Have I Broken My Fast If Water Passes through My Private Parts While Washing Them?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
Is my fast broken if water enters my vagina as a result of cleansing it after urinating? I don’t know how to wash it without letting water through, so I’m worried about my fasting during Ramadan.
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
Pouring water or oil into the vagina, when it reaches the distance of the enema (mihqana), will break your fast and require you to make it up. No expiation (kaffara) is required, though. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah and Imdad al-Fattah; ‘Ala’ al-Din ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya]
The enema (mihqana) is a device used to insert medicine into the body through the anus. In our day, a mihqana is similar to a rectal syringe. The distance that breaks the fast is determined by when the top of the mihqana reaches the place where medicine is released from it to the intestines. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
1.5 inches (roughly 4 cm) is an acceptable estimation.
The above has been adapted from this previous answer.
Istibra’ for Woman
The process of ensuring that there are no traces of urine at the point of exit is called Istibra’.
The duty to perform Istibra’ is only incumbent upon men. Women don’t have to perform Istibra’, whether she is menstruating or not. A woman simply needs to wait for a little after urinating, and that’s it. After that, she will be allowed to pray without any dislikedness. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
