Fatwa ID: 06418

Answered by: Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Question:

I read a fatwa that if a particle is stuck in my teeth, then the ghusl is invalid. Now, what exactly does that mean? Should I brush my teeth in every ghusl? I started doing that but when I brush on all sides of my teeth meaning in front, behind, and beneath them really hardly some small particles of food or something else keeps coming out so I keep brushing for a long time sometimes up to 20 minutes still some small particles may be coming out and I feel like if I brush again on all sides really really hard then some small particles still may come out. I keep doing this for a long time and then eventually stop. This makes the ghusl really hard. Is this necessary?

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

Answer:

The answer to your question is that no, doing so (brushing teeth during ghusl to get hidden food particles out) is not necessary. The faraaidh of ghusl are three: gargling the mouth, rinsing the nose, and washing the entire body, so as long as you are fulfilling these faraaidh and gargling the mouth properly then there is no need to brush the teeth, as long as you have gargled the mouth properly and ensured that all food has come out.

الفتاوى الهندية   , Page 16, Volume 1, Darul Kutub al Ilmiyyah.

“الفصل الأول في فراءضه :  و هي ثلاثة المضمضة والاستنشاق و غسل جميع البدن على ما في المتون وحد المضمضة والاستنشاق كما مرّ في الوضوء من الخلاصة، الجنب اًذا شرب الماء و لم  يمجه لم يضره ويجزيه عن المضمضة اذا أصاب جميع فمه كذا في الظهيرية، و لو كان سنه مجوفا فبقي فيه او بين اسنانه طعام او درن رطب في انفه تم غسله على الاصح”                                                                                              

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham