Islamic Fiqh > Purification (Tahara) > The fitra and its practices > The siwak and oral hygiene
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Updated on 25 September 2026 at 3:23 PM
Linguistically, the siwak designates both the act of rubbing the teeth (istiyak) and the instrument used for it, also called miswak; one says: he rubbed his mouth; its plural is suwak. The word derives from the verb "to rub" (As-Sihah 4/1593, An-Nihaya fi gharib al-hadith 2/425, Tahdhib al-Asma' wa-l-Lughat 3/157, Al-Misbah al-Munir 2/350, Lisan al-Arab 10/446, Al-Qamus al-Muhit 3/318). In the jurists' terminology, it designates both the act and the instrument.
The jurists give closely related definitions: the Hanafis define it as the name of a particular stick designated for rubbing the teeth (Al-Inaya, commentary on Al-Hidaya, with Sharh Fath al-Qadir 1/24). The Malikis: the use of a stick or the like upon the teeth to remove yellowness and odor (Mawahib al-Jalil 1/264, Awjaz al-Masalik 1/368). The Shafi'is and the Hanbalis: the use of a stick or the like upon the teeth to remove discoloration and the like (Al-Majmu' 1/270, Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/177, Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/55, Al-Mubdi' 1/68, Kashshaf al-Qina' 1/70). The most comprehensive definition is that of the Shafi'is and the Hanbalis: it is broader than that of the Hanafis, who restricted it to the wood, and that of the Malikis, who restricted its purpose to removing yellowness and odor.
The jurists agree on its status as an emphasized sunna. They rely on the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
"Were it not that I would burden my community, I would have commanded them to use the siwak at every prayer"Narrated by Bukhari (887) and Muslim (252)
Imam ash-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) infers: had it been obligatory, he would have commanded them regardless of the burden (Al-Umm 1/20). Ibn Qudama adds: this means he would have commanded them with a binding command, for the burden attaches only to obligation, not to recommendation. The people of knowledge agree that the siwak is an emphasized sunna, given the Prophet's insistence and regular practice, his encouragement and his urging (Al-Mughni 1/119).
The jurists agree on the recommendation of the siwak in certain situations, and some mention others of their own. Here are the situations according to each school, from which the unanimously agreed times can be deduced.
Among the Hanafis, the siwak is confirmed as recommended: at the ablution; upon rising for prayer; during the recitation of the Quran; upon waking; upon entering one's home; at gatherings; when the mouth changes; when the teeth turn yellow (Bada'i' as-Sana'i' 1/81 and 83, Sharh Fath al-Qadir 1/24, Hashiyat Ibn Abidin 1/233).
Among the Malikis: at the ablution; for the prayer; during the recitation of the Quran; upon waking; when the mouth changes; after a long silence; after much talk; after eating anything with an odor (Al-Kafi 1/171, Mawahib al-Jalil 1/264, Balughat as-Salik 1/87 and 88, Tanwir al-Maqala 1/484).
Among the Shafi'is: at the ablution; for the prayer, whether one has purified himself with water, with dust or neither (like one who finds neither water nor dust); during the reading of the Quran, the hadith, religious knowledge or the remembrance of Allah; upon waking; when the mouth changes, after eating, in hunger, after a long silence or much talk and the like; at the approach of death; in the last part of the night; when eating; after the witr (Al-Hawi al-Kabir 1/85, Al-Muhadhdhab 1/13, Al-Majmu' 1/338, Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/117, Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/56).
Among the Hanbalis: at the ablution; for the prayer; upon entering the mosque; during the recitation of the Quran; upon waking; at the major ablution; upon entering the house; after a long silence; when the teeth turn yellow; when the stomach is empty (Al-Mughni 1/119, Al-Mubdi' 1/10, Al-Furu' 1/125 and 128, Ar-Rawd al-Murbi' 1/20, Manar as-Sabil 1/30, Al-Insaf 1/119).
From all this emerge the unanimously agreed situations:
1. At the ablution, according to the hadith of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him):
"Were it not that I would burden my community, I would have commanded them to use the siwak at every ablution"Sahih hadith: narrated by Bukhari in suspended form with a decisive wording in Kitab as-Siyam (4/187), by an-Nasa'i in As-Sunan al-Kubra (3034) and by Ibn Khuzayma in his Sahih (1/73)
2. Upon rising for prayer, according to the same hadith quoted above ("the siwak at every prayer": Bukhari (887), Muslim (252)).
