Do injections break the fast?

Salaam,

What is the permissibility of having an injection whilst fasting please? A family member has made the intention to go for hajj this year In Sha Allah and they have been told they need the Injections as soon as possible.

Jazak Allah Khair.

Answer

Wa alaykumussalam.

It is permissible to have an injection whilst in the state of fasting. Injections that are done to administer medicine or vaccinations into the body, whether intravenous (through the veins) or intramuscular (through the muscles) do not break the fast. This is because by having an intramuscular injection, the medicine does not travel to the stomach or brain through any specific passage (manfaz), but rather it spreads around the entire body through pores (masam), and for anything to spread through the pores and reach the stomach or brain will not break the fast.

Likewise, by having an intravenous injection, the medicine also does not enter the stomach or brain through a specific passage, but rather it travels through the veins to the heart, and then from there, it spreads throughout the entire body through the veins, which are known as arteries (shiryan), as stated by the expert in the field of medicine, Allamah Mahmood Chuqmani in Qanoonchah [page 30].

It is stated in Fatawa Mufti e Azam:

“The fast does not break [by receiving] an injection, because the medicine does not reach the stomach.”

[Fatawa Mufti e Azam 3:302]

It is stated in Fatawa Faqih e Millat:

“By receiving an injection, the fast will not break, whether it is intramuscular or intravenous.”

[Fatawa Faqih e Millat 1:344]

Likewise, it is stated by Faqih e Millat Mufti Jalal al-Din Ahmad al-Amjadi:

“The research is that the fast will not break by receiving an injection, whether it is intramuscular or intravenous, because besides intercourse and its likes, the only thing that breaks the fast are medicine and nourishment that reach the brain or stomach via a passage [manfaz] besides the pores [masam] and veins.”

[Zaroori Masail, page 5]

And Allah knows best
Muhammad Kalim
17th Ramadan Sharif

The answer is correct and this is the correct position in the Hanafi School. It is important to note that any injection that contains any Haram and impure substances is impermissible however it will not break the fast. Anything that enters through the pores of the skin, veins or muscles does not break the fast. The fast only breaks when something enters directly in to the stomach or brain or via a Manfaz (open passage) like the throat, nose and ears and Allah knows best.

Zahid Hussain Al-Qadiri
(Beggar at the doorstep of Scholars)
19th Ramadan Al-Mubarak 1436 AH