The Tale of Two Women Vomiting Raw Meat During Ramadan Fasting Because of Ghibah

Two women fasting in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) were asked to vomit what they had eaten, and from their mouths issued blood and raw meat. This event served as a stern reminder that ghibah and lying can corrupt the value of fasting, even when a person abstains from food and drink. In a hadith it is said: ‘In the time of Rasulullah SAW there were two women who were observing fasting. At the end of the afternoon, as the sun was about to set, they felt extremely hungry and thirsty. They almost fainted.’ One of the two women then went to Rasulullah SAW and asked permission to break her fast. ‘However, Rasulullah SAW gave them a container, saying to them: Vomit into this container what you have eaten.’ So one of them vomited blood and raw meat up to half of the container. Then the other followed with a vomit exactly like the first, so the container was filled with both of their vomits. Those who witnessed it were amazed. Then Rasulullah SAW explained: These two women had fasted from what is halal by Allah Azza wa Jalla, but they did not fast from what Allah forbade. They enjoyed backbiting and slandering others, which is haram, and thus this is the flesh of a human being, their own brothers.