Welcome to our Blog! In this article, we will show evidence on the permissibility of brushing teeth while fasting as most in the subcontinent consider it to be taboo.
1) Hafidh Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani mentioned :
ﻭﻗﺎﻝ ﺃﺣﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ ﻣﻨﻴﻊ ﺣﺪﺛﻨﺎ اﻟﻬﻴﺜﻢ ﺑﻦ ﺧﺎﺭﺟﺔ ﺛﻨﺎ ﻳﺤﻴﻰ ﺑﻦ ﺣﻤﺰﺓ ﻋﻦ اﻟﻨﻌﻤﺎﻥ ﺑﻦ اﻟﻤﻨﺬﺭ ﻋﻦ ﻋﻄﺎء ﻭﻃﺎﻭﻭﺱ ﻭﻣﺠﺎﻫﺪ ﻋﻦ اﺑﻦ ﻋﺒﺎﺱ ﺃﻥ اﻟﻨﺒﻲ ﷺ ﺗﺴﻮﻙ ﻭﻫﻮ ﺻﺎﺋﻢ
It is narrated in Musnad Ahmad Ibn Manea’ from Aata’, Tawoos and Mujahid that Ibn Abbas narrated :
“The Prophet ﷺ would use siwak (brush) during fast.”
~al-Matalib al-Aaliya bi-Zawaid al-Masaneed al-Thamaniya 1066
• The Muhaqqiq of the book Sa’ad Ibn Nasir al-Shithri said ‘The Sanad is Hasan‘
• Hafidh al-Busairi said all it’s narrators are Thiqah.
2) Allamah at-Tirmidhi mentioned :
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَامِرِ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَا لاَ أُحْصِي يَتَسَوَّكُ وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ..قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ عَامِرِ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ . وَالْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ لاَ يَرَوْنَ بِالسِّوَاكِ لِلصَّائِمِ بَأْسًا إِلاَّ أَنَّ بَعْضَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ كَرِهُوا السِّوَاكَ لِلصَّائِمِ بِالْعُودِ الرَّطْبِ وَكَرِهُوا لَهُ السِّوَاكَ آخِرَ النَّهَارِ وَلَمْ يَرَ الشَّافِعِيُّ بِالسِّوَاكِ بَأْسًا أَوَّلَ النَّهَارِ وَلاَ آخِرَهُ
Aamir Ibn Rabiyyah said : ‘I saw the Prophet ﷺ frequently brushing while he was fasting.’
Abu Eesa at-Tirmidhi said: ‘The Hadith of Aamir Ibn Rabiyyah is Hasan, and this is the Amal of the people of knowledge. They would not see a problem in brushing while fasting except a few who found it makhrooh to brush with a wet brush, and some found it makhrooh to brush at the end of the fast. And ash-Shafi’i would find no problem in brushing at the start of the day or the end of the day.
~Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 725
3) Allamah al-Kulayni (May Allah elevate his name) narrated :
عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَلاءِ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله عَنِ السِّوَاكِ لِلصَّائِمِ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ يَسْتَاكُ أَيَّ النَّهَارِ شَاءَ.
al-Husayn Ibn Abu al-Ala said : I asked Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a.s) about a man who brushes his teeth when fasting. He replied ‘Yes, he may brush his teeth any time of the day.’
~Kitab al-Kafi, vol 4, Book of Fasting, Chapter 31, Hadith no.1
4) Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Shaybah mentioned :
ﻋﻦ ﺃﻳﻮﺏ، ﻋﻦ ﻧﺎﻓﻊ، ﻋﻦ اﺑﻦ ﻋﻤﺮ، «ﺃﻧﻪ ﻟﻢ ﻳﻜﻦ ﻳﺮﻯ ﺑﺄﺳﺎ ﺑﺎﻟﺴﻮاﻙ ﻟﻠﺼﺎﺋﻢ
Nafee’ said : Ibn Umar would find no problem in brushing teeth while fasting.
~Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 9149
عَنْ زِيَادِ بْنِ حُدَيْرٍ، قَالَ: «مَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَدًا أَدْوَمَ سِوَاكًا، وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ مِنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ»
Ziyad Ibn Hudayr said: “I have never seen anyone who used a brush more frequently while fasting than Umar Ibn al-Khattab.”
~Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 9150
حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ شَدَّادٍ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، عَنِ امْرَأَةٍ مِنْهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهَا كُبَيْشَةُ قَالَتْ: جِئْتُ إِلَى عَائِشَةَ، فَسَأَلْتُ عَنِ السِّوَاكِ لِلصَّائِمِ؟ قَالَتْ: «هَذَا سِوَاكِي فِي يَدِي وَأَنَا صَائِمَةٌ»
Kubayshah said: I went to A’isha and asked about the siwak for the fasting person. She replied : “This is my brush in my hand and I am fasting.”
~Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 9152
سُئِلَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ عَنِ السِّوَاكِ لِلصَّائِمِ؟ فَقَالَ: «نِعْمَ الطَّهُورُ اسْتَكْ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ
Ibn Abbas was asked about the brushing for a fasting person. He said: “The siwak is a good purification in all circumstances.”
~Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 9153
حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ مُبَارَكٍ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، «أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَسْتَاكُ مَرَّتَيْنِ غُدْوَةً وَعَشِيَّةً، وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ
Hisham Ibn Urwah said : Urwah Ibn al-Zubayr used to use the brush twice, in the morning and evening, while he was fasting.”
~Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 9154
حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مُغِيرَةَ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ بِالسِّوَاكِ لِلصَّائِمِ
Ibrahim al-Nakhai’i would see no problem in brushing while fasting
~Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 9158
عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، قَالَ: سُئِلَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ عَنْ السِّوَاكِ لِلصَّائِمِ؟ فَقَالَ: «لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ»
Sa’eed Ibn al-Musayyib was about brushing while fasting, He replied “There is no problem in it.”
~Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 9160
5) Yahya Ibn Yahya al-Laythi wrote :
ﻋﻦ ﻣﺎﻟﻚ ﺃﻧﻪ ﺳﻤﻊ ﺃﻫﻞ اﻟﻌﻠﻢ ﻻ ﻳﻜﺮﻫﻮﻥ السواك ﻟﻠﺼﺎﺋﻢ ﻓﻲ ﺭﻣﻀﺎﻥ
Imam Malik said “The people of knowledge approved brushing during fasting.”
~Muwatta Imam Malik, vol 1:311
6) Abd-Allah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said :
ﻗﺎﻝ ﺳﺄﻟﺖ اﺑﻲ ﻋﻦ اﻟﺴﻮاﻙ ﻟﻠﺼﺎﺋﻢ ﻓﻘﺎﻝ ﻻ ﺑﺄﺱ ﺑﺎﻟﺴﻮاﻙ
I asked Ahmad Bin Hanbal about brushing while fasting, he replied : There is no problem in it.
~Masail Imam Ahmad page 163
Thank you for reading!
Haidari Blogs 