Dr. Zakir: There are a variety of treatments and investigations.. the list is long, we can have a full episode on this, time will not permit us to discuss all this, I'll just mention a few which come to my mind. As far as sublingual tablets are concerned they are normally taken for angina, person has a heart problem he takes it, this sublingual tablet is kept beneath the tongue, it is not supposed to be swallowed and it is not a sort of a food or nourishment, it gets absorbed and the treatment is done, so because of this ruling it does not break the fast. You should not swallow the tablet, it goes subcutaneously, it gets absorbed without going to the throat.
If you use nasal drops, as long as the nasal drops does not go into the throat and into the stomach, it's permitted. If you put ear drops, also it's permitted as I mentioned earlier or if you syringe the ear, even that's permitted.
As far as investigations are concerned if you do a per-vaginal investigation, whether you insert a finger or you insert an instrument, it's permitted. Or for treatment if you insert a vaginal pessary or you insert a Douche or any instruments it's permitted. If you insert an instrument in the uterus or any device known as IUD, Intra Uterine Device or you insert a Catheter for investigation or a scope, all these are permitted. Even if you insert in the urinary tract, that is the urethra, a Catheter or inject a dye for doing an investigation it does not break the fast.
Similarly if you take any injections as I mentioned earlier, subcutaneous or intravenous or intramuscular, as long as it is not a nourishment for the body, it's not nutrient for the body, it doesn't substitute the food, it's permitted. If its substitute it breaks the fast.
Furthermore if you take out a little bit of blood from the body for testing that doesn't break the fast also. And if you apply certain creams, may be cream or lotion or medical ointment on the skin and it gets absorbed by the skin, this too does not break the fast and it is perfectly permitted.
And if you take other treatments, like for example, if you do a laparoscopy in which there is a small insertion made on the abdomen and insert a scope, whether for investigation or whether for treatment or for a surgery it's permitted. If you do a Gastroscopy, insert a scope into the stomach, as long as you do not put in some fluids or some nourishment, it's permitted for investigation. If you put an instrument in the spinal cord to examine the spinal cord or to see how the brain's functioning all these are permitted. If you do Anima even that's permitted and you can go on and on as long as the basic rule is that it should not enter the body through the mouth or through the nose or it's should not be a nourishment, otherwise if it enters any other part of the body, any instrument, whether it be the urethra, whether it be the uterus, whether it be the vagina all these things as a basic rule it does not break the fast because it is not giving food to the body and this is not the normal passage for food for the body. All these are permitted.