Can I use a miswak while fasting?

Detailed answer

Yes. The miswak (also called siwak), a natural tooth-cleaning stick usually cut from the arak tree, may be used while fasting. It does not break the fast, and using it is a Sunnah that brings reward. Most scholars allow it at any time of the day, morning or afternoon.

What the Quran and Sunnah say

The Prophet, peace be upon him, loved the siwak and used it often. He said: "Were it not that it would be hard on my community, I would have commanded them to use the siwak before every prayer" (Bukhari and Muslim). Since he said "every prayer" and did not exclude fasting days, scholars understood that it applies to Dhuhr and Asr in Ramadan too. He also described the siwak as something that purifies the mouth and pleases the Lord.

Some scholars consider it disliked after midday for a fasting person, out of respect for the hadith praising the smell of the fasting person's mouth. Most see no problem at any time; if you are unsure, ask a trusted local scholar.

In practice

• Use it before prayers, on waking and before reading Quran, as you would outside Ramadan.
• If the tip is fresh and leaves a strong taste or loose fibres, spit them out. Do not swallow bits of the stick.
• The natural taste itself does not harm your fast, just as swallowing your normal saliva does not.
• Avoid soaking it in flavoured water during fasting hours.

How to care for your miswak

Peel about one centimetre of bark from the tip and chew it gently until the fibres open like a brush. Brush with up-and-down strokes. Every day or two, trim off the used end to keep it fresh, and store it in a clean, dry case.

Miswak or toothbrush?

Both are fine. The miswak is easy to carry and needs no paste, which makes it practical during fasting hours. A toothbrush with toothpaste is also allowed with care; see brushing your teeth while fasting and does toothpaste break the fast.