What Breaks Your Fast — and What Doesn't? A Clear Checklist

Every Ramadan, the same worries circulate: I swallowed water while making wudu — is my fast broken? I ate breakfast forgetting I was fasting. I had an injection. The good news is that the fast is harder to break than many people fear, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) explicitly excused forgetfulness. Here is a clear, sourced checklist of what actually breaks the fast, what does not, and what requires making up a day.

The three things that clearly break the fast

Scholars agree the fast is broken by:

• Eating or drinking deliberately — anything that reaches the stomach through the mouth or nose on purpose, including chewing gum with sugar and smoking
• Sexual intercourse during fasting hours — this both breaks the fast and, in Ramadan, requires the heavy expiation (kaffarah) of fasting sixty consecutive days or feeding sixty poor people, in addition to making up the day
• Deliberate vomiting — making yourself vomit breaks the fast; the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever is overcome by vomiting does not have to make up the day, but whoever vomits deliberately must make it up" (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)

Things that do NOT break the fast

This list surprises people every year:

• Eating or drinking out of genuine forgetfulness — the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever forgets he is fasting and eats or drinks, let him complete his fast, for it is Allah who fed him and gave him drink" (Bukhari, Muslim). Stop as soon as you remember; the fast stands
• Rinsing the mouth and nose in wudu — unavoidable traces of water do not break the fast; just avoid exaggerating the rinse while fasting
• Brushing your teeth — using a miswak is an established Sunnah while fasting; toothpaste is fine as long as you do not swallow it
• Swallowing your own saliva — even frequently; this is unavoidable and excused
• Unintentional vomiting — as in the hadith above
• Tasting food while cooking — permitted when needed, on the tip of the tongue, without swallowing
• Kissing and affection between spouses — the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to kiss his wives while fasting (Bukhari, Muslim), provided it does not lead to intercourse
• A wet dream (ihtilam) during the day — involuntary, so the fast is valid; simply perform ghusl
• Injections that are not nourishment — vaccines, insulin, painkillers and dental anaesthesia do not break the fast according to most contemporary scholars; nutritional IV drips, which substitute for food, do
• Eye drops, ear drops and inhalers — the majority of contemporary scholars permit eye and ear drops; asthma inhalers are allowed by many scholars because the medicine goes to the airways, not the stomach — ask your local scholar if unsure
• Blood tests and donating blood — drawing blood does not break the fast, though heavy donation is discouraged if it weakens you
• Showering or swimming — cooling off is fine; the Companions poured water over their heads while fasting. Just avoid swallowing water

What to do if you break your fast

• Broke it by mistake or necessity (illness, travel): make up one day (qada) after Ramadan, before the next Ramadan arrives
• Broke it deliberately by eating or drinking: repent sincerely and make up the day; some schools also require expiation
• Broke it by intercourse in Ramadan: make up the day and offer the kaffarah described above

Keep count of any missed days — our private Ramadan fasting tracker records your month on your own device, so nothing gets lost by Eid.

The spirit behind the rules

The fast is not meant to be a minefield. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also warned that fasting is more than abstaining from food: "Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need of his giving up food and drink" (Bukhari). Guarding the tongue matters as much as guarding the stomach.

For your daily Suhoor and Iftar times with live countdowns, use our free prayer times page, and find the recommended duas for breaking the fast in our Daily Duas library — everything at Noor is free, with no ads and no accounts.