Fatwa ID: 08475

Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah

Question:

I was wiping my lips when a part of the cloth I was using entered my mouth. It was wet but not dripping with water, but just to be safe, I spit out the saliva in my mouth several times because I was fearful that since the wet part of the cloth touched the moist part of my lips, it was part of my saliva now. I tried not to swallow my spit but I’m having thoughts: what if some entered my throat even before I could spit even though I don’t remember any saliva going down my throat. Is my fast still valid? If not, would one make-up fast be needed or do I need to do kaffarah?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Your fast would be intact so long as you had not deliberately swallowed any water. Swallowing one’s own saliva, including swallowing any moisture left from rinsing the mouth along with saliva, falls under the ruling of things that are hard to avoid and therefore does not invalidate the fast. Also, seeing as how you had only placed a damp towel on your lips and spat straight after, it is unlikely any water would have travelled to your throat. Therefore, your fast would not be broken and you would not need to do either Kaffarah or Qadha’.

References:

وَكَذَا لَوْ ابْتَلَعَ الْبَلَلَ الَّذِي بَقِيَ بَعْدَ الْمَضْمَضَةِ فِي فَمِهِ مَعَ الْبُزَاقِ أَوْ ابْتَلَعَ الْبُزَاقَ الَّذِي اجْتَمَعَ فِي فَمِهِ لِمَا ذَكَرْنَا… ذُكِرَ فِي الْجَامِعِ الصَّغِيرِ أَنَّهُ لَا يُفْسِدُ صَوْمَهُ، وَإِنْ أَدْخَلَهُ حَلْقَهُ مُتَعَمِّدًا

Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.2, pg.90, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)

(قَوْلُهُ أَوْ بَقِيَ بَلَلٌ فِي فِيهِ بَعْدَ الْمَضْمَضَةِ) جَعَلَهُ فِي الْفَتْحِ وَالْبَدَائِعِ شَبِيهَ دُخُولِ الدُّخَانِ وَالْغُبَارِ وَمُقْتَضَاهُ أَنَّ الْعِلَّةَ عَلَى عَدَمِ إمْكَانِ التَّحَرُّزِ عَنْهُ، وَيَنْبَغِي اشْتِرَاطُ الْبَصْقِ بَعْدَ مَجِّ الْمَاءِ لِاخْتِلَاطِ الْمَاءِ بِالْبُصَاقِ، فَلَا يَخْرُجُ بِمُجَرَّدِ الْمَجِّ نَعَمْ لَا يُشْتَرَطُ الْمُبَالَغَةُ فِي الْبَصْقِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْبَاقِيَ بَعْدَهُ مُجَرَّدُ بَلَلٍ وَرُطُوبَةٍ لَا يُمْكِنُ التَّحَرُّزُ عَنْهُ وَعَلَى مَا قُلْنَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُحْمَلَ قَوْلُهُ فِي الْبَزَّازِيَّةِ إذَا بَقِيَ بَعْدَ الْمَضْمَضَةِ مَاءٌ فَابْتَلَعَهُ بِالْبُزَاقِ لَمْ يُفْطِرْ لِتَعَذُّرِ الِاحْتِرَازِ فَتَأَمَّلْ

Raddul Mukhtār (Vol.2, pg.396, Dār Al-Fiqr)

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham