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Can You Chew Gum during Ramadan?

03 March, 2025
Q I am an Egyptian doctor practicing in the U.K. In fasting (Ramadan or optional), my tongue becomes dry. This makes tongue movements during conversation rather sluggish. In turn this makes my accent more difficult to understand by my English speaking patients. Would chewing tasteless gum break my fast (including swallowing saliva; is not acceptable to the European culture to spit and I do not want to have unpleasant smell either). Thanking you for your reply.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.


In this fatwa:

Is Chewing Gum Allowed During Ramadan?

  • If the gum does not crumble or leave a taste, it may not break the fast.
  • Scholars strongly discourage it due to possible misconceptions.
  • Using Miswak or tasteless toothpaste is a better alternative.

Answering your question, the Fatwa Center at IslamWeb, states:

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If the chewing gum does not crumble and you do not get its taste in your throat, then a fasting person is permitted to use it when in need, but it is not advisable and strongly disliked by scholars, as it may crumble in your mouth, and confuse.

On the other hand, some people โ€“ Muslims or Non-Muslims โ€“ might see you chewing this gum during the fasting time. This might put you in a very delicate situation whereby the Muslims accuse you of not observing the Fasting.

Therefore, you should avoid this action as it is known that chewing gum without taste would only increase the dryness and thirst.

So, you may use a โ€œnaturalโ€ tasteless paste or Miswak for changing your mouthโ€™s smell, but you should be careful not to let anything of it reach your throat.

For more information, see the fatwas below:

Almighty Allah knows best.

Source: Islamweb.net