Morocco Time

I got on a Google tear about this whole tooth-brushing thing during Ramadan, and discovered that it’s ok, if you don’t swallow water. That’s not the funny part. The hilarious thing is that the alternative for a toothbrush, the miswaak, which is a little stick used for cleaning the teeth, has all kinds of hadith, sunnah, rules, and prohibitions.

Q : Is it permissible to put a miswaak flat down, i.e. not standing it up?

A : A miswaak should be placed erect, not horizontally. It is in conflict with the Sunnah to put it down flat. Doing so can impair the mind according to the Hadith.

I was in hysterical tears of laughter at this point, but it gets better.

• Miswaak increases the Thawaab (reward) of Salaat (prayer) from seventy times to four hundred times.’
• Miswaak is a factor which will earn higher ranks in Jannat for the one who uses it.
• Miswaak (i.e. its constant use) will be ~ factor to ease the pangs of Death. The continuous use of the Miswaak makes it easy for the Rooh (Soul) to depart from the body when its appointed time arrives. (SHARHUS SUDOOR)
• The Miswaak should not be used while one is lying down.