salaam aleikoum, i see that a lot of muslims including myself pray directly after eating or drinking something but when praying the taste is still in the mouth. Is it musta7ab, recommended to wash the mouth inside before praying or only in specific cases like drinking milk? jazaka Allahu gairan. wassalamoe 3alayka

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

It is recommended to rinse one’s mouth after eating and before praying whether the food is fatty such as milk or not.

Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, drank some milk and then called for water and rinsed his mouth and said: “It has fat.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

‘Awn Al-Ma‘bood reads, “The fat is the layer that forms on the surface of the milk. Based on that Hadeeth, it is recommended to rinse one's mouth after eating any fatty food. An-Nawawi said: This Hadeeth indicates that it is recommended to rinse out the mouth after drinking milk. The scholars elaborated: This also applies to other kinds of food and drinks; it is recommended to rinse the mouth so that no traces of it are left that might be swallowed while praying. Thus, the fattiness and greasiness is removed and the mouth is cleaned.”

It is recommended to rinse one's mouth after eating even if the food is not fatty. This is evidenced by the fact that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, rinsed his mouth after eating Saweeq (barley gruel) as narrated in the Saheeh of Al-Bukhari. Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar said, “The benefit of rinsing the mouth before starting to pray if one has eaten Saweeq, even though it is not greasy, is that it may leave bits between or on the teeth or in the corners of the mouth, and trying to get rid of them may distract the person while he prays.” [Fat-h Al-Baari]

Al-Munaawi wrote, “He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, rinsed his mouth after eating Saweeq; based on that, it is recommended for the person to rinse out his mouth after eating whether the food is fatty or not as long as food remnants or traces may be left between the teeth or in the crevices of the mouth. Some physicians have said that the remaining traces of milk may damage the gum and teeth. Rinsing after eating and drinking any liquid other than water protects the teeth from decay and prevents bad breath and similar dental problems.” [Faydh Al-Qadeer]

Hence, it is recommended for one to rinse one's mouth after eating or drinking if one wants to perform prayer in order to clean the mouth from the remnants of food and drink between the teeth that may be distracting during the prayer.

Allaah Knows best.