Islam is a religion that encourages their people to keep on cleanliness and purifications. As muslims we also know that before performing prayer or worship, we must in a cleans and pure state.
That is why before performing prayer muslims should take an ablution. As mentioned in the following verse of Al-Qur’an :
“Do not stand (for prayer) within in – ever. A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves.” (QS. At-Tawbah : 108)
Allah SWT loves someone who take good care of their cleanliness and purity both physically and spiritual.
“O you who have believed, when you rise to (perform) prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves.
But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the pace of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it.
Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, bu He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.” (QS. Al-Ma’idah : 6)
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It means that in Islam it is important to be clean, in any kind of way muslims could purify theirselves. Not only our body, but our cloth, environment or surrounding, and of course our minds. Rasulullah SAW also said about keeping cleanliness in the following hadiths :
“Cleanliness is half of the faith.” (Narrated by Muslim)
“The key to the prayer is cleanliness, its beginning is takbir (saying Allahu Akbar) and its ending is Salam (salutation).” (Narrated by Abu Dawud)
Islamic though always reinforce their people to maintain their personal hygiene at all time, and it already written in the above verses and hadiths.
Cleanliness is compulsary and scholars says that it including of three kinds purification (ablution before performing prayer), keeping surrounding (body, clothing, environment) to be clean, and removing any dirt in various part of our body including mouth, teeth, nose, nails, pubic area, and many others. Also read : law of cutting hair while fasting
Rules of Cutting Nails in Islam
Nails is a part of our body that has a direct contact to our food (finger nails). Growing nails is not recommended by Islamic thought since there is more harm than the benefits itself. As a good muslims we should give a good representation to the others. Therefore these are the rules of cutting nails :
1. Cutting nails is a human nature
To cut nails is a human fitrah according to Islam, which means that it is a human instinct to do that, even it is not been commanded by others. Since growing our nail will give us discomfort when reaches a certain point. We need our hand to eat, comb our hair or do another things. Keep our nails longer will inhibit mobility. From Abu Hurairah, Rasullulah said that :
“Five practices are of the fitrah (natural disposition) : circumcision, shaving the pubic area, cutting nails, and cutting the moustaches short. (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)
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[AdSense-B]
2. Start with the right
Aisyah said that :
“Rasulullah SAW used to like to start on the right when putting on shoes, combing his hair, purifying himself, and in all his affairs.”
From the scholars said also that cutting nails from right first is equal to sunnah (recommended), both in the hands and feet. It is mustahab (favoured actions) to perform that way, from the right hand, to left hand, and right foot to left foot.
3. Start with hand
It is recommended to cut the hand nails before the feet as said by Al-Nawawi :
“It is mustahab to start with the hands before the feet, and to start with forefinfer of the right hand, then middle finger, then ring finger, then the pinkie finger,
then the thumb, then move to the left hand and start with the pinkie finger, the ring finger, until all the fingers are done, then to move to the right foot and start with the smallest toe on the right foot and end with the smallest toe on the left foot. And Allah knows best.”
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4. Recommended to perform in Friday
All days is same in Islam, but friday is the virtous one, from Abu Dharr, Rasulullah said :
“Whoever takes a bath on a Friday and does it well, and purifies himself and does it well, and puts on his best clothes, and puts on whatever Allah decrees for him of the parfume of his family,
then comes to the mosque and doest not engage in idle talk or separate (pushin between) two people; he will be forgiven (his sins) between that day and the previous Friday.” (Narrated by Ibn Majah)
5. Do it every 15 days
According to the practice of the prophet that always cut his nails every 15 days. It is recommended since the nails will be long enough in this ammount of time.
6. Recommended not to exceed 40 days
“We have set a time for shaving mustaches, cutting nails, pulling underarm hair, and shaving pubic hair so we don’t let it grow more that 40 nights.” (Narrated by Anas bin Malik)
From the above hadith Rasulullah SAW set a better time suggested for cutting nails which is not exceeding 40 days. But if muslims surpass the time it does not mean it strictly forbidden.
7. Recommended to buried the nails been cut
Form a hadith narrated by Al-Baihaqi, the Prophet ordered to burried nails and hair after been cut to avoid from bad things like magic.
Al-Hafitz Rahimahulullah said :
“People who have been different in your mahzab also like to buried hair and nail clippings since those things is a part of the human being itself”.
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8. Allowed to get help from others
If someone feel trouble on cutting their nails, it is allowed to get help from other people. Since it make them easier to perform that. [AdSense-C]
9. Allowed to cut nails while fasting
There are no prohibition of cutting nails while fasting, since maintain cleanliness is a half of faith which means muslims are encourages to kept away their body, clothes, and surrounding from dirt. Especially while fasting, since nails is always have a direct contact with everything we touch including food and it will help us to be hygiene.
Another rules of cutting nails in Islam is as follow:
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