Madani pearls regarding the Miswak

Firstly, two sayings of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم:

1.         Two Rak’at offered after using the Miswak, are better than 70 Rak’at offered without Miswak. (Attargheeb Wattarheeb, pp. 102, vol. 1, Hadees 18)

2.         Make use of the Miswak necessary upon yourselves, because in this lies the cleanliness of the mouth and a cause for (attaining) the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ. (Musnad Imam Ahmad, pp. 438, vol. 2, Hadees 5869)

3.         A Miswak should be from Zaytoon, or Neem, or similar trees/plants having a bitter taste.

4.         The thickness of the Miswak should be equal to the thickness of the little finger.

5.         It should not be longer than one’s hand span, as Satan sits on it.

6.         The strands of the Miswak should be soft; otherwise, they might cause spaces between the teeth and gums.

7.         If the Miswak is fresh then it is excellent; otherwise soak it in a glass of water until it becomes soft.

8.         Trim the strands everyday as they are beneficial only as long as they have some bitterness.

9.         Brush your teeth horizontally with the Miswak.

10.      Always brush your teeth with the Miswak in three cycles.

11.      Rinse it after each cycle.

12.      Hold the Miswak in the right hand in such a manner that the little finger remains beneath it and the middle three fingers remain over it while the thumb is also beneath pointing towards the top (near the soft strands that are used to brush the teeth).