Incense sticks during the fast

Question

In blessed Ramadan, at the time of the Friday prayer, a fasting person lit some incense sticks in the mosque with the aim that the fragrance should spread throughout the mosque. The incense sticks kept burning and the fragrance kept spreading. After the prayer some people, because the fragrance was pleasant, smelled it by taking a long breath.

Answer

If the smoke of the incense sticks reaches the brain through a deliberate breath, the fast has become invalid; if the smoke did not reach the brain and only the fragrance was smelled, the fast has not become invalid. Incense sticks should not be lit in the state of fasting.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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