Natural state
Zaid bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of
Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, ‘He who does not
remove bodily hair from below the navel, and does not trim the nails, and does
not trim his moustache, is not one of us.’ i.e. it is against our practice.

To grow the moustache below the lips is forbidden and a sin. Those who grow
their nails long following fashion should be aware that this is a very serious
matter and should be stopped as it is not fit for a Muslim to grow the nails,
we should be representable and an example to the rest.

Natural things
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that, ‘Five are the acts
of fitra (natural inclination): 1) circumcision, 2) removing the hair below
the navel, 3) trimming the moustache, 4) cutting the nails, and 5) plucking
the hair under the arms.’

Before Jumu’ah
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) has related that, ‘The Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) before going to Friday prayer
would clip his nails and moustache.’

Every fifteenth day
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would get his
nails pared every fifteen days.

Do not exceed forty days
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, ‘Do not let forty days elapse
without trimming the moustache and paring the nails.’

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) states that, ‘To trim the moustache and
nails and remove the hair under the arms and the hair below the navel we have
been given a time to take them off, do not leave them for more than forty days
(meaning trim them within forty days).’

When to cut nails
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said that,
‘He who cuts his nails on Friday, will be in Allah’s (The Exalted) protection
for the following week. He who cuts his nails on a Saturday will be spared from
illness, and he who cuts his nails on Sunday will have poverty taken away from
him. If someone is mentally unstable then by cutting his nails on Monday, this
illness will be cured. He who cuts his nails on a Tuesday will also be protected
from illness. It is better not to cut nails on Wednesday as there are hadith
for and against, as Imam Tahawi said, paring nails on Wednesdays can cause leprosy.
To cut nails on Thursday will cure illness such as leprosy. ‘

Once a scholar trimmed his nails on a Wednesday as this hadith was weak (Dhaif)
and not authentic (Sahih). As he did not practise even a weak hadith as a consequence
he became leprosy. That night when he went to sleep he saw the Messenger of
Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in his dream who said that,
‘Did you not hear that I warned you against trimming your nails on Wednesday”
The scholar said, ‘The hadith is weak.’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) said, ‘Was it not sufficient that a hadith had reached
you from me.’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
then wiped his blessed hands over the scholar curing him from his illness. The
scholar repented and said that, ‘I will never go against a hadith.’ Subhanallah!

Method of cutting nails
‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the way of cutting the nails:
FOR THE RIGHT HAND: start of with the index finger, forefinger, ring finger
and little finger, then moving onto the LEFT HAND: little finger, ring finger,
forefinger, index finger, thumb and lastly the thumb of the right hand. Then
to wash the hands after cutting the nails.

Diagrams of hand & feet
EASY METHOD: – Follow the numbering on this picture.

For toe nails – Start with the right foot small toe and proceed until the big
toe, then start with the left foot big toe and & conclude with the small
toe (Semi-circle).
There is no specified way recorded for trimming the nails but it is better to
use the same method that Khilal (wiping in between the toes in ablution) is
done.

Request
It is requested that you also follow this blessed Sunnah and cut your nails
in this manner. The biggest benefit one can gain is that if you teach others
the Sunnah and they act upon it then you will gain the reward for this until
it is practised and passed on, Insha-Allah!

What to do with them’
After cutting the nails and hair of the body, one should collect them all and
bury them, since we all are made from soil and thus the hair and nails should
be put back to the earth.

The consequence of keeping long nails
1. There will be no blessing in your wealth.
2. You will become poor.
3. Illness will plague you.
4. Allah (The Exalted) and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) will be displeased with you.
5. The devil sits on long nails.

Manners of cutting the fingernails & hair

1. To remove the hair directly below the navel, under the arms and to trim
the nails once a week is Mustahab (preferable), it is permissible after fifteen
days and to leave it for after forty days is disliked (Makrooh). It is preferable
on Thursday or Friday as it is stated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) would do this before Jumu’ah Salaah.
2. To wash the fingers after trimming the nails is desirable.
3. Do not bite your nails as it is disliked and a predisposition to infectious
diseases.
4. To get rid of the hair under the navel is Sunnah and the best day is Friday.

5. It is permissible to use hair removal cream.
6. It is Sunnah to pluck and there is no problem in shaving the hair under the
arms.
7. Do not remove the hair from inside the nose as it could affect an illness
of sense. ‘Abd-Allah bin Basheer (may Allah’s Mercy be upon him) said that,
‘Tweezing of the nasal hair can lead to a disease called Aakilah (cancer or
gangrene).’
8. If the eyebrows become long, then to trim them is permissible.
9. To take of hair in any part of the body when in the state of impurity (when
bathing is obligatory) is disliked (Makrooh).
10. The hair and nails should be buried and to flush them is disliked (Makrooh)
as there is a chance of illness spreading.
11. Women should put the hair that has been removed from the head, naval and
under the arm in a place that no non-permissible man can see (Ghair Mehram).
As this is part of the Aurah and should be covered even after removing from
the body.
12. Four things should be buried, blood, hair, nails and the cloth that has
been used for the menstrual period (Haiz).