My wife asked me to help her make iftaar, and whilst I was helping her I checked the food for salt, forgetting that I was fasting. Did I break my fast by doing that? Because I was doing something that was not obligatory upon me according to sharee’ah or according to custom?
Praise be to Allaah.
Praise be to Allaah, and blessings and peace be upon the
Messenger of Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with a fasting person tasting the food
if he needs to, if he does that by testing it with the tip of his tongue,
then he spits it out without swallowing anything, whether the one who is
fasting is a man or a woman.
But if the fasting person forgets and swallows it by mistake,
there is no sin on him, and he should complete his fast. This is because of
the general meaning of the evidence which indicates that according to
sharee’ah, the person who forgets is excused. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever forgets that he is fasting
and eats or drinks something, let him complete his fast, for it is Allaah
Who has fed him and given him to drink.” (Agreed upon. Al-Bukhaari, 1399;
Muslim 1155).
And Allaah knows best.
