(1) The sixth Imam (PBUH) said...

(1) The sixth Imam (PBUH) said: Brushing the teeth and oral hygiene is the attributes of divine Prophets. (2) Imam Baqir (PBUH) said: If the people only knew how beneficial a toothbrush is, they would take it to bed with them. (3) Imam Sadiq (PBUH) was asked: Are all the people human? He answered: Yes, except for those who do not brush their teeth. (4) The Prophet (PBUH&HP) said: Gabriel recommended me to brush my teeth so much that I feared I would lose all my teeth if I do not brush.

(5) In another statement, he said: Gabriel continuously recommended me to brush my teeth, so much so that I thought He wants to make brushing my teeth obligatory. (6) Imam Sadiq (PBUH) said: “There are twelve benefits in brushing your teeth. It is religious. It cleans your mouth. It improves your sight. It pleases Almighty Allah. It brightens your teeth and prevents tooth decay. It strengthens your gum and improves your appetite.

It removes mucus from the digestive system and improves your memory and adds to the goods and it pleases the angels. (7) Professional doctors and specialists in the field of mouth and teeth today state that we must brush our teeth slowly from its width for a few minutes. There is a very important tradition from the Prophet (PBUH&HP) which considers the time of his Prophethood as one of his scientific miracles.

Brush your teeth vertically, and do not do it horizontally (brush the width of your teeth, not their length). (8) The Prophet (PBUH&HP) used to brush his teeth three times each night: once before going to bed, once when he got up to recite the Holy Quran and once before going to the mosque for the morning prayer. He used to brush with wood from Arak since Gabriel had instructed so.

(9) Orderliness and Hygiene in Food Our bodies’ amazing digestive system, our mouths and teeth, and our desire to eat food and drink are of the great favours of Almighty Allah bestowed upon us. There are many important decrees in the Holy Quran and sources of Islamic traditions that are issued regarding how to obtain food legitimately and how to use it to guarantee our physical and mental health. This will also result in the family’s and society’s health.

It seems that some of these are religiously obligatory, some are morally obligatory, and some are strongly recommended. Disobeying those decrees which are religiously obligatory is forbidden and shall cause retribution in the Hereafter.