Wudhu and fasting for a person who has a problem with bleeding gums

Q: I have a problem of bleeding gums. The bleeding occurs anytime during the day or night. Sometimes I am unaware of it and other times I spit and rinse my mouth when I get taste in my mouth. My questions are 

1. How do I maintain wudu in this state? This is causing me to perform wudu multiple times sometimes. 

2. How do I fast? I try my best to rinse my mouth continuously when I am awake to avoid swallowing. But I am worried about when I am asleep and don't know if I swallowed or not. 

3. If my fasts are becoming invalid what is the kaffarah I need to pay? Should I pay for all the previous Ramadans because I am not sure about when I started suffering from the bleeding gums problem.

A: Only when you perceive the blood in your mouth and upon spitting, you see it in your saliva, and the blood is equal to the saliva or more than the saliva, then regard your wudu to have broken. If the blood is less than the saliva, then your wudu will not be broken. 

Similarly, if during the fast you perceive the blood in your mouth and upon spitting, you see the blood in your saliva, and the blood is equal to the saliva or more than the saliva, and you are sure that the blood went down your throat, then regard your fast to have broken. If the blood is less than the saliva, then your fast will not be broken. 

If the fast is a fard or nafl fast, then you will have to keep one qadha for the fast which had broken.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)