Does the Taste of Food or Swallowing Small Particles Invalidate the Prayer?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra
Question
If I can taste the food I recently ate in my mouth and swallow a food particle less than the size of a chickpea, is my salah valid?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
Yes, the prayer is still valid if you taste a flavor or if you swallowed a food particle already within the mouth that is smaller than the size of a dry chickpea (whether you swallowed purposely or not). It would be superior for such a particle to be spit into a napkin or on one’s sleeve if one can, but it does not affect the prayer if not done. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdullah Anik Misra
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Abdullah Misra was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1983. His family hails from India, and he was raised in the Hindu tradition. He embraced Islam in 2001 while at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study the Arabic language and Islamic sciences in Tarim, Yemen, for some time, as well as Darul Uloom in Trinidad, West Indies. He spent 12 years in Amman, Jordan, where he focused on Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith Sciences, Prophetic Biography, and Islamic Spirituality while also working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as Director of Programs. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies (Alimiyya, Darul Uloom) and authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith and is currently pursuing specialized training in issuing Islamic legal verdicts (ifta’). He holds a certificate in Counselling and often works with new Muslims and those struggling with religious OCD. He is an instructor and researcher in Sacred Law and Theology with the SeekersGuidance The Global Islamic Seminary. Currently, He resides in the Greater Toronto Area with his wife and children. His personal interests include Indian history, comparative religion, English singing, and poetry.
