Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Tasting food while fasting does not break the fast as long as nothing is swallowed. Islamic teachings clarify that if someone swallows by mistake, their fast remains valid. A hadith from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) confirms that unintentional consumption is excused.
Elaborating on the issue of tasting food while fasting, Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Muslim lecturer and author, states:
There is nothing wrong with a fasting person tasting the food if he/she needs to, as long as he/she tastes it with the tip of the tongue and then spits it out without swallowing anything.
If the fasting person forgets and swallows it by mistake, there is no sin on him, and he should complete the fast. This is because the general rule of Shari`ah is that the person who forgets is excused.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever forgets that he is fasting and eats or drinks something, let him complete his fast, for it is Allah Who has fed him and given him to drink.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Turn to the fatwas below for further explanation:
- Is Swallowing Blood Permissible for Muslims?
- Does Swallowing Mucus Break Fast?
- Can You Swallow Your Saliva while Fasting?
- Can We Swallow Saliva during Ramadan Fasting?
- Is Swallowing Blood Permissible for Muslims?
- Does Swallowing Drops of Rain Invalidate Fasting?
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.
