The Ruling on a Gastroscopy: Does It Break the Fast?

The questioner : Ah. The endoscope is a long, thin, and not thick tube made of flexible optical fibers, equipped with lighting and a small camera at its end. The endoscope is placed and inserted with precision and caution, starting from the mouth, which is anesthetized and fitted with a support piece to keep the mouth in the correct position. Then the endoscope is passed slowly so that the doctor can see more clearly via the dedicated screen, and during the examination, the patient will not feel any pain, and the endoscope will not interfere with the breathing process at all. The question is whether the gastroscopy is considered to break the fast or not. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

The Shaykh : If a person inserts his endoscope into the stomach until it reaches the stomach, he thereby breaks his fast. The correct view is that it does not break the fast unless there is oil or something similar on this endoscope that reaches the stomach via the endoscope, in which case he thereby breaks his fast.

The questioner : However, in reality, it is necessary to use gel or some gelatinous substances to facilitate the entry of the endoscope through the mouth. It is very harmful to use the endoscope without lubricating gel, because in this case, the endoscope may injure the passage along its way, as some doctors, such as the honorable Dr. Basam al-Batuh, have informed me. Therefore, if the fasting person is able to and his health conditions allow him to postpone it to a time other than the obligatory fasting period, he should do so; otherwise, it is permissible for him to break his fast and make up one day in its place.