What is the ruling on using a toothbrush and toothpaste while fasting, and what is the ruling on extracting a tooth?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Yes. Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.
The questioner : Shaykh Muhammad, yes, Shaykh. If a person brushes his teeth in the morning, meaning during the day in Ramadan, with toothpaste, does it break his fast or not?
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. First, you must know, may Allah bless you, that what breaks the fast is what reaches the stomach, and toothpaste does not reach the stomach.
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, if blood comes out of...
The Shaykh : Wait a moment. However, there is no doubt that toothpaste has a strong penetrating power, and there is a fear that it may descend into his stomach while he is not aware of it. Therefore, we hold that one should not clean his teeth with toothpaste while fasting. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to al-Qa'ib ibn Simrah (may Allah be pleased with him)Sunan Abi Dawud 2366Sahih (Al-Albani),
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : He said: Gargle, except if you are fasting. Because if a person gorges himself with water while fasting, the water may enter his stomach while he is not aware of it. So we say to the brother who wants to use toothpaste while fasting: postpone it until after breaking the fast, or bring it forward before the dawn prayer.
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, the coming out of...
The Shaykh : Blood from a person while he is brushing his teeth does not break his fast, but he must not swallow the blood, because swallowing blood is forbidden. It falls under the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:3] Then, if he swallows the blood while knowing that it breaks his fast, his fast becomes invalid.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, does flossing with toothpicks break the fast?
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, some jurists say it is a recommended practice (sunnah) for a person to floss his teeth to remove food remnants from them.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. And regarding, Shaykh Muhammad, extracting a tooth in Ramadan?
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong with extracting a tooth in Ramadan. I mean, the best we can say is that there is nothing wrong with extracting a tooth while a person is fasting, whether in Ramadan or otherwise. There is also nothing wrong with lancing an abscess or the like, because this does not break the fast. But in the matter of the tooth, it does not break the fast.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.
The questioner : Shaykh Muhammad, yes, Shaykh. If a person brushes his teeth in the morning, meaning during the day in Ramadan, with toothpaste, does it break his fast or not?
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. First, you must know, may Allah bless you, that what breaks the fast is what reaches the stomach, and toothpaste does not reach the stomach.
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, if blood comes out of...
The Shaykh : Wait a moment. However, there is no doubt that toothpaste has a strong penetrating power, and there is a fear that it may descend into his stomach while he is not aware of it. Therefore, we hold that one should not clean his teeth with toothpaste while fasting. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to al-Qa'ib ibn Simrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
Snuff up water freely unless you are fasting.
بالغ في الاستنشاق إلا أن تكون صائماThe questioner : Okay, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : He said: Gargle, except if you are fasting. Because if a person gorges himself with water while fasting, the water may enter his stomach while he is not aware of it. So we say to the brother who wants to use toothpaste while fasting: postpone it until after breaking the fast, or bring it forward before the dawn prayer.
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, the coming out of...
The Shaykh : Blood from a person while he is brushing his teeth does not break his fast, but he must not swallow the blood, because swallowing blood is forbidden. It falls under the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُThe presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, does flossing with toothpicks break the fast?
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, some jurists say it is a recommended practice (sunnah) for a person to floss his teeth to remove food remnants from them.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. And regarding, Shaykh Muhammad, extracting a tooth in Ramadan?
The Shaykh : There is nothing wrong with extracting a tooth in Ramadan. I mean, the best we can say is that there is nothing wrong with extracting a tooth while a person is fasting, whether in Ramadan or otherwise. There is also nothing wrong with lancing an abscess or the like, because this does not break the fast. But in the matter of the tooth, it does not break the fast.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 1109- ما حكم فرشاة الأسنان والمعجون في الصيام وما حكم خلع الضرس /سؤال على الهاتف 📞 /ابن عثيمين — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.