By Hurreia Balouch
They’re sold at supermarket counters and you can easily spot people sitting at the signal with a miswak in their mouth. Using miswak is Sunnah, especially while fasting, at the time of suhoor, and before sleep and after waking up.
The benefits and importance of miswak can be understood through the following hadith,
The Prophet said: “Were I not afraid that it would be hard on my followers, I would order them to use the siwak (as obligatory, for cleaning the teeth).” [Bukhari]
Here are some benefits that will convince you to adapt this Sunnah:
1. It is an abrasive which means it helps remove stains from teeth.
2. The components in miswak make it an astringent and so it decreases gingivitis.
3. It makes your teeth stronger.
4. It kills gum-disease causing bacteria.
5. It fights plaque.
6. And is a great remedy for cavities.
7. It gets rid of bad breath.
8. Gives a natural and pleasant fragrance to the mouth.
9. It helps you feel fresh.
10. It effectively cleans between the teeth due to the structure of the bristles.
11. It increases salivation in case of dry mouth problems.
12. It improves memory.
13. It cures headaches.
14. It assists in digestion.
15. The reward of salah is multiplied by 70 times if miswak is used before it.
There are countless benefits of miswak and the icing on the cake is that it’s a cheap and organic alternative to using toothpaste.