3. Upon waking, according to Hudhayfa (may Allah be pleased with him):
"When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rose at night, he rubbed his mouth with the siwak"Narrated by Bukhari (242) and Muslim (255)
4. Upon entering his home, according to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
"When he entered his house, he began with the siwak"Narrated by Muslim (253)
5. When the mouth changes and the teeth turn yellow, according to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
"The siwak purifies the mouth and is pleasing to the Lord"Sahih hadith: narrated by Bukhari in suspended form with a decisive wording in Kitab as-Siyam (4/187); an-Nawawi judges this suspension authentic; also narrated by ash-Shafi'i in his Musnad (1/14), Ahmad in Al-Musnad (24249), an-Nasa'i (5) and Ibn Khuzayma (135)
As for the siwak of the fasting person, the subject will be treated, Allah willing, in the chapter on fasting.
The Hanafis in the madhhab, as well as the Malikis, the Shafi'is and the Hanbalis according to one narration, hold it recommended to take the siwak with the right hand while rubbing the teeth, according to the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
"He liked to begin with the right in his sandals, his combing, his purification, and every affair of his"; in one version: "and his siwak"Narrated by Bukhari (168) and Muslim (268); the version mentioning the siwak by Abu Dawud (4140), sahih hadith
The jurists ranked it among the acts of perfuming (Al-Bahr ar-Ra'iq 1/21, Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar 1/234, Hashiyat at-Tahtawi 1/44, Umdat al-Qari 3/31, Ash-Sharh as-Saghir 1/87, Mawahib al-Jalil 1/65, Al-Khulasa al-Fiqhiyya 1/13, Kifayat al-Akhyar p. 62, Al-Iqna' by ash-Shirbini 1/35, I'anat at-Talibin 1/45, Al-Mughni 1/120, Al-Insaf 1/128, Awn al-Ma'bud 11/133).
But the Hanafis according to another view, al-Iraqi among the Shafi'is, and the Hanbalis according to a narration chosen by shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya (may Allah have mercy on him), hold that the teeth are rubbed with the left hand, ranking the siwak among the removal of impurities. Ibn Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: if the siwak belongs to purification, it is recommended with the right hand, like rinsing the mouth; if it belongs to the removal of a nuisance, it is done with the left; the apparent view is the second (Hashiyat Ibn Abidin 1/234, see Hashiyat at-Tahtawi 1/44).
Al-Iraqi (may Allah have mercy on him) exposes the debate: certain later Hanbalis whose writings he saw say that one rubs with the right hand, relying on one of the chains of the famous hadith of Aisha: "He liked to begin with the right in his combing, his sandals, his purification and his siwak". Shafi'i scholars he heard made it depend on the classification of the siwak: if it belongs to perfuming, the right hand is recommended; if it belongs to the removal of impurities, the left is, according to the hadith of Aisha:
"The right hand of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was for his purification and his food, and his left hand for his needs of nature and whatever causes harm"Narrated by Abu Dawud with an authentic chain (33), al-Bayhaqi in As-Sunan al-Kubra (1/113), Ahmad in Al-Musnad (6/265); graded sahih by al-Albani in Sahih Abu Dawud (26) and an-Nawawi in Al-Majmu' (1/445)
According to the hadith of Hafsa:
"He set his right hand for his food, his drink and his garments, and his left for everything else"Cited in the course of this discussion in Tarh at-Tathrib (2/67)
But the argument in favor of the right hand does not prove what is drawn from it: it is a matter of beginning with the right side in combing, in putting on the sandal, with the right limbs in purification and with the right side of the mouth in rubbing; that he performed these with his right hand would require a separate transmission. The apparent view is that the siwak belongs to the removal of a nuisance, like cleaning the nose; it would therefore be done with the left. Abu al-Abbas al-Qurtubi, of the Malikis, reports explicitly in Al-Mufhim Malik's statement: one does not rub the teeth in the mosques, for it belongs to the removal of filth. And Allah knows best (Tarh at-Tathrib 2/66 and 67).
Asked about the question, shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya (may Allah have mercy on him) answered that the best is to rub with the left hand: the siwak belongs to the removal of a nuisance, like cleaning the nose and the like, which is done with the left, just as the removal of impurities, obligatory or recommended, is done with the left. He then notes that the siwak does not belong to the honoring of the right hand (Majmu' al-Fatawa 21/108 and 109).
In I'anat at-Talibin it is said among its benefits: it purifies the mouth, pleases the Lord, whitens the teeth, sweetens the breath, straightens the spine, strengthens the gums, delays gray hair, refines the character, sharpens the intelligence, multiplies the reward, eases the death struggle and brings about the utterance of the testimony of faith at the moment of death.
Its regular use brings generosity and wealth, facilitates provision, sweetens the mouth, relieves headache, removes all harm and phlegm, strengthens the teeth, clears the sight, increases good deeds, delights the angels so that they shake his hand because of the light of his face and escort him when he goes out to prayer; he will be given his book in his right hand; the siwak wards off leprosy, makes wealth and children grow, keeps man company in his grave, and the angel of death comes to take his soul in a beautiful form (I'anat at-Talibin 1/45).
