PURITY SECTION · 29 – USING A MISWAK IS INNATE (or NATURAL).
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stated:
Ten things are in accordance with fitra [natural disposition]: trimming the mustache, letting the beard grow, using a siwak, drawing water into the nose during ablution, clipping the nails, washing between the fingers, plucking the armpit hair, shaving the pubic area and sprinkling water upon it – meaning purification – and rinsing the mouth.
Zuhayr said: Mus’ab said: I forgot the tenth, but it could be mazmaza [rinsing the mouth].
**Note:** This hadith is repeated at number 4198.
These ten practices were also observed by previous prophets.
One of the great prophets, Ibrahim (peace be upon him), was commanded with these ten practices. It was made obligatory for Rasūl-i Kibrīyā [the Most Noble Messenger], who descended from the lineage of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to perform these ten things. However, for us, they are Sunnahs [practices].
1 – Trimming the mustache: The mustache should be trimmed so that it does not hang over the lips, shortened to the length of the eyebrows on the upper lip. It is disliked [makruh] to let them grow out to cover the lips unless there is a compelling reason like warfare.
2 – Letting the beard grow: This is among the Sunnahs of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The beard of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was about the length of a fist, and he would trim it. More than the length of a fist should be trimmed from the beard. Anything shorter than a fist is not in accordance with the Sunnah.
Dyeing the beard black is disliked [makruh].
It is also inappropriate to pluck out white hairs on the beard. For those white hairs are the light of the believer. However, it has been stated in “Durr-ul Muhtar” that there is no harm in doing so.
3 – Using a siwak.
4 – Drawing water into the nose three times during ablution. Drawing water into the nose during ghusl [ritual bath] is obligatory according to Imam al-Awwal.
5 – Clipping the nails: This is a Sunnah. It is disliked [makruh] to let them grow for about forty days. The nails should be clipped every Friday afternoon. Dirt and impurities should not be allowed to accumulate under the nails.
Both men and women should adhere to this Sunnah. Using nail polish that prevents water from reaching the nails obstructs both ablution and ghusl. However, during warfare, one may let their nails grow in order to defend themselves by scratching an enemy’s face.
The nails can also be clipped on other days besides Friday, as long as they do not become excessively long and unsightly.
6 – Washing between the fingers is also a Sunnah. For these joints are breeding grounds for dirt and germs.
7 – Plucking armpit hair: It should be done as often as possible so that the hair does not grow out. The Children of Israel did not pay attention to cleanliness of the armpits. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Cleanse your armpits and pubic area. The Children of Israel failed to do this, so their women succumbed to immorality.”
Plucking armpit hair can be harmful; if it is painful, shaving may suffice as a substitute for plucking, thereby achieving cleanliness.
8 – Shaving the pubic area: This is like the armpit hair. However, one should not shave either the armpits or the pubic area while being in a state of ritual impurity [janaba], but rather after performing ghusl, because every part of a believer’s body that is cut off is buried in the earth. And it must be clean when buried. Otherwise, it may complain to its owner.
9 – Using water for purification is also a Sunnah. This is referred to as intiqā’.
10 – Rinsing the mouth during ablution. Drawing water into the mouth during ghusl is obligatory according to Imam al-Awwal.
The narrator Mus’ab bin Shayba forgot the tenth Sunnah and thought it was mazmaza [rinsing the mouth]. However, Qadi Iyaz notes that in another narration beginning with "Five things are Sunnahs," the circumcision (sunnah) is mentioned as the tenth sunnah.
Circumcision for children is part of the Islamic rites. Because it is a rite of Islam, some scholars hold the view that it is obligatory [wajib].
There is no specific day for circumcision. It can be performed after the birth of the child, between the seventh day and ten years of age.
It is not appropriate to perform circumcision on the seventh day because:
The Children of Israel circumcise their children on the seventh day; to avoid resembling them, it should not be done on that day.
Circumcision should not be delayed until the onset of puberty.
There is no need to re-circumcise boys who are born already circumcised.
From Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) it is narrated that:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Drawing water into the mouth and nose is a Sunnah."
Ammar b. Yasar recounted the previous hadith verbatim, but did not mention letting the beard grow, and added to the sunnahs [practices]. He did not mention purification with water, instead mentioning sprinkling water.
Ibn Abbas said:
“There are five sunnahs. All of them are on the head.”
In his narration, Ibn Abbas mentioned parting the hair in the middle but did not mention letting the beard grow.
Abu Dawud said:
A hadith similar to Hammad’s hadith was narrated by Talk bin Habib from Mujahid and Bekr bin Abdullah bin Muzina. In their narrations, it was stated that letting the beard grow was not mentioned. In the hadith of Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abi Maryam, relayed through Abu Salama, who relayed it from Abu Huraira, who relayed it from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the matter of letting the beard grow is mentioned.
In a similar narration from Ibrahim an-Nahai, the matter of letting the beard grow and circumcision (sunnah) was mentioned.
**Note:** This hadith corroborates Hadith number 53 as narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). The difference lies in that Hadith 53 mentions "letting the beard grow," while this hadith substitutes it with “mazmaza [rinsing the mouth].”
Hadith 53 does not mention circumcision. This hadith adds the term "circumcision."