This questioner is from Libya, Benghazi, As'ad M. A. May the Shaykh tell us about the virtue of the miswak and its times?
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The questioner : This questioner is from Libya, Benghazi, As'ad M. A. May the Shaykh tell us about the virtue of the miswak and its times?
The Shaykh : The virtue of the miswak: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 5Sahih (Darussalam) These are the two greatest benefits. The first benefit is physical purity, which is cleansing the mouth from dirt, cleansing the teeth, gums, and tongue.
The second benefit, which is greater, is that it is pleasing to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). In this hadith, there is an encouragement to use the miswak by mentioning the two benefits: the immediate one, which is cleansing the mouth, and the deferred one, which is the pleasure of the Lord (Mighty and Majestic).
And it indicates its virtue that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 47Sahih (Al-Albani) meaning he commanded them with a command of obligation.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And nothing is obligatory except for its great benefit, which necessitated that people be bound by it. But opposing this great benefit was the hardship that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) feared for his Ummah, so he left them from being obligated to do it.
As for the emphasized times for using the miswak, the first is during the ablution, and the place for it is during the gargling. If one delays using the miswak until he has finished the entire ablution, there is no blame on him.
The second is during prayer, whether the prayer is an obligatory prayer or a voluntary one, and whether it is a prayer with bowing and prostration or a prayer without bowing or prostration, such as the funeral prayer.
The third is when waking up from sleep, for it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that when he would get up at night, he would scrub his mouth with the miswak.
The fourth is when entering the home, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would, when he entered his home, begin with the miswak. Other than these, it is prescribed at all times, but it is emphasized in these four places.
The Shaykh : The virtue of the miswak: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
Siwak is a means of purification for the mouth and is pleasing to the Lord.
السواك مطهرة للفم مرضاة للربThe second benefit, which is greater, is that it is pleasing to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). In this hadith, there is an encouragement to use the miswak by mentioning the two benefits: the immediate one, which is cleansing the mouth, and the deferred one, which is the pleasure of the Lord (Mighty and Majestic).
And it indicates its virtue that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
Were it not hard on my ummah, I would order them to use the tooth-stick at the time of every prayer.
لولا أن أشق على أمتي لأمرتهم بالسواك عند كل صلاةThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And nothing is obligatory except for its great benefit, which necessitated that people be bound by it. But opposing this great benefit was the hardship that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) feared for his Ummah, so he left them from being obligated to do it.
As for the emphasized times for using the miswak, the first is during the ablution, and the place for it is during the gargling. If one delays using the miswak until he has finished the entire ablution, there is no blame on him.
The second is during prayer, whether the prayer is an obligatory prayer or a voluntary one, and whether it is a prayer with bowing and prostration or a prayer without bowing or prostration, such as the funeral prayer.
The third is when waking up from sleep, for it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that when he would get up at night, he would scrub his mouth with the miswak.
The fourth is when entering the home, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would, when he entered his home, begin with the miswak. Other than these, it is prescribed at all times, but it is emphasized in these four places.