SWIMMING WHILE FASTING

By: Allama Abdul Aziz Ben Abdullah Ben Baz

Question: Is it permissible for a fasting person to have a bath or to swim in a pool or a river where there is a chance of water entering his ear or nose, etc?

Answer: If you are asked to define Islamic fasting, you are likely to say that it is a deliberate abstention from eating, drinking, and sex, every day during the month of Ramadhan from dawn until sunset. If this is a correct definition, which it is indeed – if we add to it that such deliberate abstention is undertaken in obedience to Allah and fulfillment of His order – then anything that constitutes a breach of any restriction which fasting involves will render your fast invalid. Therefore, in order to know whether a particular action invalidates your fasting or not, we have to make sure whether it constitutes such a breach. When you swim, it is true that there is a chance of having a drop of water getting in your ear or nose, but does it constitute drinking? On the other hand, can the use of nasal eye or eardrops be considered a form of drinking? Obviously not. Hence, such use does not invalidate fasting. Similarly, the use of nasal or mouth inhaler, of the type normally used by people who have asthma is perfectly appropriate for a fasting person.