Hygiene · a Light

The toothbrush of the sunnah is a frayed twig

The siwak is a short stick cut from the arak tree, chewed at one end until the fibres open into bristles. The Prophet ﷺ used it on waking, before prayer, and when he came home. He said that if it would not have been hard on his community, he would have ordered them to use it before every prayer, which is five times a day. The instruction concerns the mouth, not the soul, and he gave it the weight of a near obligation. Dental researchers have since studied arak fibres for their natural fluoride, silica and antibacterial compounds, and the World Health Organization has recognised the chewing stick as an effective tool for oral hygiene. It is one of the few seventh century objects still sold in markets for exactly its original use.

Abu Hurayra · daily practice, Madinah

Source · Bukhari 887, Muslim 252