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Nicotine patches work by transdermal absorption, meaning the nicotine enters the body through the skin, not through the mouth, nose, or any other bodily orifice.
Why They Don’t Invalidate the Fast:
No entry through a known passage: The basic principle in fiqh is that the fast is broken when something reaches the stomach or brain through a valid passage (like the mouth, nose, etc.).
Nicotine absorbed through the skin does not enter through those pathways.
Scholarly Opinions:
Many contemporary scholars and fatwa bodies, such as Islam Q&A, Dar al-Ifta’ al-Misriyyah, and the European Council for Fatwa and Research, agree that transdermal medications like nicotine patches, hormone patches, or pain relief patches do not break the fast.
The Majma’ al-Fiqh al-Islami (Islamic Fiqh Council) has also ruled that external applications that do not reach the internal body cavity do not invalidate the fast.
Analogy (Qiyas): Similar to using eye drops, kohl, or skin creams, which are all permitted during fasting and do not break the fast.
