Jamiat KZNJamiatul Ulama KZN

Can a toothbrush replace the Miswaak if its bristles are from the Miswaak tree?

English
Cleanliness (Tahaarah)FatwaFiqhGeneralHadith

Question

Can a toothbrush replace the Miswaak if it’s bristles are from the Miswaak tree?

Answer

A.There are two Sunnahs of cleansing the mouth:

1) Cleaning of the mouth

2) Using the actual Miswaak twig/stick.

The Sunnah of cleansing the mouth using a toothbrush, with or without the bristles being extracted from the Miswaak twig/stick will be fulfilled by using a toothbrush. However, the Sunnah of using the actual Miswaak twig/stick will not be achieved and cannot be replaced by using a toothbrush.

The best form of a Miswaak is using the twig/stick sourced from the Arak tree and then the olive tree. In the absence of the twig/stick sourced from the Arak and olive tree, using the finger will suffice in fulfilling the Sunnah of cleansing the mouth. (Majmaul-Anhur 1/13 ; Fataawa Mahmoodiyyah 5/126/127)

N.B. Using the toothbrush is simply permissible.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

View original Ask Jamiat KZN directly

Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Jamiatul Ulama KZN. It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, ask the issuing Darul Ifta directly.