Question # 66: Does vomiting breaks fast?
bismi-llahi r-raḥmani r-raḥīm,
Assalamu ‘laikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
All praise and thanks are due to Allah (سبحانه و تعالى), and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم).
Dear questioner,
First of all, we implore Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) to help us serve His cause and render our work for His sake.
Shorter Answer: The amount of vomit does not matter. If a person vomits on purpose, then it breaks his fast, but if he did not do it on purpose, then it does not break his fast.
Long Answer: According to the correct scholarly view, it makes no difference whether the amount of vomit is great or small (Islamqa.info). According to Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih Ibn ‘Uthaimin “If a person vomits on purpose, then it breaks his fast, but if he did not do it on purpose, then it does not break his fast.
The evidence for this is the hadith of Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه), in which it is reported that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: “Whoever was overcome by vomiting is not obliged to make up for it and whoever deliberately vomited must make up for (the fast). (Classed as sahih by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi; also related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, ad-Daraqutni, and al-Hakim)
So, if you were overcome by vomiting, your fast is not broken. If a person felt that his stomach is convulsing and that he will vomit what is in it, we say to him: Do not prevent it and do not encourage it but remain neutral. Do not induce vomiting and do not prevent it because if you induce vomiting, you will break your fast, and if you prevent it, it will harm you, so leave it. If it comes out without any action on your part, then it will not harm you, and you will not break your fast.” (Fatawa Arkanul-Islam)
Allahu A’lam (Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) knows best) and all Perfections belong to Allah, and all mistakes belong to me alone. May Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) forgive me, Ameen.
Wassalaam
