Acts which Break the Fast
Eating or drinking, etc.
A person applied surmah, underwent blood-letting or applied some oil and thereafter thought that his fast has broken because of any of these causes. He therefore ate some food intentionally. In this case, both qada and kaffarah will be wajib on him.
If a person's fast coincidentally breaks in the month of Ramadan, he cannot eat or drink anything for the rest of the day. It is wajib on him to abstain from consuming anything for the rest of the day just like a normal fasting person.
A person had no intention of fasting on any day in the month of Ramadan. He therefore continued eating and drinking the entire day. Kaffarah will not be wajib on such a person. Kaffarah only becomes wajib when one makes an intention to fast and thereafter breaks the fast.
A fibre of meat or fragments of betel-leaf, etc. was stuck in the teeth. Due to cleansing the teeth, this fibre released itself from in between the teeth and the person ate it. However, he did not remove it from his mouth. It went down his throat on its own. If this fibre is less than the size of a gram-seed, the fast will not break.
If it is equal to or more than the size of a gram-seed, the fast will break. However, if the person removed this fibre from his mouth and thereafter swallowed it, his fast will break irrespective of whether it was smaller or larger than a gram-seed. In both cases the fast will break.
Unintentionally Eating, inhaling, etc.
Incense sticks were burnt and the person went and sat near them and inhaled the smoke. The fast will break. In the same way, the fast breaks by smoking cigarettes, cigars, etc. Apart from this smoke, it is permissible to inhale the fragrance of perfumes which do not have any smoke.
A person placed betel-leaves in his mouth and slept away. His eyes only opened the following morning. His fast will not be valid. He will have to make qada of this fast but there will be no kaffarah on him.
A person ate a pebble, a piece of steel or some other object which is not normally eaten nor is it consumed for medicinal purposes. His fast will break but there will be no kaffarah on him. And if he eats or drinks something that is normally consumed, or, it is not normally consumed but is used for medicinal purposes, his fast will break and qada and kaffarah will be wajib on him.
Cleaning mouth, etc.
While rinsing the mouth, water went down the throat and the person knew that he was fasting. His fast will break, qada will be wajib, but there will be no kaffarah on him.
Blood comes out from the mouth. It is then swallowed together with saliva. The fast will break. However, if the quantity of blood is less than that of the saliva and its taste is not felt when it goes down the throat, the fast will not break.
Vomiting involuntarily or voluntarily and related acts
A person vomitted unintentionally. The fast will not break irrespective of the amount. However, if he vomitted intentionally, his fast will break if the vomit was a full-mouth. But if it is less than a mouth full, the fast will not break.
A small amount of vomit came out but it returned down the throat on its own. The fast will not break. However, if the person swallows it intentionally, his fast will break.
Miscellaneous Acts
When a fast is broken, kaffarah only becomes wajib when the fast of Ramadan is broken. Kaffarah does not become wajib by breaking any other fast irrespective of the manner in which the fast is broken. This applies even if the fast is a qada of a Ramadan fast.
However, if the intention was not made at night (i.e before dawn) for such a fast, or, a woman gets her haid on that very day after breaking her fast; then by breaking the fast, kaffarah will not become wajib.
Kaffarah will become wajib if the intention was made at night, or, if a woman does not get her haid on the day in which she broke her fast.
While fasting, a person took snuff, put some oil in his ears or took an enema without taking any medicine orally. The fast will break. However, only qada will be wajib and not kaffarah. If he puts water in his ears, the fast will not break.
When a person has sexual intercourse, the fast will break, qada will become wajib, and it will also be wajib to observe kaffarah.
