With which hand does a person use the miswak?
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Does he hold the miswak in his right hand or his left hand?
Some of the scholars said: He holds it in his left hand, prioritizing the side of removing impurity; because the miswak purifies the mouth, as it came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: (The miswak purifies the mouth and pleases the Lord) They said: And the meaning of this is that the miswak is for removing impurity, so it is done with the left hand, just as cleaning oneself after relieving oneself is done with the left hand, and using pebbles for cleaning is done with the left hand, and blowing out the nose is done with the left hand.
And some of them said: Rather, with the right hand; because the miswak is a recommended practice, and the right hand should be given precedence for a recommended practice, so it is done with the right hand.
And some of them said: He has a choice.
How many opinions did we mention? Three: with the right hand, with the left hand, and having a choice.
And some of them distinguished: So he said: If you use the miswak for the sake of the recommended practice, then with the right hand; and if you use it to purify the mouth, then with the left hand. So if using the miswak is because of a bad smell from the mouth due to prolonged silence, for example, then it is done with the left hand. And if it is for the sake of the recommended practice; like a man who performed ablution and used the miswak, then went to the mosque and wanted to pray in a near time, then here the miswak is for the prayer from the aspect of the recommended practice, not from the aspect of purification, so it is done with the right hand. The matter is broad in this, and this resembles the disagreement of the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) regarding when one stands for prayer: Is it when the mu'adhdhin begins the iqamah,Or if he says: "Hasten to prayer,"Or if he says: "The prayer has begun," or when he finishes the iqamah, or when the imam says the takbir?Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The matter is broad for us in this,Meaning: If one stands when the mu'adhdhin begins the iqamah, or at "Hasten to prayer," or at "The prayer has begun," or at the end of the iqamah, or at the takbir of intention, then the matter is broad in this. The important thing is that he does not miss the takbir of intention, so he should not delay.
Some of the scholars said: He holds it in his left hand, prioritizing the side of removing impurity; because the miswak purifies the mouth, as it came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: (The miswak purifies the mouth and pleases the Lord) They said: And the meaning of this is that the miswak is for removing impurity, so it is done with the left hand, just as cleaning oneself after relieving oneself is done with the left hand, and using pebbles for cleaning is done with the left hand, and blowing out the nose is done with the left hand.
And some of them said: Rather, with the right hand; because the miswak is a recommended practice, and the right hand should be given precedence for a recommended practice, so it is done with the right hand.
And some of them said: He has a choice.
How many opinions did we mention? Three: with the right hand, with the left hand, and having a choice.
And some of them distinguished: So he said: If you use the miswak for the sake of the recommended practice, then with the right hand; and if you use it to purify the mouth, then with the left hand. So if using the miswak is because of a bad smell from the mouth due to prolonged silence, for example, then it is done with the left hand. And if it is for the sake of the recommended practice; like a man who performed ablution and used the miswak, then went to the mosque and wanted to pray in a near time, then here the miswak is for the prayer from the aspect of the recommended practice, not from the aspect of purification, so it is done with the right hand. The matter is broad in this, and this resembles the disagreement of the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) regarding when one stands for prayer: Is it when the mu'adhdhin begins the iqamah,Or if he says: "Hasten to prayer,"Or if he says: "The prayer has begun," or when he finishes the iqamah, or when the imam says the takbir?Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The matter is broad for us in this,Meaning: If one stands when the mu'adhdhin begins the iqamah, or at "Hasten to prayer," or at "The prayer has begun," or at the end of the iqamah, or at the takbir of intention, then the matter is broad in this. The important thing is that he does not miss the takbir of intention, so he should not delay.