by Asma bint Shameem
QUESTION
Can I brush my teeth using toothpaste while fasting ?
ANSWER
Yes it is allowed to use toothpaste while fasting. However just be careful that you don't swallow any of it.
Otherwise that will break the fast.
š Shaikh Ibn Baaz said regarding using toothpaste while fasting:
āThere is nothing wrong with that so long as one is careful to avoid swallowing any of it.ā
(Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baz, 4/247)Ā
š¹Want to earn double benefits?
Use the siwaak instead.
This way you get rewards for following the Sunnah AND also get to clean your teeth at the same time!
š¹The Prophet ļ·ŗ LOVED to use the siwaak and would would use it all the time during his day and nights.
In fact he ļ·ŗ loved it so much that he said:
āWere it not that it would cause hardship to my ummah, I would have commanded them to use the siwaak for every prayer.ā
(al-Bukhaari 887)
š¹And he said:
āThe siwaak purifies the mouth and is pleasing to the Lord.ā (al-Nasaaāi- saheeh by al-Albaani)
š Shaykh Ibn Baaz said:
āLikewise, it is legislated for the fasting person to use the tooth stick (miswaak) at the beginning of the day and its end.
Some of the people of knowledge held the view that using the tooth stick is disliked after midday, but this is an incorrect view.
The correct view is that it is not disliked due to the generality of the Prophet's statement:
āThe siwaak is cleansing for the mouth and pleasing to the Lord.ā
(An-Nasa'i with an authentic chain of narration from A'ishah radhi Allaahu anhaa)
It is also due to his statement ļ·ŗ:
āWere I not placing a hardship upon my Ummah, I would have ordered them to use the tooth stick for every prayer.ā
(al-Bukhaari 887 and Muslim 252) and this includes the Dhuhr and Asr prayers, which are both after midday.
And Allaah is the Giver of success.ā
(Fatawa Islamiyah Page 262 Vol: 2)
šŗ Many scholars say that the Sunnah isnāt about the siwaak itself, it is about the act of cleaning the mouth.
The purpose of siwaak is to make the mouth clean and smell fresh, so technically the toothbrush serves the same purpose.
And by doing so, you can achieve the Sunnah.
But you must have the āintentionā to be following the Sunnah in order to be rewarded for it in general.
š Someone asked Shaykh Ibn āUthaymeen:
"Is using toothpaste sufficient instead of Siwaak, and will the person who uses it with the intention of purifying his mouth be rewarded?
Meaning, will it be equal in reward to the use of Siwaak which the Prophet ļ·ŗ encouraged us to use when cleaning our teeth?"
Shaykh Ibn āUthaymeen said:
"Yes, the use of a toothbrush and toothpaste suffices instead of Siwaak; rather, it cleans and purifies more.
Therefore, if a person does so, he will have acted in accord with the Sunnah, because what is important is not the tool but the act and the result.
Using a toothbrush and toothpaste gives a better result than using the Siwaak alone."
(Fataawa Noorun āala Ad-Darb)
šŗ Bad breath during Fasting?!
Some people mistakenly think that the bad breath of the fasting person is a good thing, and they quote the Hadeeth:
"The smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allaah than the smell of musk." (al-Bukhaari 5297)
But that is NOT what the hadeeth is talking about.
The hadeeth is referring to the odor that is the natural result of an empty stomach.
The hadeeth is NOT encouraging a LACK of HYGIENE by not brushing your teeth.
š A man said to Mu'adh Ibn Jabal radhi Allaahu anhu:
"š£š²š¼š½š¹š² š±š¶šš¹š¶šøš² (šÆšæšššµš¶š»š“ ššµš² šš²š²ššµ) š¶š» ššµš² š²šš²š»š¶š»š“ š®š»š± ššµš²š šš®š ššµš² š£šæš¼š½šµš²š ļ·ŗ šš®š¶š±: ššµš² šÆšæš²š®ššµ š¼š³ š® š³š®ššš¶š»š“ š½š²šæšš¼š» š¶š šÆš²ššš²šæ š¶š» ššµš² šš¶š“šµš š¼š³ Allaah ššµš®š» ššµš² šš°š²š»š š¼š³ šŗšššø!"
So Muāaadh radhi Allaahu anhu said:
"Subhaan Allaah! šµš² š°š¼šŗšŗš®š»š±š²š± ššµš²šŗ šš¼ šÆšæšššµ ššµš²š¶šæ šš²š²ššµ šš¶ššµ ššµš² šš¶šš®š®šø š®š»š± šµš² šøš»š¼šš ššµš®š ššµš²šæš² šš¶š¹š¹ šÆš² šÆšæš²š®ššµ š¼š» š® š³š®ššš¶š»š“ š½š²šæšš¼š» š²šš²š» š¶š³ ššµš²š ššš² ššµš² šš¼š¼ššµ ššš¶š°šø! šš² šš®š š»š¼š š¼š»š² šš¼ š°š¼šŗšŗš®š»š± š½š²š¼š½š¹š² šš¼ šŗš®šøš² ššµš²š¶šæ šÆšæš²š®ššµ š¼š±š¼šæš¼šš š¶š»šš²š»šš¶š¼š»š®š¹š¹š!
š§šµš²šæš² š¶š š»š¼ š“š¼š¼š± š¶š» ššµš®š, šæš®ššµš²šæ š¶š š¶š šÆš®š±, except for the one who is tested and tried and canāt find any escape."
(at-Tabarani" 20/133 - Ibn Hajar said the chain is good)
š¹Recommendation:
So how about using both, toothbrush AND siwaak?
Clean your mouth using the toothbrush and toothpaste after Sahoor and before you go to bed.
Use the siwaak with every wudhu. And throughout the day and night, whenever you need it.
This way you get to earn the pleasure of your Rabb
And also get your teeth clean, your mouth fresh.
Alhamdulillaah the best of both.
And Allaah knows best.
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