Answer
Short Answer: You don’t have to rinse your mouth after eating before you pray. “…it’s not one of the conditions for the valid prayer that one rinse one’s mouth after eating, nor is it an obligatory act of the prayer.” But, “being able to taste food in your mouth while praying could distract one during the prayer… It’s better practically if you’ve just eaten to rinse your mouth so that no residual food remains… Brushing one’s teeth is one of the sunnahs of our deen. It’s a general sunnah.”
Asalamu Alaikum,
Thank you for contacting About Islam with your question.
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani from SeekersHub addresses this question in the video below.
Transcript:
I saw some brothers get up for prayer after eating dates without rinsing their mouths.
Is it permissible to pray after eating without rinsing one’s month?
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani: Yes, it is permissible to pray after eating without rinsing one’s mouth.
Because it’s not one of the conditions for the valid prayer that one rinse one’s mouth after eating, nor is it an obligatory act of the prayer.
The consideration is that within the prayer one should not swallow anything, and one should not eat or drink during the prayer.
OK, so… a little bit is excused in the Hanifi school. If it is less than the extent of a chickpea, if it’s already in your mouth, if you happen to swallow it, it doesn’t affect the validity of the prayer.
And the other consideration is that anything that distracts one in prayer is disliked.
Anything that distracts one in prayer that’s within one’s discretion, within one’s ability [to change], is disliked.
And so, if you have something in your mouth, or you can taste the biryani still, right?
Or, you know, biryani may be a little more taste neutral depending on how much masala there was in it.
But, you know, you have something very, you like some curry, or you had some sandwich with a lot of different sauces in it and there’s some guacamole on the left side and there’s some factory sauce on the right, and there’s all kinds of things going on.
Then where’s the presence of heart?
So, these are the two principles: the concern for validation if there’s a lot of food still in your mouth.
And the second is that… being able to taste food in your mouth while praying could distract one during the prayer.
So, those are the two considerations. Why?
It’s better practically if you’ve just eaten to rinse your mouth so that no residual food remains.
Number two, so that you won’t be distracted.
Number three, of course, there’s a neglected sunnah; which is that after you eat, it’s recommended to brush one’s teeth.
Brushing one’s teeth is one of the sunnahs of our deen. It’s a general sunnah.
Anytime one’s teeth, one’s mouth gets dirty, or one’s breath can be affected, or before beginning something significant—worldly or religious—it is recommended to brush one’s teeth.
That’s the best thing to do.
But if one just ate, got up to pray, it’s fine. And there’s no intrinsic dislike in it.
I hope this helps answer your question. You can also check out more from SeekersHub at the link here.
Walaikum Asalam. Please keep in touch.
(From AboutIslam’s archives)
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