A Tale of Two Shaykhs: Yaser Birjas in Madinah

(Special Question asked by Sheikh Yasir Qadhi)
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi had a special question to Shaykh Yaser Birjas, which was broadcasted in our Heavenly Hues class:

“Fellow Haadians, I welcome you all to this beautiful class being taught by our beloved Sheikh and brother, Sheikh Yaser Birjas. Believe me, it gives me great jealousy that you are attending this class right now, I wish that I could be sitting in your seat right here and now to benefit from the prose and wisdom that our dearly beloved Sheikh and brother in Islam, Sh. Yaser Birjas is giving all of you.

My question to you my dear Sheikh is: Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and about your path and journey to Islam, and how you ended up studying Islam and going to the University of Medina? What are the major scholars you studied with and your favorite subject that you took, some of the anecdotes of your personal life, especially the time you spent with our dear Sheikh Muhammad ibn Salih al Uthaymeen, do you have any stories that truly inspires you?

My request to my fellow Haadians is, because I won’t be there to take the answer from our Sh. Yasir Birjas, can you please post the answers on the forums so that all of us can benefit from what he has to say.

Lastly, I advise all of you to “milk” as much as you can out of Sh. Yaser Birjas and benefit from his wisdom. Really and truly, he is one of the greatest source of inspiration and blessings that I, personally, have in this country. May Allah azza wa jal increase him and all of us in their benefit, barakah and knowledge.”

Below is a quick transcription of what he said… please forgive me for the mistakes and for what I couldn’t take down.

We ask Allah ‘Azza wa Jal to accept from our scholars.

“AlhamdullahiRabilalameen

As you know, subhanAllah, every individual has his own moment is life that directed towards this path. I personally remember being in the masajid since I was around 11/12 years old. I joined the masajid in such an early age. Masajid in Muslim countries always full with activities. My coming to the dawah field was during the month of Ramadan. Such a blessing from Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala….we were going to masjid just like the Ramadan kids..so on getting into the masjid, we saw on the side there was a library, all kids jumping, enjoying their time…as kids, we were so curious. All of a sudden one brother came out, with ea beautiful smile and said, would you like to come in?

We felt kind of shy so he said come on in…so we got in. Alhamdulliah I never got out out of that.
We got in there and joined those kids, and we never got out. they were learning about seerah….we start coming everyday, Ramadan finished, just like anybody else, we went back to our old habits for a few days. At some point, one brother came in and he said to me, they’re missing you in the masjid. subhanAllah at that time it hit me, why should we stop? We started joining again…since then, became active in the dawah way.

I learned many dawah techniques the hard way. Being a child…growing up teenager…learned a lot of techniques how to deal with older people, harsh situations, … however, studying Islam was never my idea of being a profession, it was just a hobby. It’s a lifestyle, not a profession…

Therefore I continued with my own passions for engineering. Started with electronic engineering after graduation. Studied for 1.5 years, I lived in Kuwait, taking many classes…Alhamdullilah I was very good in sciences in general .

In 1990 when Saddam invaded Kuwait, everything came to a stop. I was unable to continue my studies…. It was a time for contemplation, looking for an idea in what we need to do… things change suddenly… that developed another passion in my heart. That’s when I started thinking seriously as studying shariah…increasing my eman and knowledge about the deen. After the war in 1991, I got a chance Alhamdullilah to go for Umrah, apply for Madinah, and I didn’t expect to be accepted…but Alhamudllilah we were accepted…

Studying in Madinah… Alhamdulilah in madinah there are an abundance of mashaiekh. It is up to you to go and benefit, or to leave and gain nothing. Alhamdulilah we had opportunity to benefit from mashaiekh.

One thing I learned from this, and I want you also to consider that. When you hear an opportunity that there is a shaykh coming to give a lecture, seminar…whatever activity, don’t let people discourage you. Wallahi you will regret that for the rest of your life.

