Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Azaadville

Is the modern toothbrush a substitute for the miswaak?

Published as Using A Toothbrush As A Substitute For The Miswaak

· 7 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1443 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

Is the modern toothbrush a substitute for the miswaak?

Answer

The toothbrush cannot replace a Miswaak. With regards to cleaning the mouth, there are two Sunnats, one is to use the specific stick (Miswaak), and the other Sunnat is to clean the mouth. If a person doesn’t have a Miswaak then if a person uses a toothbrush or his finger with the intention of a replacement, then in this case, he will get the reward of cleaning the mouth but will not get the reward of using the Miswaak.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

ولا يقوم الاصبع مقام الخشبة فان لمم توجد الخشبة فحينئذ يقوم الاصبع من يمينه مقام الخشبة كذا في المحيط و الظهيرية

(الفتاوى الهندية ج١ ص ٦)

وتقوم الاصبع او الخرقة الخشبة مقامه عند فقده او عدم اسنانه في تحصيل الثواب لا عند وجوده

( البحر الرائق ج١ ص ٢١)

فتح القدير ج ١ ص ٢٥

حلبى كبير ص ٣٣

حاشية الطحطاوى على الدر ج١ص ٧٠

رد الحتار ج ١ ص ١١٥

Approved by
Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
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Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

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Source: Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Azaadville — https://www.iftadua.co.za/using-a-toothbrush-as-a-substitute-for-the-miswaak/14696/
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/azaadville-14696

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