As for the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—he could do so because he had full command over himself. He was the most God-fearing of people, the one who feared Allah the most, and he knew better than anyone how to safeguard his fast. Anyone other than the Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—should take precautions and keep away from such acts while fasting, for they may lead him to invalidate his fast.
Tasting Food While Fasting
Question: Does tasting food, whether by a woman or anyone else, break the fast? And what is the ruling on chewing gum for the fasting person? Kindly advise, and may Allah reward you.
Answer: There is no objection to tasting food with the mouth: one may place it on the tongue and then spit it out, provided he swallows none of it. If he deliberately swallows any portion, his fast is nullified. Simply tasting and then expelling it does not affect the fast, for the mouth is treated as part of the exterior, not the inner cavity. By the same reasoning, a fasting person rinses his mouth for ablution without harming his fast, so long as he expels the water. Likewise, when tasting food he must spit it out and not let it reach his throat or swallow it.
Chewing gum is of two kinds:
- Gum that dissolves and disintegrates in the mouth. It is impermissible for a fasting person to chew this, because its particles seep into the throat and invalidate the fast.
- Hard gum that neither dissolves nor disintegrates in the mouth and does not melt. Chewing this while fasting is disliked. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.