Does swallowing mucus break the fast?

Does swallowing mucus break the fast?

Mucus may accumulate in the throat, or come from the nose. Can one swallow it without affecting the validity of the fast?

The scholars differed regarding swallowing mucus. One group said that it breaks the fast, while another group said that it does not.

• Imam al-Shafi'i: the fast is broken
• Imam Ahmad: the fast remains valid (according to one of his sayings)
• Imam Abu Hanifa: the fast remains valid
• Imam Malik: the fast remains valid

[فَصْلُ ابْتِلَاع الصَّائِم النُّخَامَةَ]
(٢٠٢٣) فَصْلٌ: وَإِنْ ابْتَلَعَ النُّخَامَةَ فَفِيهَا رِوَايَتَانِ، إحْدَاهُمَا، يُفْطِرُ. قَالَ حَنْبَلٌ: سَمِعْت أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: إذَا تَنَخَّمَ، ثُمَّ ازْدَرَدَهُ، فَقَدْ أَفْطَرَ. لِأَنَّ النُّخَامَةَ مِنْ الرَّأْسِ تَنْزِلُ، وَالرِّيقَ مِنْ الْفَمِ. وَلَوْ تَنَخَّعَ مِنْ جَوْفِهِ، ثُمَّ ازْدَرَدَهُ، أَفْطَرَ. وَهَذَا مَذْهَبُ الشَّافِعِيِّ؛ لِأَنَّهُ أَمْكَنَ التَّحَرُّزُ مِنْهَا، أَشْبَهَ الدَّمَ، وَلِأَنَّهَا مِنْ غَيْرِ الْفَمِ، أَشْبَهَ الْقَيْءَ. وَالرِّوَايَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ، لَا يُفْطِرُ. قَالَ، فِي رِوَايَةِ الْمَرُّوذِيِّ: لَيْسَ عَلَيْك قَضَاءٌ إذَا ابْتَلَعْتَ النُّخَامَةَ وَأَنْتَ صَائِمٌ. لِأَنَّهُ مُعْتَادٌ فِي الْفَمِ، غَيْرُ وَاصِلٍ مِنْ خَارِجٍ، أَشْبَهَ الرِّيقَ.
[المغني — الجزء ٣ — الصفحة ١٢٣]

Ibn Qudamah said: “If a person swallows mucus (nuchāmah), then there are two narrations concerning that. According to one of them, it breaks the fast. Hanbal ibn Ishaq said: I heard Abu Abd Allah Ahmad ibn Hanbal say: ‘If a person coughs up mucus (or clears his throat) and then swallows it, he has broken his fast.’ That is because the mucus comes down from the head, whereas saliva originates from the mouth. And if he coughs up mucus from within himself and then swallows it, he breaks the fast. This is also the view of Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i, because it is possible to refrain from it; it is similar to blood, and since it does not originate from the mouth itself, it is comparable to vomit. The second narration is that it does not break the fast. It is stated in the narration of al-Marwadhī: ‘You do not have to make up anything if you swallow mucus while fasting.’ That is because it is something commonly present in the mouth and does not enter from outside, and therefore it is similar to saliva.” [Al-Mughni - Volume 3 - Page 123]

It seems to us that swallowing mucus whether originating from the nose or the troat, does not break the fast. It is comparable with saliva as it's often found in the mouth, and it's not like vomit that travels from the stomach to the mouth.

This is the opinion according to the majority of scholars.