Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … Bathing, pouring water over the head, rinsing the mouth, using the miswak (tooth-stick), and putting water into the nose—none of these actions have any connection with the breaking of the fast. However, one should not exaggerate when putting water into the nose, lest the water reaches the throat, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Exaggerate in drawing water into the nose, except when you are fasting.” (Sunan Arba‘ah) From this hadith, it can be deduced that one should not be careless when rinsing the mouth or using the miswak. Similarly, there is no harm in applying kohl (surma) to the eyes, because there is no legal evidence that imposes any restriction on the fasting person regarding this, and the ahadith in which the use of kohl is encouraged are not mentioned with any specification or restriction. However, one should avoid using such drops whose risk is that they may reach the throat. Some people think that since the odor from the mouth of a fasting person is purer and more beloved to Allah Ta‘ala than musk, therefore, one should not use the miswak while fasting, so that this odor is not removed. In response, it should be said that this odor is related to the emptiness of the stomach, whereas cleaning the mouth with miswak and the like is a different matter, and the change in the odor of the mouth due to the emptiness of the stomach is another matter.