Where are my Muslimah Miswak-wielders?

Growing up around practicing Muslimah’s and studying in a girl’s Madrassa, I rarely saw other girls including teachers using the Miswak. It made me think, is the Miswak only for Men? Looking into this further, I found this was definitely not the case!

Islamic teachings emphasise the importance of oral hygiene and more specifically the Miswak for all Muslims. There is no exclusion for women. In fact some of the narrations about Miswak actually come from Muslimahs and not just any Muslimahs.

In a Hadith narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Siwak is a means of purification for the mouth and is pleasing to the Lord."

Let’s go to another narration from Musannaf ibn abi Shaybah: “It is reported that Maymunah’s (May Allah be pleased with her) Siwak was always placed in a container. If she was not engaged in Salah or some other work, she would use the Siwak.”

These narrations from not one but two of our mothers (May Allah be pleased with them both) highlight the importance of using the Miswak! So what is stopping us?

Aside from cultural norms and an absence of knowledge, it's possible some of us feel occupied with other more common good deeds and overlook practices like the Miswak. However, every good deed carries reward and none of us know which of our good deeds could take us to Jannah.

The Miswak is a really easy practice to incorporate, so this is a call to all my sisters: Let’s revive this immensely beneficial Sunnah!