. Is he allowed to do istibra' by passing urine if he is sure that semen will come out?
A: He is allowed to do this before doing ghusl.
25- If a sa`im had had a wet dream during the day and he wanted to do ghusl and was sure that if he neglect istibra' the remnant of semen would come out after ghusl, then in this given question, is he obliged to do istibra'?
A: In the given question, it is based on the obligatory caution to do istibra' before ghusl.
26- Is the sa`im who had had a wet dream obliged to be careful not to let the semen come out, when he woke before it, especially if this would cause unbearable hardship and harm?
A: He is not obliged. Although, if no hardship or harm would follow, it goes with the caution to do it.
(9) Liquid enemas
1- If a sa`im is compelled to use a liquid enema due to a disease or something else, would that harm the correctness of his sawm?
A: Using liquid enemas for a sa`im is haram and it would invalidate his sawm, even if it was to treat disease.
2- If a sa`im had used liquid enemas in a way that the liquid did not come up into his body but just entered into the anus, would this break fasting?
A: It is based on obligatory caution to abstain from such an act.