Does masturbation nullify fasting? هل الاستمناء من المفطرات؟

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: What you have mentioned that the hadith of Abu Hurairah is the proof of those who are of the opinion that masturbation nullifies fasting is the opinion of most of the scholars from the jurists and hadith scholars. As for your objection that the term desire is wide; the term should be defined, and we do not have anything in this regard except the consensus of the scholars, and what is more than that requires evidence. What is meant by desire is sexual desire and things which are linked to it, because this what a fasting person is prohibited from. Thus smelling flowers and similar things are not part of that desire, and they are allowed. As for the inclusion of masturbation in sexual desire, it is known that the purpose of sexual intercourse is to fulfill the sexual desire, and the Shari’ah has ruled that a person nullifies his fast by mere penetration even if he did not ejaculate and fulfill his desire. Therefore, whoever fulfills his desire without penetration through whether it is by embracing the wife or masturbation is more deserving of breaking his fast.   Some Hanafite, Shafi’te and Hambalite scholars were of the opinion that masturbation is prohibited. Most scholars are of the opinion that masturbation is detestable and not prohibited. Most of them do not permit it in circumstances where a person fears committing adultery, hardship, or other issues. It was transmitted that a group of the Sahabah and the Tabi’een allowed masturbation in cases of necessity like the fear of committing adultery or sickness. Similarly, they allowed it if a person’s desire is excited and he cannot find a way to calm himself except through masturbation. In the tafsir of the verse: “But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors,” the author of ‘Adwaa al-Bayaan disputed the view of those who said that masturbation is not included in the indication of the verse. He said, “Undoubtedly, (the fact that masturbation is included in the indication of the verse) is from the generality of the Qur’an and Sunnah.” What is apparent to me is that what you have mentioned is a strong point because masturbation is not similar to the things that are mentioned in the verse. Perhaps, this is why the pious predecessors who said that masturbation is permitted did not use it as evidence. And Allah knows best.