Dear respected Shaykh, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. What is the ruling of using nasal sprays for curing dyspnea during in Ramadan? ما حكم استعمال البخاخ لعلاج ضيق التنفس في رمضان؟

Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions.   Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.   As to what follows:   In response to your question, we say:     The sprays that are used to cure dyspnea are of different forms and types. Some of them rely on powder which is crushed and then sprayed to reach the respiratory system. Others rely on steam sprays, and others contain compressed liquids. All these forms are considered to be nasal sprays which reach the respiratory device which are the lungs through either the mouth, the nose, or through both these means in situations where respirators which vaporize oxygen or medication are used. In all these cases substances reach inside a person and the contemporary scholars have two opinions about this issue. A group of scholars hold that nasal sprayers break the fast  because the substances taken through the mouth or nose go inside the body and do not only reach the respiratory tract but also reach the stomach, and it is known that what reaches the stomach  breaks fast according to the opinion the majority of the scholars who are the Hambalites, the Shafi’tes, Malikites and the Hanafites. Thus the contemporary scholars considered that the sprays go inside a person, and reach the passageway for food, thus they ruled that a  person breaks his fast by using them. The opinion of another group of scholars is that the substances which reach inside a person,  the passage way for food, or the respiratory tract are, firstly, not food or drink and even if they have a taste, because the presence of a taste does not affect fasting, and this is why it is detested for a fasting person to taste food (but this does not break his fast). Thus the presence of a taste does not nullify fasting and what nullifies it is eating and drinking. Therefore,  these sprays do not break  fast according to the second opinion, based on the fact that they are not food or drink.  Secondly, there is no proof that nasal sprays break fast. Thirdly, the original presumption is that  fasting is valid, and it does not change except with a definite thing. This is why these scholars said, “All these sprays do not break fasting”. This opinion is held by International Islamic Fiqh Academy  and other groups of modern jurists. This is the preponderant opinion. The answer to what those who hold the first opinion who stated that the medical substances in the spray go inside a person whether it is his chest, stomach,  and food passageway is that what goes inside a person from these droplets or powder which is pressed by pipes is an insignificant amount whose percentage is not more that the humidity present in the air in humid climates. This percentage is also not more than dust which infiltrates into a person. These substances are not intended for eating, drinking or strengthening the body. Thus they are insignificant and do not take the ruling of eating and drinking. This the preponderant opinion from the two opinions of the scholars.