Is a woman permitted to taste the food she is cooking while she fasts?
- 9 years ago
Dr. Zakir: As long as the person who's cooking the food, whether it be a gent cook or lady cook, there's a Hadith in
Sahih Bukhari, Vol. No. 3, in the Book of Fasting, Chapter No. 25, it says
"Ibn Abbas he narrated that tasting food from the pots or meals it does not break the fast."
This is a Mu'allaq Hadith of Bukhari, but it is connected along with Sahih Ibn Shaiba' and Bayhaqi and the chain goes on..it makes it Sahih and it says that
"Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) he says that tasting vinegar and food while fasting."
So all these Hadith prove that while fasting a person can taste food but you have to be careful. The food should not enter your throat, you should not swallow the food and that's the reason the scholars say that if it's required you should do it otherwise not. For example Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hambal he says that tasting food is Maqrooh unless it is necessity. Same with Shaykh Ibn Taymiyah he says that it is Maqrooh unless it is necessity. And while it's a necessity for women whose cooking food she has to place the food on the tip of the tongue so that she realizes whether the food is sweet or salty and then she should spit it out. She should not swallow it. So that will not break her fast. Or if a mother wants to give food to the baby and the only way she can give is by chewing it, so she is permitted to chew the food and then give it to the baby but care should be taken that they should not swallow any particle of the food, she should spit it out.
So these are necessity where its permissible to taste food but unnecessary, just because you are feeling hungry and you taste it, it's Maqrooh, though it will not break the fast. Maqrooh means discouraged, it will not break the fast, but otherwise for necessity it can be done but care should be taken it does not go down the throat, it should not be swallowed, after tasting the food should be spat out.
Sahih Bukhari, Vol. No. 3, in the Book of Fasting, Chapter No. 25, it says
"Ibn Abbas he narrated that tasting food from the pots or meals it does not break the fast."
This is a Mu'allaq Hadith of Bukhari, but it is connected along with Sahih Ibn Shaiba' and Bayhaqi and the chain goes on..it makes it Sahih and it says that
"Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) he says that tasting vinegar and food while fasting."
So all these Hadith prove that while fasting a person can taste food but you have to be careful. The food should not enter your throat, you should not swallow the food and that's the reason the scholars say that if it's required you should do it otherwise not. For example Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hambal he says that tasting food is Maqrooh unless it is necessity. Same with Shaykh Ibn Taymiyah he says that it is Maqrooh unless it is necessity. And while it's a necessity for women whose cooking food she has to place the food on the tip of the tongue so that she realizes whether the food is sweet or salty and then she should spit it out. She should not swallow it. So that will not break her fast. Or if a mother wants to give food to the baby and the only way she can give is by chewing it, so she is permitted to chew the food and then give it to the baby but care should be taken that they should not swallow any particle of the food, she should spit it out.
So these are necessity where its permissible to taste food but unnecessary, just because you are feeling hungry and you taste it, it's Maqrooh, though it will not break the fast. Maqrooh means discouraged, it will not break the fast, but otherwise for necessity it can be done but care should be taken it does not go down the throat, it should not be swallowed, after tasting the food should be spat out.