After we finished the first year in Madinah, Shaykh Uthamin rahimahullah lived about 400 mil from Madinah. After, we asked our senior students who were about to graduate, we think he lives over there… [the seniors told them to go back to their countires to make dawah] for me, it was a disaster. Didn’t benefit as much this summer [for listening to the seniors and not going to study with the Shaykh]

He made decisions no matter how difficult will go to Unayza with Shaykh Uthamin rahimahullah. They went, group fo students about 4-5 of us, and as we went there we asked for accommodations. The Shaykh and two buildings at that time, like dorm for students who live there, but we asked permission to get in there and they said no, sorry, we don’t have space for you. so you stay in the masjid, but the food, you’re welcome. We learned later that that was a technique to filter the students. if you cannot endure the hardships, go home. So we stayed in the masjid for almost a week, eating with the mosquitoes. During that week we used to attend all the programs, and we learned the technique with the Shaykh. During Hajj, Ramadhan and so on, we learned so much from the personal interaction than the academic learning we had in university of Madinah. The shaykh had a lifestyle that is completely amazing. Never seen a shaykh so active, always busy teaching subhanAllah, almost all the moments of his life.

For fajr for instance, he doesn’t allow students to walk with him from his house to the masjid, he walks by himself and barefoot. Why? This is sunnah of the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam that sometimes you do so so that you’ll get a little bit ruff…… for dhur, asr maghrib and ishaa, students would go and wait for him by his door. Once he walks out, the halaqaat begins. Students will be walking, carrying with them recording, for each of them 2-3 minutes they’ll read from the book, shaykh explains that, shaykh answers, next, next next…by the time get to masjid, probably interact with 20 people. Same thing on the way back. Questions, answers, programs, halaqaat. He’s seen people studying books with the shaykh going back and forth with him.

After asr explains Riyad as Saliheenm

After maghirb from sahih Muslim. Between adhan and iqama sahih Bukhari.

During summer: first session: 35 min, second and third 25…last session 10 minutes. There are always some types of beeping when you hear the shaykh giving lecture for the alarm, class end. …..

Makes it easier for the students. once you say 35 minutes…etc…it makes it easier for you to stay until the end of the program. Had a very sophisticated well organized program, rahmatAllahe alayhe. Whenever you get an opportunity and chance to go attend these programs, don’t let someone discourage you. don’t let them say, you don’t have to attend it. If you think you can benefit, Bismillah, go ahead and join.

That second year, he felt so guilty about the previous year. Allahu mustaan..why did we even ask them the question? We should have gone immediately. Since then, every year we go and interact with the Shaykh, meet him … had a lot of experiences in that locale.

One thing also I learned from that experience is that you learn from his manners and etiquette before his knowledge…the way he is with awwam, with students of knowledge, dignitaries…dealing with all these people…one time there was a janaza. While he walks, everyone in town knows him. even the bakers, mechanics, everyone says as salamu alaykum, all the way to the cemetery just giving salamu alaykum.

Even sometimes the shakykh will repeat his salams twice if someone is not paying attention.

Unfortunately, in America we miss that. We don’t have resident scholars who live with us…you make sure you benefit from Shaykh Jamaal Zarabozo (Note: Alhamdullilah the Shaykh moved here recently). Don’t let this opportunity slip from your hand.

My message: please, don’t let anyone discourage you from seeking knowledge. Always aspire to go further in you’re education and increase your eman and if you learn something that you practice what you learn. Wa Allahu ta’ala ‘alam

Q and A with the Shaykh:

-Since Shaykh Uthamin rahimahullah did not live in the west, should we still follow his fatawa since some people say he was not familiar with this area? (the question was something like that)?

The shaykh would know about things going around… students would inform him about what is going on. In the middle of class, the Shaykh would bring information about all around the world…always being informed.
Sometimes he would call some students who were from specific areas to talk to his students. one time we were there and the Shaykh realized that here were no students coming from certain areas and he wanted some of them to inform the students about the condition of the students in his location so he asked one of them to talk and he spoke for about 25 minutes, and the Shaykh commented about what he heard, how students should make duaa for each other, etc.

-Which is better? Finish formal degree here and then go and study shariah, or leave studies, go study shariah and then come back?

Depends on circumstances… he explained that both situations may work.
Wa Allahu ‘alam

Let me tell you one thing about Shaykh Uthamieen: he liked to laugh so much. He would laugh so much, if there wasn’t a wall, he would fall over on his back, rahmatAllahe alayhe.

