In the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

Benefits of using Siwaak

by Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan may Allah preserve him 

 The shaykh mentions this point of benefit in his book entitled, “Mukhlisul Fiqhee” under the chapter “Baab fee Siwaak wa Khisaal Fitra”. (I did not translate his comments regarding Fitra for sake of brevity. In shaa Allah I will make a post regarding that in the near future)

It was attributed to the Mother of the Believers, Aishaa (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

السواك مطهرة للفم مرضاة للرب‏

“The Miswak (tooth-stick) cleanses and purifies the mouth and pleases the Rubb.” (Collected by Ahmad and Nisaa’i)

The Fuqahaa extract from this hadith:

Legislation of the Siwaak

It is a stick, or something like it, that is used on the teeth and gums to remove yellowness and bad smells.

It has been reported that the siwaak was also from the sunan of the Messengers (Hadith is found in Tirmidhi, no. 1080, and Ahmad 5/421). The first prophet to use it was Ibrahim (peace be upon him).

The Messenger of Allah clarified to us that the siwaak is purification for the mouth (meaning it cleans the mouth from what is disliked) and it pleases the Lord (meaning the Lord is pleased by it). Over a hundred hadiths have been reported showing the encouragement for using the siwaak. These evidences show that using the siwaak is a highly recommended sunnah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged and desired that it should be used, because it has many tremendous benefits. From the greatest of benefits is this hadith, “The Miswak (tooth-stick) cleanses and purifies the mouth and pleases the Rubb.”

The Siwaak can be a soft stick from an olive tree, date palm tree, or any other tree that does not harm the mouth.

It is recommended to use the siwaak at all times, even for the one who fasts during the day. It is even more recommended to use at specific times.  It is recommended to use while making ablution, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

لَوْلَا أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لَأَمَرْتُهُمْ بِالسِّوَاكِ مَعَ كُلِّ وُضُوءٍ

“Had I not feared burdening my Ummah, I would have commanded them to use Siwaak along with every Wudoo” (Bukhari narrated by Abu Hurayrah)

This hadith shows the high recommendation of using the siwaak with every wudoo, and it should be used when cleansing the mouth.

The siwaak is also highly recommended to use along with the obligatory and voluntary prayers. That is because we have been commanded to attain closeness to Allah by being in a perfect state of cleanliness. This shows the nobility of this act of worship.

The siwaak is also highly recommended when waking up from sleep during the night or day. That is because whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) would wake up from the night he would clean his mouth with the siwaak (Bukhari, Muslim). He would do this because sleep during the night changes the smell of the mouth, and the gas from the stomach rises. The siwaak in this instance cleans the mouth from those effects.

The siwaak is also highly recommended to use when the smell of the mouth is changed from eating or other than that.

It is also highly recommended when reciting the Qur’an in order to clean and perfect it to recite the speech of Allah.

The way to use the siwaak is by rubbing it on the gums and teeth beginning from the right side to the left. The siwaak should be used with the left hand.

Translated by: Michael AbdusSalaam Deonarain

الفقير الى الله