بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
I came across a website that was about how flossing every day can change your life. Flosseveryday.com is a very simple, but interesting website. And the simplicity of it made me wonder about it. Can it really be that easy to change your life by doing a simple thing like flossing, every day ?
The Prophet was very keen on teeth hygiene. In fact cleaning his teeth was the last thing he did before he died.
Narrated Aisha:
`Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Bakr entered upon the Prophet (ﷺ) while I was supporting the Prophet (ﷺ) on my chest. `AbdurRahman had a fresh Siwak then and he was cleaning his teeth with it. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) looked at it, so I took the Siwak, cut it (chewed it with my teeth), shook it and made it soft (with water), and then gave it to the Prophet (ﷺ) who cleaned his teeth with it. I had never seen Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) cleaning his teeth in a better way. After finishing the brushing of his teeth, he lifted his hand or his finger and said thrice, "O Allah! Let me be with the highest companions," and then died. `Aisha used to say, "He died while his head was resting between my chest and chin."
The prophet loved cleaning his teeth and he very much wished his followers would have good teeth cleansing practices that would go as far as cleaning the teeth five times a day.
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "If I had not found it hard for my followers or the people, I would have ordered them to clean their teeth with Siwak for every prayer."
Muhammad (ﷺ) was a Siwak brushing enthusiast. Clinical study has shown that the use of Siwak in addition to the toothbrush showed a significant improvement in plaque score and gingival health. I have never really considered adding Siwak to my daily teeth-brushing regimen, but according to studies it is even more effective then flossing, so I have started using it and I feel that my teeth feel smoother then before. The Siwak is really effective in removing plaque, especially in the difficult corners of the teeth and the backside of the front teeth.
Of course adding Siwak and flossing to my teeth-cleaning regimen will take more time. You will have to wake up earlier for example. Benjamin Franklin wrote a book called Early Rising: A Natural, Social, and Religious Duty. In it he mentioned that the early morning had gold in it’s mouth. He himself woke up at 5 am and went to bed at 10 pm. When you go to bed and wake up this early you can have all the time to clean your teeth with both toothbrush, floss and Siwak and find enough time to do all other things you want to do. This is what the floss everyday website promises. Seems like something very simple. Changing your life by something as simple as adding flossing to your daily regimen seems very doable. The thought of becoming a better and healthier Muslim with the aid of something as simple as a Siwak stick is not just doable, but also very romantic. You are literally using the same branch to clean your teeth as the prophet (ﷺ) did, and it works!
Rising up at five to brush, floss and us Siwak for my teeth has definitely helped me write my Friday Ghutba in time. So it is already helping me. And my wish is that it will help you as well.
Wishing you a healthier and more peaceful coming week.
Wa Salaam,
The Healthy Muslimah