The shaykh personally has adapted his style… saying “ya jam’aa”—that’s his style rahimahullah. Ya jamaa! Ojeebo!
The style of standing is from Shaykh Al Shinqeeti hafidahullah… students would tell him to sit down when teaching. No. I feel it is not even halal for me to sit down while I am teaching.

Amazing, these ulema moving around, teaching you the deen.

May Allah subhanahu wat a’ala reward them for teaching us the deen. And I am carrying their message to you, so that you may carry it to others bi’idhnillah subhanahu wa ta’ala.”

April 2008: Qabeelat Haadi (SF Bay Area, California AlMaghrib Student Tribe)

I feel this phrase carries a lot of negativity, the kind our sisters already struggling with hijab don’t need at all. We may be passionate about our fellow sisters covering themselves, but we have to be careful in how we respect them. If we really wish for them to one day start covering with hijab, we need rethink the use of this term and phrase altogether.

Firstly, we have to remember to sometimes look at things from others’ shoes. Do you know their heart’s feelings on their desire to practice hijab? Maybe they lack positive encouragement from family or friends, a situation you never have or never will experience. Perhaps this sister has a genuine yearning to begin hijab and has come close to doing so many times, but is turned off by negativity such as this phrase and ultimately gives up.

Or maybe the sister is on the verge of making a major change in her life and is slowly increasing in her closeness to Allah (SWT), a change the likes of which you have no knowledge of at all. Whatever the case may be, there’s much more going on with these sisters than you think, and you can’t simply judge them off so easily without taking a walk in their shoes.

There’s also a possibility this sister is struggling with this part of the Deen. Mankind by nature struggles to perform duties on a day-to-day basis, and every Muslim struggles to worship Allah, some more than others. You can’t ever forget this, especially in light of our fellow Muslim sisters. Sisters who are having difficulty with hijab should be told that it’s completely okay to struggle, and not have their inner battles be turned into mockery.

Sure, you may see a Muslimah who doesn’t wear hijab as well as you she really should, but assigning her the label “convertible hijabi” isn’t going to help any. It’s simply going to make things worse and paint a picture of hopelessness to our potential future covered hijabi.

Lastly, instead of writing her off as an evil sinner, realize that she has inner good within herself. Think about it. Sure she might only cover when she’s praying or during Qur’anic recitation at wedding parties, but isn’t that a good thing? It shows that even though she’s not covering herself all the time, she still has something good within her. MashaAllah, that is amazing. So many Muslim women around the world straight up hate, mock, or reject hijab, and are rarely seen wearing it, let alone praying or practicing Islam at all. This sister, on the other hand, is much better. So instead of attacking her weakness, empower her strengths.

Remind her about that feeling that comes when she is covered up praying to Allah. Or the chills down her back when praying taraweh at her masjid with her family and friends. Ask her to think about extending those feelings from once in a while to every single day of her life. She’s probably never thought about it that way, let alone been approached in such a positive way. Encouraging people will win by land slides over insulting them.

So let’s think twice about our negative use of the term “convertible hijabi” in our day-to-day Muslim community vernacular. Not only is it a negative phrase, it brings about a negative mindset. Instead, let’s say “potential hijabi” and move towards motivating this practice of Islam for our sisters and away from complicating it for them.

I ask Allah ‘azza wa jal to make it easy for the sisters struggling to one day being properly wearing hijab. If you’re a sister and you’ve been struggling with hijab, I ask that Allah empowers you to begin easily. You have the inner goodness to do so, and inshaAllah one day you’ll find it and use it to start wearing hijab forever.

*Article is from Islamica Magazine and has been pasted below.

Rethinking the Importance of Structure

by AZHAR USMAN (more…)

Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The believer eats in one stomach whilst the kaafir eats in seven.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5081) and Muslim (2060).

He also said: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1381), Ibn Maajah (3349); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2265).

And, of course:

“Do not let your eyes be bigger than your stomach.” - Shaykhah Fulaanah bint al-Fulaan, in al-Kitaab al-Adab al-Akl (volume 3, pg. 342).

