The Ruling on Using the Miswak for the Fasting Person and Refuting the Objection That It Removes the Breath of the Fasting Person

Question:
Also, Honorable Shaykh, regarding the miswak.

Answer:
The miswak is recommended for the fasting person and for others, because it is a confirmed sunnah (recommended practice). As for the hadith , this hadith is weak and does not serve as a proof. The evidence indicates that the use of the miswak is prescribed (mashru') absolutely, in Ramadan and in other times, because it is the use of the miswak in the mouth, and the mouth is considered external. However, one must not intentionally swallow anything from what crumbles from the miswak, or if it has a taste, he must not intentionally swallow it, but rather spit it out, and there is no blame on him for that. As for the one who says that the miswak removes the smell of fasting that is beloved to Allah the Exalted, in His saying (Mighty and Majestic) in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) , that the fasting person should preserve this smell and the miswak removes it, we say to him: No, the miswak does not remove this smell, because the source of this smell is not from the mouth or the teeth, but rather from the stomach, because it consists of the vapors that rise from the stomach when it is empty of food. So it comes with the breath, and it is not in the teeth or the gums. So he uses the miswak in his mouth, his teeth, and his gums, and that has no effect on the smell of fasting emanating from his stomach. Yes.