both the right and left sides are involved should begin with the right when they are of an honorable nature, such as ablution, ritual bathing, beginning with the right side when using the siwāk or plucking the armpit hair, dressing, putting on shoes, combing the hair, entering the mosque or the home, leaving the lavatory, and similar actions.

The left takes precedence in the opposite cases, such as entering the lavatory, removing shoes, and leaving the mosque. As for actions performed with only one hand, those of an honorable nature are done with the right, such as eating, drinking, shaking hands, handing over and receiving books, and similar actions. Those of the opposite nature are done with the left, such as cleansing oneself with stones, touching the penis, expelling water from the nose, blowing the nose, and similar actions.

If it is argued:

“Using the siwāk is an act of worship in its own right, prescribed when rising for prayer even if no dirt is present; and an act of worship in its own right is performed with the right hand.”

The response is:

Neither premise is conceded. Using the siwāk was prescribed precisely to remove what is inside the mouth, and scholars agree upon this rationale. This is why it is prescribed following things that cause changes in the mouth, such as sleep and loss of consciousness, and before acts of worship for which purification is prescribed, such as prayer and recitation. Since the mouth is liable to such changes, using the siwāk is prescribed when