The 365 · Sunnah · Day 2 · Morning
Using the Siwāk on Waking
The hadith
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا قَامَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ يَشُوصُ فَاهُ بِالسِّوَاكِ · لَوْلَا أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لَأَمَرْتُهُمْ بِالسِّوَاكِ عِندَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ
Ḥudhayfah narrates: 'Whenever the Prophet ﷺ got up at night, he would clean his mouth with the siwāk.' (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 245.) And: 'Were it not that I would burden my Ummah, I would have ordered them to use the siwāk before every prayer.' (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 887, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 252, narrated by Abū Hurayrah.)
Svenska: Hudhayfah berättar: 'Närhelst Profeten ﷺ steg upp på natten, brukade han rengöra sin mun med siwak.' Och: 'Hade jag inte tyckt det skulle bli för svårt för min ummah, hade jag befallt dem att använda siwak vid varje bön.'
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 245 (Ḥudhayfah, night-rising); Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 887, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 252 (Abū Hurayrah); Bukhārī 4438 (ʿĀ'ishah, Prophet's last siwāk); Nasā'ī 5
The story
ʿĀ'ishah ra. narrated that the last thing the Prophet ﷺ did before he died was use the siwāk. As he was passing away, ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr came in with a fresh siwāk. The Prophet ﷺ looked at it; ʿĀ'ishah understood the look and asked, 'Shall I take it for you?' He nodded. She softened it for him, and he used it. (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4438.) The first sunnah of the morning is also among the last sunan of his life.
Why it's here
The siwāk is the earliest documented dental hygiene tool in human civilization, but in the Prophetic tradition it is more than hygiene. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'The siwāk is a purifier for the mouth and pleasing to the Lord.' (an-Nasā'ī 5, classed ṣaḥīḥ.) The first sunnah of physical purification in the morning is also an act of dhikr: the body is cleaned for the One who is about to be addressed in Fajr.
Try it today
1. Keep a siwāk by your bed (or use a toothbrush as substitute, the principle is mouth-cleaning).
2. Use it the moment you wake, before wuḍū'.
3. Use it again before each ṣalāh. The Prophet ﷺ said he would have ordered it before every prayer if not for the burden.
In your day
A modern toothbrush fulfills the basic principle. For the deeper sunnah, get an actual siwāk (miswak) stick. They are inexpensive and last weeks. Use one before Fajr; use a toothbrush at other times if preferred.
A reflection to carry
Siwāk first thing in the morning. The Prophet ﷺ: 'When the Prophet ﷺ woke up, he would clean his teeth with the siwāk.' (Bukhārī 245, Muslim 255.) The Prophet ﷺ: 'Siwāk is a means of purification for the mouth and pleasure for the Lord.' (Nasāʾī 5.)
Read the longer reflection
The Prophet's ﷺ siwāk-discipline is one of his most documented daily practices. The hadith of the Lord's-pleasure is structurally striking: Allah is pleased with the believer's siwāk. Modern toothbrush use does not invalidate the siwāk-Sunnah; the believer can use both, with siwāk as the Sunnah-act. Cure: keep a siwāk by the bed; first action upon waking is the siwāk; pair with morning ablution for prayer. The Companions kept siwāk in their pockets and used it multiple times daily. Modern application: many religious communities sell siwāk for nominal cost; obtain one and build the daily habit.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Nasai. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
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