How Can I Purify My Mouth?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

One can purify an impure mouth by spitting out or washing it.

1. For spiting: a) They say to spit till no trace of blood is left, but do you need to wait for saliva to build/move your tongue around, or can you spit out quickly back to back? What is approx. time for waiting? b) And when spiting, if saliva touches the area of impurity outside the mouth like lips, does it make it impure (thereby your whole mouth by connection)?

2. For washing: When spitting out while rinsing, water runs down my chin; that water is impure (if it is first rinsed or believed to be still impure), so do I pour water over my closed mouth between each rinse/spit so impurity on chin/before doesn’t mix with water I cup for next washing (similar case for rinsing nose)?

Answer

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

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

Spiting

To purify your mouth through spitting, you simply have to spit until you are reasonably confident that your mouth has been purified. When you have reached this level of confidence, you can deem your mouth legally pure. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Washing

The water you are using to wash your mouth is pure as long as no traces of filth (color, smell, taste) is manifested in it. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

This ruling is because the water you are using to wash your mouth is running when it reaches, circulates inside, and leaves your mouth. Thus, as long as no traces of filth are manifested in it, you can assume the purity of this water. [Ibid.]

If the water in which traces of filth are manifested runs over your chin, then it is filthy. In this case, simply wash your chin with pure water after you have finished washing your mouth. [Ibid.]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.