Benefits of the Hadith (If it were not that I would cause difficulty for my Ummah, I would have ordered them to use the siwak...)

The Shaykh : This hadith contains multiple benefits, among which is the mercy of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his family, and this is a matter known by necessity, for it is established by mass transmission, as Allah the Exalted said: meaning, what caused you hardship, .
Among its benefits is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has the right to exercise independent legal reasoning in rulings, as he said: So the thing preventing him from the obligatory command is not the absence of Allah's command, but rather the difficulty. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) has the right to exercise independent legal reasoning, and then if Allah the Mighty and Majestic approves it, the ruling is a divine law by Allah's approval. Yes, and this is the principle. And if Allah does not approve it, the ruling is lifted. The Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) pardon of those who lagged behind was not approved by Allah; rather, He said: His saying: began with the pardon of what had occurred before mentioning it. He said: And Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said: So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has the right to exercise independent legal reasoning in rulings, and then if Allah approves it, it is a law from Allah, and if Allah does not approve it—and this is rare, rare, rare... taking the ransom from the prisoners of Badr? Allah the Mighty and Majestic did not approve it; rather, He said: regarding the honoring of the message and... Now, this issue has been the subject of long debate among the scholars, and in my opinion, and praise be to Allah, there is no difficulty in it, and it is clear that the Messenger commands and forbids, whether it is by revelation from Allah or by approval from Allah.
Among the benefits of this hadith is the confirmation of the use of the siwak, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not prevent making it obligatory except for the difficulty.
Among the benefits of this hadith is that the principle of a command is obligation, as he said: Some of the scholars of knowledge argued with this and said: This indicates that an absolute command is for obligation. However, it may be discussed and said that his saying means a binding command, otherwise the absolute command is established. But that a command is for obligation, or for recommendation, or for guidance and direction, cannot be regulated by a criterion in what I have followed, because some commands are for obligation by consensus, some commands are for other than obligation by consensus, and some commands are a matter of dispute. For this reason, the scholars differed in them. Some said: The principle of a command is obligation, and they argued with his saying. Some said: The principle of a command is recommendation, and they argued with his saying. Some said: What is intended to be an act of worship, the command in it is for obligation, and what is intended to be good manners, the command in it is for recommendation. This is the closest of them in terms of generality, otherwise it may be among the good manners and yet be obligatory. Now, if someone says: I want to cause myself difficulty and use the siwak with every ablution, is this the best, or is it best to take the dispensation of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The student: The second.

The Shaykh : Yes, what appears to me is the second. It may be said that if there is clear difficulty, the best is to follow the dispensation. And if there is nothing except taking the siwaks out of your pocket and rubbing your teeth, then do it, because this purification does not involve difficulty. Now, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) "with the siwak," we said that what is meant by that is what? Using the siwak. And based on this, is the obligation of the siwak achieved by other than the stick? That is, other than the arak stick?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : There is a difference of opinion, my brothers. Some of the scholars say it is not recommended... This issue has been a matter of disagreement among the scholars. Some say: The virtue of the siwak is not achieved except when one uses the siwak. And some said: Rather, he achieves of the Sunnah according to what he achieved of cleaning, and that he can attain the Sunnah if he uses his finger or a cloth. And this is closer to the truth: to say that there is no doubt that the most complete and best is with the arak stick or what serves as its substitute. But if he uses his finger and a cloth, he achieves of the Sunnah according to what he achieved of cleaning. Now, there is also another discussion regarding the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) "with every ablution," where is its place? Before starting the ablution, or after it, or during it? The hadith is absolute and did not specify, but the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) chose that the use of the siwak is at the time of rinsing the mouth. They said: Because this is the place of cleaning the mouth, so it is appropriate that it be? When? During the rinsing of the mouth. And Allah knows best. Yes, what?
The student: The verse?

The Shaykh : The verse... for example, it is possible, yes?