Does Inserting a Finger in the Private Rear Part Invalidate the Fast?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

My toilet is not apparent during Ramadan, and some toilet dust remains in the passage, making it very uncomfortable. Can I use my finger to clean the passage and clean the toilet? Does it break my fasting?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Inserting a dry finger into the anus does not invalidate the fast. However, if the finger was wet prior and inserted the distance of a suppository, which is approximately 3cm, the fast breaks. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Although inserting the finger less than 3cm into the anus does not break the fast, it is not an appropriate action. If one were to wipe themselves well after relieving themselves; then use water to wash the area it is unlikely that anything would remain.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.