❖ 9 Essential Islamic Rulings on Miswāk in Daily Life ❖
Source: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 393
✔ Question:
What is the prescribed size of a Miswāk?
Is it permissible to use someone else’s Miswāk?
And is it allowed to use the Miswāk while fasting?
📜 Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
❶ Sharʿi Limit on the Size of Miswāk
There is no fixed or defined length of Miswāk in Sharīʿah.
➤ No explicit textual evidence or valid analogy sets a specific size.
➤ Some suggest a span of a hand or finger’s width, but no Sharʿi proof exists for that.
➤ Any wood that effectively cleans the teeth and reaches all parts of the mouth is permissible.
➤ The Prophet ﷺ would even use the Miswāk on his tongue, making the sound: “aʿ, aʿ”.
Ḥadīth Evidence:
“If I had not feared hardship for my Ummah, I would have commanded them to use the Miswāk at every prayer.”
(Aḥmad 6/41, Abū Dāwūd 1/11, Tirmidhī 1/9 – Authentic isnād)
❷ Type of Miswāk
➤ Any kind of stick is permissible for Miswāk,
but the Pilu (Arāk) tree is most recommended.
➤ ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه used to bring Pilu sticks for the Prophet ﷺ.
Other Narrations:
- “The Miswāk from the olive tree is excellent… It is the Miswāk of myself and the Prophets before me.”
(Ṭabarānī, Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid 2/100) - Abū Zayd al-Ghāfiqī said:
There are three types of Miswāk:
Arāk, ʿAnam (Olive), and Baṭm (Pistachio tree).
❸ Miswāk is Sunnah for Women Also
➤ The Prophet ﷺ was sent to both men and women,
so Miswāk is Sunnah for women too.
➤ The view that women may substitute Miswāk with chewing gum is baseless.
References:
- al-Hidāyah (1/221)
- Radd al-Muḥtār (1/78)
❹ Using Someone Else’s Miswāk
➤ If permission is granted, it is permissible to use someone else’s Miswāk, whether male or female.
Ḥadīth:
ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها said:
“The Prophet ﷺ would give me his Miswāk; I would use it, wash it, and return it to him.”
(Abū Dāwūd 1/13, al-Mishkāt 1/45)
➤ In a dream narration:
The Prophet ﷺ gave the Miswāk first to a younger man, then it was said to give it to the elder, so he changed it.
(al-Bukhārī 1/38, Muslim 2/244)
❺ Using Miswāk While Fasting
➤ It is permissible to use Miswāk both in the morning and evening during fasting.
➤ Some prohibit its use in the latter part of the day, citing the ḥadīth:
“The smell of the fasting person’s mouth is more beloved to Allah than musk.”
However, this is not a valid restriction.
Evidence for Permissibility:
◈ All relevant aḥādīth are unrestricted (muṭlaq) — restricting them requires strong proof.
◈ Muʿādh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه said:
“Use the Miswāk morning and evening. Allah does not command bad odour.”
(Talkhīṣ, pg. 113; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl 1/106)
◈ ʿĀmir ibn Rabīʿah رضي الله عنه:
“I saw the Prophet ﷺ using Miswāk many times while fasting.”
(al-Bukhārī 1/259; Talkhīṣ 1/62)
❻ Ruling on Using the Finger as Miswāk
Most ḥadīths that suggest finger-use as a substitute are weak (ḍaʿīf).
Examples:
- “Place finger in mouth for Miswāk” — weak narration.
- “Fingers serve as Miswāk” — weak sources: Bayhaqī, Dāraquṭnī.
- ʿAlī رضي الله عنه — Abā Maṭar (narrator) is unknown.
- Kuthayr ibn ʿAbdullāh — severely weak.
Scholarly Views:
- Ibn Qudāmah: Finger is not a substitute for Miswāk.
- Fiqh al-Sunnah: Mentioned in case of toothlessness, but hadith is weak.
- al-Majmūʿ: Soft finger is not equal to Miswāk.
- Radd al-Muḥtār: Some say the Sunnah is fulfilled, but sources are weak.
Conclusion:
➤ All narrations are weak.
➤ Using the finger as Miswāk is not Sunnah.
➤ If wood is unavailable, it is temporarily allowed, but should not become a habit.
(Tamām al-Minnah, p. 90)
❼ Virtues and Benefits of Miswāk
➤ Obedience to the Prophet ﷺ, and a cause of success in this life and the next.
Related Narrations (mostly weak):
- ʿAlī رضي الله عنه: “Your mouths are the path for the Qurʾān, clean them with Miswāk”
(Ibn Mājah, Abū Nuʿaym) - Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه:
“Ten characteristics in Miswāk…” (Dāraquṭnī 1/85) — weak narrator: Muʿallā ibn Maymūn.
- Abū al-Dardāʾ:
“24 characteristics in Miswāk…” (Talkhīṣ 1/71) — unsourced.
- Radd al-Muḥtār:
Miswāk removes old age, sharpens vision, and cures all diseases except death.
- al-Mirqāt:
Miswāk has 70 benefits, just as opium has 70 harms.
❽ Proper Method of Using Miswāk
◈ Use horizontally on the teeth.
◈ Use vertically on the tongue.
(al-Bukhārī 1/38, Muslim 1/128, Aḥmad)
Holding Technique:
➤ Place little finger underneath,
thumb under the end,
and other fingers on top.
(Radd al-Muḥtār 1/78) — attribution to Ibn Masʿūd is unverified.
❾ Timing for Using Miswāk
The Prophet ﷺ used Miswāk frequently, especially at these times:
✔ Before Wuḍūʾ and Ṣalāh
✔ Upon entering the house
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1/127)
✔ When waking up for Tahajjud
✔ Before sleeping
✔ After waking at night
✔ Before every prayer
Supporting Narrations (Varied Strength):
- Jābir رضي الله عنه — weak due to Ḥarām ibn ʿUthmān.
- ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr — ḥasan via follow-ups.
- ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه — weak narrator.
- Ibn ʿUmar — kept Miswāk by his bedside.
- Zayd ibn Khālid — used Miswāk before every prayer.
- Maymūnah رضي الله عنها — always kept it close.
- Ibn ʿAbbās — Prophet ﷺ admonished a man for not using Miswāk despite bad breath.
❖ Conclusion
All authentic and supplementary narrations clearly indicate that the Prophet ﷺ regularly used the Miswāk, especially at specific times, demonstrating its strong Sunnah status.
ھذا ما عندي، واللہ أعلم بالصواب
✅ Summary: 9 Sharʿi Rulings Related to Miswāk
① No fixed size – any effective piece of wood is valid.
② Best types: Pilu (Arāk), Olive, Pistachio.
③ Sunnah for both men and women.
④ Permissible to share with permission.
⑤ Allowed while fasting, any time of day.
⑥ Using finger is not Sunnah – only a last resort.
⑦ Miswāk has spiritual and physical benefits.
⑧ Proper method: horizontal on teeth, vertical on tongue.
⑨ Best times: before wudūʾ, prayer, sleep, entering home, waking at night.
