« لولا أن أشق على أمتي : لأمرتهم بالسواك عند كل صلاة »
"If it was not for the fact that my nation would not be able to bear it , I would have ordered them to use Siwak before every prayer.
Also , in the Sahihain it is narrated that:
« أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم كان إذا قام من الليل : يشوض فاه بالشواك »
Whenever the Prophet would wake up at night , he would clean his mouth with Siwak.
Al - Bukhari also narrated that the Prophet said:
« الشواك مطهرة للفم ، مرضاة للرب » النسائي نه -
Siwak cleans the mouth and pleases the Lord.Further , Muslim narrated that:
« أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم كان إذا دخل بيته : بدأ بالشواك
Whenever the Prophet (PBUH) would enter his house, he would " first use the Siwak.
There are many other Ahadith on this subject.
An authentic Hadith also stated that just before he died, the Prophet used the Siwak. The Prophet (PBUH) also said:
« أكثرتُ عليكم في الشواك »
I have troubled you by frequently stressing using the Siwak.
The best type of Siwak is made from Arak trees. Further, one should not use an unknown tree for Siwak for it might be poisonous. Also, Siwak should be used moderately, because it might cause the coating of the teeth to wear away and thus the teeth will be susceptible to the hot vapors or gasses that ascend from the stomach and to all kinds of dirt. When the Siwak is used moderately, it will polish the teeth, strengthen the roots of the teeth, help the tongue, prevent plaque, perfume the breath, clear the mind and strengthen the appetite.
The best way to use the Siwak is by soaking it in rose water. Also, the best type of Siwak is made from walnut stems. The author of At Taysir said, "It was said that when one uses the Siwak once every five days, it will clear the head, sharpen the senses and alert the min.
Siwak is beneficial for many reasons, such as perfuming the breath. strengthening the gingiva, clearing the phlegm and the sight and preventing cavities. It also preserves the health of the stomach, clears the voice, helps the digestion process, helps make the speech clear and encourages one to recite the Qur'an, remember Allah and pray. Siwak also fights sleepiness, pleases the Lord, delights the angels and increases the number of the good deeds.
Siwak is preferred at any time, especially before the prayer, ablution, when waking up and when the mouth emits foul odor. It is also preferred for those who are fasting and all other people at all times. There are Ahadith that allow this practice for those who are fasting, because it is beneficial for them and pleases the Lord. Pleasing the Lord when one is fasting is even more desired than at other times. Also the Siwak cleans the mouth, and cleanliness for the fasting person is one of his best deeds.
In the Sunan it is narrated that ` Amir bin Rab'ah said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah on numerous occasion using the Siwak when he was fasting.
Al - Bukhari also said that Ibn ' Umar Lacul said that the Prophet (PBUH) used the Siwak at the two ends of the day.
There is a consensus that the fasting person rinses his mouth while performing ablution, and rinsing the mouth is an obligation or a more preferred act than using the Siwak. Also, Allah does not have a use for the people to worship him while their mouths are emitting foul odor, nor is it an act of worship. When the Prophet (PBUH) mentioned that the odor that the mouth of the fasting person emits is better in His Sight than the scent of Musk, he meant to encourage the practice of fasting, not the practice of allowing the mouth to emit foul odor. Hence the fasting person needs the Siwak more than anyone else. Also, Allah's Pleasure is much better than His preferring the odor that the mouth of the fasting person emits.
Further, Allah prefers using the Siwak more than for the odor that comes out of the mouth of the fasting person to remain.
Also, using Siwak does not prevent the good scent that Allah creates in the fasting person's mouth on the Day of Resurrection. Rather, the mouth of the fasting person will smell better than Musk on the Day of Resurrection as a sign of his observing the Fast, even if the odor that used to come from his mouth was removed by the Siwak. Similarly, whoever sufers a wound [ for the sake of Allah ] in this life is commanded to remove the blood from his body in this life, but his wound would still have the color of blood on the Day of Resurrection.
Furthermore, the Siwak does not completely remove the odor of the mouth for the fasting person because its reason still remains, that is, the stomach being empty of food. Only the effect of this fact will be lessened from the teeth and gums.
The Prophet (PBUH) taught his nation the preferred and the disliked acts of the Fast. He did not mention the Siwak among the disliked acts although he knew they were using it. Rather, he encouraged them in general to use the Siwak and they saw him using it himself at innumerable times. knowing that they would imitate him. Never did he discourage them from using the Siwak in the afternoon (when they are fasting). It is a fact that the Prophet (PBUH) is required to offer the religious ruling when it is needed.