Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (5/295)

Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-ṢāliḥīnIbn al-'Uthaymin

Does such an act spoil his fast? Listen to the Prophet’s answer, transmitted by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): “Whoever forgets while he is fasting and eats or drinks, let him finish his fast, for it is Allah who has fed him and given him drink.”

Therefore, if you eat or drink—even to the point of complete satisfaction—while having forgotten that you are fasting, your fast remains perfectly sound and suffers no deficiency. That is why he said, “let him finish his fast.” His further words, “for it is Allah who has fed him and given him drink,” show that an act done in forgetfulness is not attributed to the person himself; rather, it is attributed to Allah.

The same applies to someone asleep: his movements are not credited to him but to Allah, just as the Almighty said concerning the Companions of the Cave, “We turned them to the right and to the left” (Q 18:18). The sleeper is the one who actually turns, yet because he has no intention, Allah attributed the action to Himself. Likewise, the person who forgets did not deliberately break the fast; he merely forgot and ate or drank, and we say, “Your fast is valid.”

The ruling is identical for someone who is unaware—for example, a person who undergoes cupping without knowing that it invalidates the fast; his fast is still valid. The same holds if he eats thinking dawn has not yet broken, only to discover that it already had, or if he eats believing the sun has set and then learns that it had not; in each case, his fast remains valid.

An incident of this nature occurred during the Prophet’s lifetime: on a cloudy day the people were fasting and broke their fast, assuming the sun had set; when the sun then appeared, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order them to make up the day because they had acted unknowingly and without intent.

However, the moment a person remembers, he must stop and abstain immediately. Even if a bite of food is already in his mouth, he must spit it out; similarly, if water is in his mouth, he must expel it. In the same way, if someone was ignorant of the ruling and is then informed, he must at once refrain—for instance, if he sees

فهل يفسد صومه استمع للجواب من قول النبي ﷺ فيما رواه عنه أبو هريرة ﵁ قال: من نسي وهو صائم فأكل أو شرب فليتم صومه فإنما أطعمه الله وسقاه فإذا أكلت أو شربت ولو شبعت ورويت وأنت ناس في الصيام فإن صومك كامل ليس فيه نقص ولهذا قال: فليتم صومه وفي قوله: فإنما أطعمه الله وسقاه دليل على أن فعل الناسي لا ينسب إليه وإنما ينسب إلى الله وكذلك النائم لا ينسب فعله إلى نفسه وإنما ينسب إلى الله كما قال الله تعالى في أصحاب الكهف ﴿ونقلبهم ذات اليمين وذات الشمال﴾ والذي يتقلب هو النائم ولكن لما لم يكن له قصد نسب الله الفعل إليه كذلك الناسي لم يتعمد فساد الصوم نسي وأكل وشرب نقول صومك صحيح وكذلك لو كان جاهلا مثل أن يحتجم وهو لا يدري أن الحجامة تفطر فصومه صحيح ومثل أن يأكل يظن أن الفجر لم يطلع ثم تبين أنه طالع فصومه صحيح ومثل أن يأكل يظن أن الشمس قد غربت فأكل ثم تبين أن الشمس لم تغرب فصيامه صحيح. وقد وقعت هذه المسألة في عهد النبي ﷺ حينما كان الناس صائمين في يوم غيم فأفطروا ظنا منهم أن الشمس قد غابت ثم طلعت الشمس ولم يأمرهم النبي ﷺ بقضاء الصوم لأنهم لا يدرون ولم يتعمدوا ولكن متى ذكر الإنسان وجب عليه الترك والإمساك حتى لو كانت اللقمة في فمه وجب عليها لفظها وكذلك لو كان الماء في فمه وجب عليه أن يريقه وكذلك لو كان جاهلا ثم أخبر فإنه يجب عليه أن يمسك مثلا لو رأى