Fasting Sawm

(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, precaution should not be neglected in combining fasting and qada.

2- Would the saim 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 saim, 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 precaution to avoid it.

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 precaution. 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 precaution.

2- If a saim 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 saim 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 saim 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 precaution to relate the saying to the book from which it is quoted.

5- If the saim had said a lie, which really would invalidate the sawm, without directing his speech to someone or he is directing it to an irrational creature (like an animal), would this invalidate sawm?

A: It would not invalidate his sawm unless it could be truly said that he was telling lie to someone, i.e. he wants to tell someone who would hear and understand it, even later.

6- If a saim 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 precaution, 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 precaution 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:

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.
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 precaution 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 precaution lies in making it.
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.
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 it 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.
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.
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 some other excuse of 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.
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.
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.
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].
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.
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.
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.
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 precaution, 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 saim 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 saim 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 sleep 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 is came, then he is just like someone who intentionally remained in the state of janabah. 21- If he was used to waking up, yet he went back to sleep until fajr came, what is the ruling? A: If he thought it possible that he would wake up and he was already used to waking, yet he slept with the intention of doing ghusl after waking up but he did not till the fajr time, qada would rest on him, although it is based on the recommended precaution 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- If one was sure that he would have a nocturnal seminal emission if he slept in the month of Ramadan, is he allowed to sleep? A: He is allowed to sleep and there is nothing upon him if he slept and had a nocturnal seminal emission. 24- Is the saim who had a wet dream, during the day, allowed to do istibra'' by passing urine if he was sure that semen would come out? A: He is allowed to do this before doing ghusl. 25- If a saim 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 precaution to do istibra'' before ghusl. 26- Is the saim 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 precaution to do it. (9) Liquid enemas: 1- If a saim 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 saim is haram and it would invalidate his sawm, even if it was to treat disease. 2- If a saim 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 precaution to abstain from such an act.