How Much Saliva Can I Swallow While Fasting?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

How much saliva can I swallow during fast?

Whenever I fast, my mouth starts to produce excessive saliva which I have to spit regularly. It is difficult to spit every 5 minutes. I can not also talk due to fear of producing saliva in my mouth.

Answer

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

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

Swallowing saliva inside your mouth won’t break your fast. Even if the amount of saliva is huge. Nonetheless, it is disliked for someone fasting to gather his saliva in his mouth and swallow it. But even in this case, the fast remains valid. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

There are many reasons for the fact that swallowing one’s saliva does not break wudu. One of them is that it is simply unavoidable. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

Allah, Most High, says: “Allah does not like to impose a difficulty on you.” [Quran, 5:6]

And Allah knows best.

Wassalam,
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani