Praise be to Allaah.
It is
permissible for a fasting person to use miswaak and toothpaste whilst
fasting, so long as he is careful not to swallow anything. In fact using the
miswaak is Sunnah when fasting and otherwise.
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: As for the
miswaak, it is permissible and there is no difference of opinion concerning
that. But they differed as to whether it is makrooh after the sun has passed
the meridian, and there are two well known views, both of which were
narrated from Ahmad. But there is no shar’i evidence suggesting this to be
makrooh which can be regarded as an exception from the general meaning of
the texts about the miswaak. End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra
(2/474).
The scholars
of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:
Can the
fasting person wear perfume? Is it permissible for him to use the miswaak
during the day? Can a woman put henna or oil on her hair?
They replied:
he may put perfume on his clothes or on that which he wears on his head or
body. But he should not put it in his nose.
He may use the
miswaak during the day, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Were it not that it would be too difficult for my
ummah, I would have told them to use the miswaak before every prayer.”
Saheeh – agreed upon. This includes Zuhr and ‘Asr prayer for the one who is
fasting and for others, and we do not know of any saheeh evidence to suggest
that this is not allowed.
A woman may
put on henna or put oil on her hair, because that does not affect the fast.
A man may also apply medicine and so on, even if he is fasting. End quote.
Fataawa
al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(10/328).
Shaykh Ibn
Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on using
toothpaste when fasting?
He replied:
Cleaning the
teeth with toothpaste does not break the fast as is the case with the
miswaak. But one should be careful to avoid letting any of it reach his
throat, but if that happens accidentally then he does not have to make up
the fast. End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (15/260).
And Allaah
knows best.