Must I Redo Wudu If I Bite My Tongue and Suspect Bleeding?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Am I required to check for bleeding every time I bite my tongue or lips while eating or talking? I also redo wudu if I suspect bleeding, but haven’t checked. Is this necessary, or is it an excessive concern?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

You are not required to check for bleeding when you bite your tongue or lip. It is sufficient to act on reasonable surety and to ignore anything less.

Reasonable surety is generally accompanied with evidence: for example, if you have a strong taste of blood. If it is just a subtle taste of blood, ignore it; this is evidence that the blood did not flow and, therefore, did not break your wudu. [Tahtawi/Shurunbulali, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]

Acting on assumptions, doubts, or anything less than reasonable surety is indeed excessive and indicative of misgivings (waswasa).

Related

• Does Bleeding Nullify Wudu?
• How Can I Eat with Bleeding Gums?
• Bleeding Gums and Wudu
• How Much Blood Is Excused for the Prayer to Be Valid?

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.