QUESTION:
What do the scholars of the Din and muftis of the Sacred Law state regarding the following issue: Is it permissible to have an endoscopy in the state of fasting – does this invalidate the fast?
Questioner: Zahid from UK
ANSWER:
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب
An endoscopy is a procedure whereby a camera is placed into the mouth in order to examine the stomach or intestines, just as can be seen from the image below.
If there is any medicine placed on the camera and then this is placed in the stomach or intestines, so this will invalidate the fast. It is stated in the renowned Hanafī Fiqh book Durr Mukhtār that if one was to place a wet finger up the rear passage way, then this would nullify the fast, just as it is stated in Durr Mukhtār,
“أَوْ أَدْخَلَ أُصْبُعَهُ الْيَابِسَةَ فِيهِ أَيْ دُبُرِهِ ۔۔۔ وَلَوْ مُبْتَلَّةً فَسَدَ”
“If a dry finger was placed up the rear passage way, then this will not invalidate the fast. However, if wet, then it will invalidate.”
[al-Durr al-Mukhtār, vol 3, pg 423]
However, if there is no medicine or liquid administered on to the camera, then placing the camera itself would not invalidate the fast, because there is a particular case mentioned in the books of Fiqh, whereby if someone entered a piece of wood through their rear passage way but one end was still sticking out, then this will not cause the fast to become invalid – and this is what happens in the case of inserting a camera.
It is stated in Durr Mukhtār,
“أَدْخَلَ عُودًاوَنَحْوَهُ فِي مَقْعَدَتِهِ وَطَرَفُهُ خَارِجٌ وَإِنْ غَيَّبَهُ فَسَدَ”
“If a piece of wood or something similar was inserted into the rear passage way and one end was still sticking out, then this will not invalidate the fast. However, if it was inserted in fully, such that the other end cannot be seen either, then this will invalidate the fast.”
[al-Durr al-Mukhtār, vol 3, pg 423]
[al-Fatāwā al-Hindiyyah, ch 4, vol 1, pg 204]
واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ ابو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء قادری
Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadiri
Translated by Haider Ali
Read the original Urdu answer here: [Q-ID0699] Does having an Endoscopy (inserting camera into body) break the Fast?
![[Q-ID0698] How is it to have a scan/test via X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, CT, ECG, etc while Fasting?](http://www.seekerspath.co.uk/wp-content/themes/hueman-pro/assets/front/img/thumb-medium-empty.png.pagespeed.ce.q0RS_Oe2Ar.png)