As business analysts appear on the media almost every single hour preaching their ‘economic wisdom’ to the layman, it has become a common knowledge now, at least for observers, that there is a serious problem in the world economic system. This problem, as controlled by and economy running on capitalism and free markets, has become systematic and cannot be tolerated any more. Ok, this is not a call for socialism or communism, nor it is a leftist conspiracy against globalization or a call for policing the economy, but even if you were the least bit interested person in business and economy, or someone who hates numbers, charts and figures, this current crises should concern you as it affects your life directly and indirectly.

Since the beginning of this current rise in gas prices, how often have you been monitoring gas price signs on the gas station next to your home, business or even school? You probably never even noticed the sign or the gas station ever existed until you became concerned with the issue. Have you noticed that gas prices have changed your daily driving habits? Now at least, you keep looking at the gas gauge more often than you used to do before, and you probably have started to plan your refueling trips more carefully.

Oil prices today are causing greater threat to global stability because of the pressure placed on the world food market. If you live in the west or any country with a rich economy, you could feel that your dollar value has shrunk dramatically. Remember the good old days, when you used to get out of the Wal-Mart on a shopping spree with a cart full with all these goodies for less than a hundred dollars?! Well, it’s getting harder today to enjoy the same old habits without feeling the pain creeping out of your heart before your pocket. Starbucks is closing 600 of its locations because common people decided to cut down on unnecessarily expenses; after all coffee is coffee anyways. In addition, whether it was Starbucks or Seven Eleven; it will now, even if you had doubts before, taste the same. For people living in countries of poor economies, the dream of immigrating up north or to the west is becoming more of a necessity than fantasy. The harsh conditions of their daily life activities and the struggle to survive in this age of global economical inflation make one wonder if we were on the verge of global uprising, or massive human disaster.

So, what is the problem then? (more…)

God strikes a parable about His light within the heart of His servant, which only the learned understand: ‘God is the light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is a niche in which there is a lamp. The lamp is in a Glass, the Glass, like a glistening star, kindled from a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil well nigh glows though no fire has touched it: light upon light. God guides to His light whom He wills, and God strikes parables for human beings, and God knows all things.‘ [Qur’an 24:35]

(more…)

Masha’Allah, there is a strong tradition of Muslim women studying the Deen and teaching it to their sisters in China’s Hui region, where the majority of Chinese Muslims can be found.

YINCHUAN, June 23 (Xinhua) — At a tiny courtyard mosque in China’s most populous Muslim region, Jin Meihua leads other women in prayer and chants.

Every day, the 44-year-old dons a black robe and violet scarf and preaches to dozens of women at the Little White Mosque in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous region, where most of the country’s Islam-faith Hui ethnic minority live.

Jin has a routine life. “Except attending funerals, I always stay in the mosque, teaching the female Muslims Islamic scriptures.”

She is a female imam or “ahong,” pronounced ah-hung, from the Persian word “akhund” for “the learned.” In China, a female imam is an innovation, despite being rare in Arabic countries.

Jin has 15 students, mostly middle-aged and elderly people. They learn slowly and need two years to grasp “The Holy Qu’ran.”

“Many female Muslims do not have the benefit of a school education. Although they are Muslims, they know nothing about the Qu’ran. I want to teach them the holy scriptures and hope they can be inspired and think independently,” she said.

“Women ahong are the best qualified to do this because they can communicate with the female faithful in ways the male ahongs can’t.”

As early as the late Ming dynasty (around the 17th century), the faithful had set up female Muslim schools around the country. These turned into female mosques operated by women imams in late Qing dynasty (around the 19th century).

The practice of female imams then spread to all the Chinese Muslim societies, said Shui Jingjun, a Henan Provincial Academy of Social Sciences researcher.

In the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), religion was banned. It was revived in the 1980s, increasing the numbers of Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims and Christians, among others. The government’s push for gender equality helped broaden Muslim women’s roles.

However, China’s women imams are not equal with the male prayer leaders. They do not lead salat — the five daily prayers considered among the most important Muslim obligations. The prayers are instead piped via loudspeakers into the female mosques from the nearby male ones.

Still, the female imams guide others in worship and are the primary spiritual leaders for the women in their communities. In the female mosque, the female Muslims can learn the Qu’ran and the Islamic doctrines, as well as the Arabic language.

