Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Azaadville

The Fast Being Nullified By Eating Fingernails

· 18 Shaʻban 1444 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

When a person was small they were not aware of the fact that if you eat something which is not regarded as food then the fast will break and qadhaa will become necessary. The person had a habit of biting their nails and eating it for several years, which included the month of ramadhaan as well.

Afterwards they were told the mas’alah and so they stopped. What happens to all those years? Its about 12 years. Do they keep the qadhaa? They were not aware of the mas’alah and did the action unintentionally as it was a habit.

Answer

If a person swallows a pebble or anything similar such as dry skin or nails (as mentioned in your query) which people generally do not consume then one’s fast will be invalid and Qadhaa will be necessary. However, Kaffarah will not be necessary.

When you say ‘when a person was small’ we assume that it refers to that time when he was much younger but had already reached the age of Buloogh. If this is meant by your statement then Qadhaa will be necessary, as not being equipped with the relevant knowledge is not a valid excuse that is acceptable in Shariah.

In conclusion, the brother in question will be required to keep Qadhaa of the broken fasts.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

(او ابتلع حصاة) ونخوها ما لا ياكله الانسان … اى فيجب القضاء لوجود صورة الفطر ولا كفارة لعدم وجود معناه

شامى ص٤٠٣ ج٢

Approved by
Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
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Source: Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Azaadville — https://www.iftadua.co.za/the-fast-being-nullified-by-eating-fingernails/20816/
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/azaadville-20816

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