Is It Permissible to Clean Blood That Has Come From My Gums With Water When Fasting?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

Is it permissible to clean blood that has come from my gums with water when fasting as long as I make the effort to spit out the water?

Answer: Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah,

You should ignore the tiny traces. The taste of blood does not affect your fast, contrary to swallowing.

However, you aren’t expected nor required to spend your fasting day investigating. Rather, act on the basis of your reasonable surety, spit out if you can clearly taste blood, and ignore misgivings.

In cases of medical need, there is a more expansive position in the Hanafi School. But you should consult with scholars before resorting to this position if you feel it may be applicable to you.

Please see: Bleeding Gums While Fasting and Constantly Bleeding Gums & Fasting and Does Having Taste of Blood in One’s Mouth Invalidate the Fast?

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

Wassalam,

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.