“The appearance of female mosque and female imams has met the female Muslims’ demand for religious knowledge and promoted harmony in the Muslim society,” said Hei Fuli, vice chairman of the Islamic Association of Ningxia. “The Arabic teachings have also enriched their lives.”

Currently, Ningxia has more than 80 female imams. There are more than 3,600 registered mosques and 6,000 ahongs in the region, he said.

Unlike most of her classmates who went to the coastal areas as translators, Zhao Dongmei, 21, a graduate from the Tongxin County Arab Language School in 2005, chose to be a female imam in Yuanzhou District, Guyuan City. Here, nearly half of the population is Muslim.

The timid girl with a mauve scarf and a pair of glasses, received her imam certificate issued by the local Islamic association before graduation. She became a female imam in the female mosque a month after marriage.

“I teach 10 young girls Arabic and Islamic scriptures. They all come from the countryside,” Zhao said, adding, “They can further their studies, be translators or spread what they have learned in their villages.”

Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim discusses the role of women in the history of Islamic scholarship, and reminds us of the need for similar women today. May Allah strengthen the women of this Ummah and increase us in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of the Deen, ameen!

Where Are the Women Scholars? by Yahya Ibrahim

1. The Book of Knowledge - Abu Khaythama an-Nasa’ee (d. 234AH)
2. Knowledge Mandates Action - Khateeb al-Baghdadi (d. 436AH)
3. The Superiority of the Knowledge of the Predecessors - Ibn Rajab (d. 795AH)

The books are light reading and contain many narrations regarding seeking knowledge. I thought it would be beneficial to post a few select narrations from each book that I felt really stood out from the general narrations we usually hear in regards to this topic.

I do recommend getting the books, they are nice to have and serve as a good reminder before getting ready to take a class or Islamic course. The books contain a lot of notes regarding the sources of the quotes and their authenticity so you can get that information there. In this post, I will simply be putting the quote along with who said it. I will start things off with my favorite quote out of the whole set:

Ali (ra),

Shall I not inform you of the true faqeeh? He is the one who doesn’t cause the people to despair from the mercy of Allah, nor does he allow an individual to commit disobedience to Allah, nor does he leave off the Quran, turning towards something other than it. Indeed, there is no good in any act of worship that has no knowledge in it, nor is there any good in knowledge that does not have understanding in it, nor is there any good in recitation of the Qur’an that has no tadabbur (reflection) to go along with it. (more…)

]]> http://muslimmatters.org/2008/07/08/classical-advices-on-knowledge/feed/ http://muslimmatters.org/2008/07/02/ya-abed-al-haramain-the-story-behind-the-song/ http://muslimmatters.org/2008/07/02/ya-abed-al-haramain-the-story-behind-the-song/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:04:15 +0000 AnonyMouse http://muslimmatters.org/2008/07/02/ya-abed-al-haramain-the-story-behind-the-song/   Many of us have no doubt heard the classic Arabic nasheed known as “Ya Abed al-Haramain” - even for those like me who can’t understand the Arabic, just the sounds of the words and the way they’re uttered strike a chord within us.

Al-Hamdulillaah, I just recently found an English translation of the nasheed and - better yet! - the story behind the song. Here it is below, for those like me who love the great tales of the ‘abideen and mujahideen, whose histories are a shining inspiration for us all.

Ya Abed al-Haramain

In Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir (specifically his chapter on the last ayaat of Surah al-Imraan), he mentions the following story:

Al-Hafiz ibn `Asakir mentioned in the biography of `Abdullah bin al-Mubarak, that Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Abi Sakinah said,

“While in the area of Tarsus, `Abdullah bin al-Mubarak dictated this poem to me when I was greeting him goodbye. He sent the poem with me to al-Fudhayl bin`Iyad in the year 170:

O Worshipper of the Two Holy Masjids!
Had you witnessed us in the battlefield
You would have known that, compared to our Jihad,
Your worship is child’s play.
For every tear you have shed upon your cheek,
We have shed in its place, blood upon our chests.
You are playing with your worship,
While worshippers offer your worship
Mujahideen offer their blood and person (life).
The smell of nice perfume of is for you,
And our perfume is the dust and dirt (which is more pure),
And it has reached us from the sayings of our Prophet,
The martyr is not dead,
This is a true correct saying, in which there is no lie.
The dust of the people of Allah is never equal,
To a thousand men, whilst the smoke is climbing.
This is the book of Allah between us,
The martyr is not dead - and this is no lie.

