Siwaak is a method of cleaning the mouth which also earns the pleasure of Allaah, as is proven in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Siwaak cleanses the mouth and pleases the Lord.’” [Reported by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh, 2/274, and by Ahmad, 6/47, and al-Nisaa’i, 1/50. Its isnaad is saheeh, see al-Irwa’ 1/105] Use of the siwaak is repeatedly encouraged, as in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Were it not for the fact that I did not want to make things too hard for my ummah, I would have commanded them to use the siwaak at every time of prayer.” [Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2/299 and Muslim, 1/151] According to another report narrated by al-Bukhaari, he said: “…at every time of making wudoo’.” Imaam al-Nawawi reported that the respectable scholars were agreed that use of the siwaak is sunnah and is encouraged. One of the signs of its importance is the fact that some of the salaf (early generations of Islam), such as Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh, thought that it was obligatory. The correct view is that any kind of sticks that are cleansing and not harmful may be used instead of siwaak, if it is not available, to clean the mouth and remove dirt from the teeth. This includes modern toothbrushes which are known to be beneficial in this regard. Among the etiquette of using siwaak, is that a person should not use the siwaak in front of others or in public, because this is impolite. #muslimreminder #islam #imaan #ibadah #sunnah #siwaak #lovefordeen #obeyrasul #practicingmuslim #practiseislam #keepfaith #manners #akhlaq #stayhumble