Ruling on Eating and Drinking Forgetfully During the Day of Fasting
What is the ruling on someone who eats or drinks forgetfully during the day of Ramadan, does it invalidate their fast, and does it require qadaʾ?
Whoever eats or drinks forgetfully does not break their fast, and neither qadaʾ nor kaffarah is due upon them, based on the Prophet's saying: “Whoever forgets while fasting and eats or drinks, let him complete his fast, for it was only Allah who fed him and gave him drink.”
Performing qadaʾ is obligatory for whoever eats or drinks forgetfully in an obligatory fast (like Ramadan), unlike a voluntary fast, which is not invalidated by forgetfulness.
Whoever eats or drinks forgetfully does not break their fast; their fast is valid with no qadaʾ or kaffarah required, whether it is an obligatory or a voluntary fast, due to the general import of the authentic hadiths on this.
Whoever eats or drinks forgetfully in an obligatory or voluntary fast does not break their fast; it remains valid, and no qadaʾ or kaffarah is required, owing to the authenticity of the hadith reported on it.