“I met al-Fudayl ibn `Iyad in the Sacred Masjid and gave him the leter. When he read it, his eyes became tearful and he said, ‘Abu `Abdur-Rahman (`Abdullah bin al-Mubarak) has said the truth and offered sincere advice to me.’ He then asked me, ‘Do you write the Hadeeth?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Write this Hadeeth as reward for delivering the letter of Abu `Abdur-Rahman to me.’ He then dictated,

‘Mansur bin al-Mu`tamir narrated to us that Abu Saalih narrated from Abu Hurayrah that a man asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Teach me a good deed that will earn me the reward of the Mujahideen in Allah’s cause.’

The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Are you able to pray continuously and fast without breaking the fast?’ The man said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! I cannot bear it.’

The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said,

‘By He in Whose Hand is my soul! Even if you were able to do it, you would not achieve the grade of the Mujahideen in Allah’s cause. Did you not know that the horse of the Mujaahid earns rewards for him as long as it lives?’” [Ahmad]

YouTube Direktvideo link

Note: The authenticity of the story is doubted; however, I thought it’d be interesting to mention it anyway considering it’s presence in Tafsir Ibn Kathir and the popularity of the nasheed itself.

]]> http://muslimmatters.org/2008/07/02/ya-abed-al-haramain-the-story-behind-the-song/feed/ http://muslimmatters.org/2008/06/28/revive-a-sunnah-brush-your-teeth/ http://muslimmatters.org/2008/06/28/revive-a-sunnah-brush-your-teeth/#comments Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:56:46 +0000 AnonyMouse http://muslimmatters.org/2008/06/28/revive-a-sunnah-brush-your-teeth/ Morning breath, masaalah breath, just plain ol’ bad breath - problems that have plagued mankind since the dawn of time, and for which solutions are touted aplenty. Electric toothbrushes, mouthwash, breath mints… the companies producing them make pretty brisk business!

For Muslims the issue is more serious than for others, since the importance of overall hygiene - and specifically oral hygiene - is strongly emphasized in the Sunnah of our beloved Rasool (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). And as with everything else, the best of solutions lies not in the latest bacteria-fighting invention, but in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

So what, you ask, is the solution presented to us 1400 years ago? It is called… the siwaak. Basically, it’s a twig taken from certain kinds of trees and usually available at your local masjid, Islamic centre, halaal-imports/ exports/ meat/ corner store, and generous uncles who always have a spare in their shalwar kamees pocket 

Better than a toothbrush any day - because it’s 100% natural and environmentally friendly, and doesn’t need a cumbersome routine involving toothpaste and water to rinse (not to mention mentally humming “Twinkle twinkle little star” so that you remember how long you’re supposed to brush) - the practice and benefits of the tooth stick are well-documented.

Far more importantly, however, is simply the fact that using the siwaak was something the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) loved to do, and urged his Ummah to do, whether at home, at the Masjid, or alone.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Were it not for the fact that I did not want to make things too hard for my ummah, I would have commanded them to use the siwaak at every time of prayer.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2/299 and Muslim, 1/151). According to another report narrated by al-Bukhaari, he said: “…at every time of making wudoo’.”

‘Aa’ishah was asked what the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did when he first came home. She said, “When he entered his house, the first thing he would do was to use the siwaak.” (Reported by Muslim, 1/220).

When getting up from sleep. Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got up during the night, he would clean his mouth thoroughly with the siwaak. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1/98 and Muslim, 1/220)

Here’s a lesser-known hadeeth regarding the siwaak and its spiritual as well as physical effects.

As soon as the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) got up for Qiyam al-Layl, he would brush his teeth with a siwaak and perform wudhu, he (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “When one of you gets up to pray at night, let him use a siwaak (to clean his teeth), because when he recites during the prayer, the angel puts his mouth over his, so that nothing leaves his mouth but will enter into the angel’s mouth.” [(saheeh) by Shaikh al-Albanee (al-Bayhaqee and others)]

So what are you waiting for? Go and brush your teeth!

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