Sunnahs of Fitrah (Natural Cleanliness) in the Quran & Sunnah

1. Hold to the fitrah — the nature upon which Allah created mankind.

Allah says:

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚ فِطْرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

So, set your face to the Faith uprightly, this (faith) being the nature designed by Allah on which He has created the mankind. There is no change in Allah’s creation. That is the straight faith, but most of the people do not know. (Surah ar-Rum 30:30)

Lesson: The practices of fitrah are not mere hygiene habits: they belong to the original disposition (fitrah) of the human being, and there is no altering the creation of Allah — this is the upright religion.

1. Five practices are of the fitrah.

“Five are from the fitrah: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, trimming the moustache, and cutting the nails” — and the fifth, plucking the hair of the armpits, is named in the Prophet’s complete list of ten in the next point. These are the core practices of the natural religion.

2. The complete list is ten.

‘Aishah reported: “Ten are from the fitrah: trimming the moustache, letting the beard grow, the siwak, sniffing water into the nose, cutting the nails, washing the knuckle-joints thoroughly, plucking the armpit hair, shaving the pubic hair, and cleansing with water (istinja’)” — and the narrator said he had forgotten the tenth, except that it may be rinsing the mouth.

3. Trim the moustache and let the beard grow.

“Do the opposite of the idolaters: let the beards grow full and trim the moustaches.” The Muslim’s appearance carries this distinction with dignity.

4. Never leave these beyond forty nights.

Anas said: “A time was set for us for trimming the moustache, cutting the nails, plucking the armpits and shaving the pubic hair — that we should not leave them for more than forty nights.” Regular grooming, on a schedule, is the Sunnah.

5. These acts are the way of the prophets — Ibrahim was circumcised at eighty.

“Ibrahim, the close friend of the Most Merciful, was circumcised when he was eighty years old, and he was circumcised with the adze.” The fitrah acts are ancient prophetic practice, not new customs.

6. The siwak belongs to the fitrah — keep it always.

Lesson: The tooth-stick stands inside the ten acts of fitrah; its full etiquette is covered in the Miswak entry of this library.

7. Never shave part of the head and leave the rest — al-qaza‘ is forbidden.

The Prophet ﷺ forbade al-qaza‘: shaving part of the head while leaving a tuft of hair here and there. The Muslim’s appearance is even, clean and dignified.