What is the ruling on drops and ointment in the eye?
2026-10-13
F141 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn
الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين
Original Q&A · Full displayed answer
Ibn Uthaymeen gives his preferred view. This answer concerns eye and ear use; it does not concern nasal drops or claim consensus.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
فضيلة الشيخ، ما حكم القطرة والمرهم في العين؟
الجواب
لا بأس للصائم أن يكتحل وأن يقطر في عينه، وأن يقطر كذلك في أذنه، حتى وإن وجد طعمه في حلقه، فإنه لا يفطر بهذا؛ لأنه ليس بأكل ولا شرب، ولا بمعنى الأكل والشرب، والدليل إنما جاء في منع الأكل والشرب، فلا يلحق بهما ما ليس في معناهما.
وهذا الذي ذكرناه هو اختيار شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رحمه الله، وهو الصواب.
English translation
English rendering prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic answer. Not an official translation.
Original question
Esteemed Shaykh, what is the ruling on drops and ointment in the eye?
Answer
There is no objection to a fasting person applying kohl, putting drops in his eye, or likewise putting drops in his ear. Even if he finds their taste in his throat, this does not invalidate his fast, because it is neither eating nor drinking nor equivalent to eating and drinking. The evidence prohibits eating and drinking; something that is not equivalent to them is therefore not included under them.
What we have mentioned is the view chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, and it is the correct view.
Source and editorial notes
Fiqh al-ʿIbādāt, 13th edition, 1441 AH, question 153, pp.243–244
فقه العبادات
Fiqh al-ʿIbādāt
Arabic transcribed and compared against the cited scan and adjacent context.