Concealing fasting is not forbidden in Islam

16-9-2009 | IslamWeb

Question:

I am currently fasting as an expiation for manslaughter and I am trying to hide this from people. It was a painful accident and I do not want to talk about it. One of my neighbors happened to offer me some food. I forgot that I was fasting, so I put part of it in my mouth. When I remembered, I spat it out and pretended to chew it by moving my jaws lest my neighbor would know I was fasting. Is what I did with my neighbor prohibited? Does it affect my fast?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

 

There is no harm on you for what you did with your neighbor, because hiding the fast from people is not prohibited under the Sharee‘ah, especially when it involves a benefit. There is no violation of a Sharee‘ah rule in moving the jaws; rather, it is a form of ambiguity which is permitted by the Sharee‘ah. It does not affect the validity of your fasting, since you neither ate nor drank. Supposing that something of the food entered your stomach without your intending to break your fast, this also does not affect the validity of your fasting because you were forgetful. Your forgetting, according to the majority of scholars, is a valid excuse for you.

And Allaah Knows best.