What is the miswak?
ما السواك؟
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Short answer
The miswak is cleaning the mouth with a twig of the arak tree. It is a sunna that was on the Prophet ﷺ's mouth, and it has remained a daily practice of hygiene in many homes to this day.
Detailed answer
The recommendation of the miswak appears in sound hadiths on ablution and night prayer 1. The entry on the miswak sets out its place in the sunna and in custom.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “What is the miswak?”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/questions/what-is-miswak/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-18.