Vomiting & the Fast (al-Qayʾ wa al-Ṣiyām)

The Ruling in Brief

The Sunnah draws a clear line between two situations. If a fasting person is overcome by vomiting — it rises without their intending or provoking it — the fast remains valid and nothing is owed. But if a person deliberately induces vomiting, the fast is broken and that day must be made up (qaḍāʾ). This is the position of the majority of the scholars, including the four well-known schools, and it rests directly on an explicit ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah

The foundation of this ruling is the narration of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

The wording is precise. Dharaʿahu al-qayʾ means the vomit "got the better of him" — it forced its way up. Istaqāʾa ʿamdan means he sought it out and brought it up on purpose. The one who is a passive victim owes nothing; the one who acts owes the day. This ḥadīth is reported in the Sunan (not in the two Ṣaḥīḥs) and was graded ṣaḥīḥ in the site's hadith repository.

Being Overcome vs. Inducing It — the Fiqh

"Deliberate" vomiting includes putting a finger down the throat, deliberately smelling something to force it up, pressing the stomach with the intent to expel its contents, or staring at something in order to become nauseous. All of these fall under istiqāʾ ʿamdan, and the fast is broken.

By contrast, feeling nauseous, tasting bile at the back of the throat, or vomiting because of illness, travel-sickness, or a strong smell one could not avoid — none of this breaks the fast, because it is not sought. A related point the jurists mention: if vomit rises to the mouth and the fasting person swallows it back down on purpose, that is blameworthy, whereas expelling it or having it come back involuntarily does no harm. When in doubt whether a rising was truly involuntary, the default is that the fast remains valid, since certainty is not removed by doubt.

Points of Scholarly Difference (Ikhtilāf)

Two honest differences deserve mention, framed with respect for the scholars involved.

First, the ḥadīth's chain. Some early critics questioned this narration. It is reported that Imām al-Bukhārī and Imām Aḥmad expressed reservation about the strength of one of its routes. Later ḥadīth scholars, however — including al-Albānī — judged that its supporting chains and witnesses raise it to the level of ṣaḥīḥ. We report this transparently: the ruling is acted upon by the vast majority precisely because the ḥadīth is established, and where classical criticism existed it has been weighed, not hidden.

Second, the threshold of "a mouthful." The Ḥanafīs and some others discuss whether deliberate vomiting breaks the fast only when it reaches a full mouthful (milʾ al-fam), with smaller amounts treated differently. Others take the ḥadīth at its apparent meaning — any deliberate vomiting breaks it. There is likewise discussion over whether phlegm or bile brought up is judged the same as food. These are questions of applying an agreed principle, not of denying it, and the disagreement is one of understanding, not of authority.

The Wider Principle: Ease and the Pardon of the Unintended

This ruling is a clear instance of a broader mercy in the Sharīʿah: a person is not held to account for what overtakes them without choice. Allah ties the very legislation of fasting to ease, not hardship:

The one whom vomiting overcomes has done nothing to earn a make-up, and the Sharīʿah does not burden them with one. The same principle stands behind the well-established teaching that this Ummah is pardoned for what it does by mistake, in forgetfulness, or under compulsion — reported in the Sunan and authenticated by the scholars of ḥadīth. Fasting is meant to be worship, not anxiety: the person who is genuinely overcome should continue their fast with a settled heart, and the person who deliberately provoked vomiting simply makes up one day, without expiation and without despair.

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