Nasal discharge, if not expelled, is considered part of the body. However, if it is expelled, it is considered impure (khaba'ith), and consuming it is forbidden. For more information, stay with SaadNews.
What is the ruling on nasal discharge?
There are several things that are disliked in eating:
Eating when full.
Overeating.
Looking at others while they are eating.
Eating hot food.
Waiting for something else after placing bread on the table.
Tearing bread with a knife.
Placing bread under the food dish.
Scraping off meat that has stuck to the bone to the point that nothing remains.
Peeling fruit.
Throwing away fruit before eating it.
Nasal discharge (water from the nose) is considered part of the inside of the body. If the nasal discharge comes into contact with blood, but after coming out of the nose it is not contaminated with blood, it is considered pure.
Swallowing nasal discharge while fasting does not invalidate the fast, as long as it does not reach the mouth intentionally; even if it does, according to the majority, it does not invalidate the fast.
There is a difference of opinion regarding whether swallowing nasal discharge that enters the mouth invalidates the fast, but swallowing it after leaving the mouth does invalidate the fast and is considered impure (khaba’ith).
Throwing nasal discharge in the mosque is disliked, but cleaning it from the mosque while in prayer is allowed.
Is Eating Nasal Discharge Forbidden? Eating impure things that humans naturally find repulsive (such as animal excrement) is forbidden, even if it is clean. Nasal discharge, if considered impure (such as when it has exited the body), is not allowed to be eaten. Some scholars suggest avoiding the consumption of nasal discharge entering the mouth, but it is not considered entirely forbidden.
According to Islamic rulings on impurity (najāsāt), the body of a Muslim is considered pure, and so is their sweat and nasal discharge. Only urine, feces, and blood are impure and must be washed with flowing water. However, the sweat and nasal discharge of a non-Muslim are impure, and one should avoid it. If a non-Muslim converts to Islam, their sweat and nasal discharge become pure.
If nasal or throat discharge contains blood, the part with blood is impure, but the rest is pure. If it reaches the mouth or outside of the nose, the part where you are sure the impure discharge has reached is impure. The place where you doubt whether the impure discharge has reached remains pure.
If something enters the body and comes into contact with impurity, but does not become contaminated with impurity after coming out, it is considered pure. For example, if an enema or water enters the body or a needle or knife is inserted into the body and does not become contaminated with impurity after exiting, it is not impure. Similarly, if nasal discharge or saliva enters the body and contacts blood but is not contaminated with blood after coming out, it remains pure.
