English translation
287. It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 'Were it not that it would be too difficult for my Ummah (nation), I would have commanded them to use the tooth stick at every time of prayer.'" (Sahih)
Hadith 287
- English source
Darussalam · Volume 1
(1) The Chapters OfPurification And ItsSunnahSunan Ibn Majah Darussalam English translation
- Arabic source
- Shamela Arabic edition (opens in a new tab)
الحديث: 287 ¦ الجزء: 1 ¦ الصفحة: 105
Al-Albani source references (1)
- صحيح وضعيف سنن ابن ماجة (opens in a new tab)
Source no. 287 · Volume 1 · Page 359
Sahih
صحيح، الإرواء (٧٠) ، صحيح أبي داود (٣٦)
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Arabic text
287 - حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَوْلَا أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي، لَأَمَرْتُهُمْ بِالسِّوَاكِ عِنْدَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ»
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Commentary
'Were it not that it would be too difficult' means the Prophet ﷺ feared that it might become too difficult for his followers to comply with his orders, since there could be occasions when the tooth stick might not be available, or at least not easily available. 'Would have commanded' means that he would have made the use of tooth stick compulsory, since it still enjoys the status of a recommended act. It is not, however, a prerequisite for the validity of ablution. c. The words 'At every time of prayer' means that if the tooth stick was not used before ablution it would have been ordered to use it just before entering the prayer.