Does consuming something that is not considered sustenance (not food or drink) break the fast?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Fasting
Primary text
The majority of scholars hold that breaking the fast occurs even by consuming something that does not provide nutrition. This is inferred from the general prohibition of eating and drinking found in the Quran and Sunnah, which encompasses such things. The notion that only actual food and drink break the fast is not established against this general ruling.
Supporting text
Al-Hasan ibn Salih stated that consuming what is neither food nor drink does not break the fast. It is narrated that Abu Talhah al-Ansari used to eat barley (barad) while fasting, arguing that it was neither food nor drink. The basis for this view is that the Quran and Sunnah only prohibited eating and drinking, leaving everything else under the original permissibility (Ibahah). However, the narration concerning Abu Talhah is not definitively established, thus it is not counted as a dissenting opinion.