Does one who is unconscious and has water poured into his throat break his fast?

The questioner : A questioner says: A man fainted, and while unconscious he was moving his head and saliva was coming out of his mouth. A person took him and spread water over him and injected water into his mouth. Does he break his fast or not?

The Shaykh : It is well known that the one who fainted and had water poured into his throat is not aware of it. But does it break the fast or not?
The well-known position in the school of Imam Ahmad is that he does not break his fast by this, because it happened without his choice, and one of the conditions for things that break the fast is that the fasting person consumes them by his own choice. He has no choice in this matter. Some scholars said that he does break his fast, and some said that if he is accustomed to being pleased with it, he breaks his fast, but if he does not desire it, he does not break his fast. The apparent view is the first one, that he does not break his fast. Accordingly, his fast is valid, because this matter happened without his choice. If he makes up a day for this day, that is better. If it was obligatory for him, he has discharged a debt from his liability; if it was not obligatory, he has done it as a voluntary act.