Shaykh Ahmad as-Sawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says, about the virtues of the siwak: they reach 33. The hafiz Ibn Hajar versified them in a famous poem, whose meaning is: the siwak pleases the Most Merciful, it whitens the teeth, makes the hair grow, sharpens the intelligence, increases eloquence and beauty, strengthens the gums, removes bad breath, frightens the enemy, refines the character, stops secretions, helps digest food, delays gray hair and senility, eases digestion, recalls the testimony of faith and eases the death struggle at that moment, brings ease together with wealth, drives away pain of every kind down to sciatica, soothes headache, the veins of the head and toothache, increases wealth and makes children grow, purifies the heart and puts an end to ailments, brightens the face and sharpens the sight, removes phlegm and spittle, eases and expands provision, and delights the recording angels of good deeds (Balughat as-Salik 1/88).
Ibn Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him) enumerates: among its benefits, it delays gray hair and sharpens the sight; its greatest good is that it is a cure for everything short of death; it enables one to walk swiftly upon the bridge (as-sirat); it purifies the mouth, pleases the Lord, delights the angels, clears the sight, removes bad odor and phlegm, whitens the teeth, strengthens the gums, helps digest food, cuts phlegm, multiplies the reward of the prayer, purifies the pathway of the Quran (the mouth), increases eloquence, strengthens the stomach, angers the devil, increases good deeds, cuts bile, soothes the veins of the head and toothache, sweetens the breath and eases the departure of the soul. In An-Nahr it is said that its benefits exceed 36, the lowest being the removal of harm and the highest the reminder of the testimony of faith at the moment of death; may Allah grant us that by His grace and generosity (Hashiyat Ibn Abidin 1/235 and 236, see At-Tibb an-Nabawi by Ibn al-Qayyim).
Three views are held by the jurists on rubbing the teeth with the finger:
First view: the finger suffices in all cases; this is the view of the Malikis, the Shafi'is and the Hanbalis. Second view: the finger suffices when nothing else is available; this is the Hanafi madhhab, and also a view of the Malikis and the Shafi'is.
Their proofs:
1. The hadith of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): a man of the Ansar, of the clan of Banu Amr ibn Awf, said: "Messenger of Allah, you have encouraged us regarding the siwak; is there anything less than that?" He replied:
"Your 2 fingers are a siwak in your ablution: pass them over your teeth. Whoever has no intention has no deed, and whoever seeks no reward obtains none"Narrated by al-Bayhaqi in As-Sunan al-Kubra (179); al-Hafiz al-Iraqi says in Tarh at-Tathrib (2/63) that its narrators are trustworthy, except the narrator who received it from Anas among his household, unnamed
2. The hadith of Anas from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
"The fingers suffice in place of the siwak"Weak hadith: narrated by al-Bayhaqi in As-Sunan al-Kubra (180), graded weak by an-Nawawi in Al-Majmu' (1/348)
3. The fact that the purpose of the siwak is achieved (Al-Majmu' 1/348, Al-Mughni 1/121).
Third view: the finger does not suffice for rubbing the teeth; this is a third Shafi'i view, the soundest according to them, while the second view is that of the Hanbalis. Their argument: the finger was not prescribed by the Law; and it is not called siwak and does not achieve the cleansing the way the stick does.
An-Nawawi adopted the first view: if the finger is soft, the siwak is not achieved by it, without disagreement; if it is rough, 3 positions exist: the famous sound position is that it does not achieve it, for it is neither called siwak nor bears its meaning, unlike the vegetable soap (ushnan) and the like, which, without being called siwak, have its meaning: this is the position of the majority. The second: it achieves it, since the purpose is fulfilled; this is the choice of Qadi Husayn, of al-Mahamili in Al-Lubab, of al-Baghawi, and ar-Ruyani adopted it in his book Al-Bahr. The third: it achieves it if one cannot find a stick, otherwise not, reported by ar-Rafi'i. Those who hold it achieved rely on the fulfillment of the purpose; as for the hadith "the fingers suffice in place of the siwak", it is weak, graded so by al-Bayhaqi and others; the chosen position is that it is achieved, as mentioned, and al-Hafiz al-Iraqi supported it (Al-Majmu' 1/348).
Ibn Qudama says: the correct view is that one attains the goal to the measure of the cleansing obtained, and the little of the sunna is not abandoned for inability to do the more (Al-Mughni 1/121, see Hashiyat Ibn Abidin 1/236, Ash-Sharh al-Kabir 1/166, Ash-Sharh as-Saghir 1/87, Mawahib al-Jalil 1/265, Al-Majmu' 1/348, Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/117, Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/55, Kifayat al-Akhyar p. 63).