Miswak

Miswak is a softened tooth stick used as a tooth brush for cleaning teeth. Prophet (pbuh) said

“Had I not thought it difficult for my Ummah, I would have commanded them to use Miswak before every Salat”        [Muslim]

This Hadith shows that using Miswak is an admirable act, however Prophet (pbuh) did not make it obligatory on the Muslims as it would have been inconvenient for his followers. This shows how much Prophet (pbuh)  was affectionate towards his Ummah. Using Miswak is one of the significant Sunnahs of the Prophet (pbuh).

Hadith regarding Miswak

Hudaifah(R.A) reported,” Whenever the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)  got up (from sleep), he would rub his teeth with Miswak” [Muslim]

Aisha(R.A) reported: We used to prepare for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)  a Miswak and the water for making the Wudu. Whenever Allah wished to awaken him from sleep at night, he(pbuh) would brush his teeth with Miswak, make Wudu and perfom Salat. [Muslim]

Shuraih bin Hani (R.A) reported: I asked Aisha (R.A): “What was the first thing which Prophet(pbuh) would do when he entered his house.?” She replied, ”He would use Miswak” [Muslim]

Prophet(pbuh) said,” the Miswak cleanses and purifies the mouth and pleases the Rabb”   [An-Nasai]

The above hadith depicts the Miswak as a cleansing agent as well as a way to attain Allah’s Pleasure.

Prophet(pbuh) said that there are 10 demands of pure nature and he mentioned using Miswak as one of them.

Thus, using Miswak may not be an obligatory act but above hadiths signify its importance with Prophet(pbuh). We should try our best to fulfill this beautiful sunnah.

Jahanzaib Jamshed