Five Things are Parts of One's Fitrah

Abû Hurayrah s reported, "The Prophet said, "Five things are parts of one's fitrah (human nature): circumcision, shaving pubic hairs, trimming one's moustache, removing hairs from one's underarms, and trimming nails."

Explanation of the Hadîth

There are five acts that a human naturally observes, even if not being taught so.
First: Circumcision

Circumcision is the removal of a fold of skin (the foreskin) that covers the head of the male's penis. For a female, it is the removal of a minuscule segment of skin from the female
' Reported by al-Bukhârî, hadîth no. 5889, 5891, 6297. The hadîth was also reported by Muslim, at-Tirmidhî, an-Nasâ'î and Abû Dâwûd.
prepuce (the extra outer portion of the clitoris). It is done for both males and females, as genital hygiene is much easier after circumcision. The Prophet recommended circumcision as he said,
"Circumcision is Sunnah for men and a virtuous" act for women. Circumcision is considered as a Sunnah for the Muslims. Ash-Shâfi i school recommended it be done on the 7th day of birth, especially since the Messenger of Allâh * slaughtered a ram for both al-Hasan and al-Husayn (his grandsons) and circumcised them on the 7th day of their birth. Extensive research proved the medical benefits of circumcision, showing that uncircumcised males are more vulnerable to venereal diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis, and also to penile cancer which is the most painful.

Most of these diseases result from the accumulation of dirt, bacteria, viruses and fungi between the head of the penis and the foreskin covering it. The Prophet commanded that this foreskin should be removed as its remaining intact makes urine, sweat and unremoved smegma (the white emollient under the foreskin) cause all sorts of infections and diseases, let alone the offensive odor caused by them.

Bacteria and fungi growing in this area, transfer from the glands and foreskin to the urethra up to the gall bladder and finally to the kidneys. It could also be transferred from the prostate gland to the testicles to the epididymis, destroying them and may finally lead to infertility. If the infected person gets married, his diseases could easily be transferred to his wife.
' Reported by Imâm at-Tabarânî, Al-Mu jam al-Kabir, (7112, 7113).
This may cause her the infection of the vagina, up to the cervix and the Bartholin's glands and may reach the uterus, which could lead to cancer. Needless to say that this leads to infections of various parts of the reproductive system. Thus, circumcision of the husband protects his wife from this type of infections, which may lead to cancer of the uterus that is widely spread among prostitutes.

There are cases when the patient has to be circumcised, not following the Sunnah but seeking cure from some congenital diseases as in Phimosis, a condition in which the opening at the end of the foreskin is too small and tight to allow it to be freely retracted over the whole glands, especially at a later age, and may lead to urine retention. Physicians noticed that uncircumcised men are more vulnerable to reproductive system diseases than others.

Regarding female circumcision, it is also a way of following the Sunnah of the Prophet . It is more dignified for her, as this is a very sensitive part of her body. If there is an extraordinary elongation of the prepuce (foreskin) it may lead to her being sexually excited repeatedly, especially before marriage. This may also displease her husband or make sexual intercourse difficult after marriage.

If the prepuce is not extraordinarily elongated, then there is no need for circumcision and Allâh knows best. That is why circumcision is a Sunnah for men and only a virtuous act for women, but not obligatory, as is mentioned in the hadîth above. A woman called Umm 'Atiyyah was known for practicing female circumcision in Madīnah during the time of the Prophet . He told her, "Umm Atiyyah, if you circumcise, restrict yourself to (cutting) a minute part and do not go deep (i.e. do not encroach on the clitoris or do not go to extreme in circumcision); it is more pleasant for the wife and more satisfactory to the husband."

Second: Shaving the pubic hair
The Prophet ordered the Muslims to shave the pubic hair and considered it as an act of fitrah. It is stated in the ahâdîth of the Prophet that a Muslim should not go beyond forty days without shaving the pubic hair. This area of the body, for males or females is exposed to contamination with all sorts of bacteria more than any other part of the body as it is close to the excretions of the penis, vagina and anus.

People tend not to pay much attention to this area, as it is covered and hidden all the time. Moreover, it is an area, which normally has a lot of sweat and fatty secretions, which makes it suitable for the growth of bacteria and fungi, resulting in a very offensive odor and various skin inflammations and diseases. It will also lead to urinary tract and reproductive system infections, which may spread from the individual to others through swimming pools and sharing towels. These infections could spread to the urethra, the gall bladder and up to the kidneys which may finally lead to uremia or renal failure.

It is a mercy from Allâh the Almighty that He made hair grow in this area and ordered man to shave it regularly according to the Prophet's statement, to keep this area clean and pure.
"Reported by al-Hayythami, Majma' az-Zawâ'id, stating that it is narrated by at-Tabarânî in "al-Awsat" with a good chain of narrators (5/172).

Third: Removing hair from one's underarms
The underarms, is like the pubic area, where there is always a lot of sweat and fatty secretions. Allâh the Merciful, maue nair grow in it, Ior every man wno is following the fitrah to shave it regularly (or pull it out) to avoid offensive odors, inflammations or bacterial and fungal infections.

Fourth: Trimming the nails
This is also an act of fitrah as the Prophet said in this hadîth and in others, of which his saying, "I wonder how one of you asks about the revelation coming from Allâh, while he is leaving his nails to grow like those of a bird, for dirt and impurities to grow in them." The Messenger of Allâh also said to Sawâdah ibn arRubay ,
"When you go back to your family, order them to feed their cattle properly, and command them to trim their nails and not to let their udders bleed (by their long nails) when they milk them." The bacteria and fungi gathered in long nails could hurt the udder of cattle; making them bleed; transferring germs to their milk, and consequently affecting those who drink this milk.
It is not easy to clean long nails effectively. Trimming them to a length, which does not exceed the tip of the finger, keeps them clean from germs, which would not accumulate under them.

Long nails are sources of infection. Many diseases transfer through the mouth, shaking hands, offering food or drink. They may also be sources for poisoning when touching poisons or impurities. They could also result in more dangerous accidents. That is why the Prophet ordered Muslims to trim their nails once a week.
The maximum period that one may leave them is forty days. Anas ibn Mâlik said,
"The Messenger of Allâh gave us a period of time, no longer than forty nights, to trim the moustache, cut the nails, pluck out the underarm hairs and shave the pubic hair."

When struck accidentally, long nails could get partially or totally disjointed, or become swollen or bleed. This is obvious among the women who are fascinated by the western women, imitating them in growing nails of their fingers and toes, polishing them continuously with all sorts of chemicals and then using nail polish removers, or even artificial nails, fixing them with harmful chemicals, which may finally lead to breaking the natural nails, their infection and bleeding. Moreover, covering the nails with this nail polish spoils woman's ablution (wudú') or full ablution (ghusl) (in case of sexual intercourse), as water must reach the nails, or cover all body parts (including the nails) in case of full washing. Needless to say, nail polish acts as an insulator which prevents water from reaching the nails.

Fifth: Trimming the moustache Ibn 'Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allâh said, "Trim the moustache and let your beard grow. "2 'Reported by Ahmad and Abû Dâwâd and others. 'Reported by al-Bukhârî, Muslim, Abû Dâwâd, at-Tirmidhî, an-Nasâ'î, Mâlik, Ahmad and others.
In another narration, "Act differently to the polytheists; let your beards grow and shave your moustache. In another narration, "Act differently to the Magians, shave уоur mоuѕаспе апа теi your pearas grow.

It is obvious from these narrations that letting the beard grow is obligatory and so is trimming the moustache. Being under the nose and above the mouth, exposed to their various secretions, makes it easy for the moustache to be contaminated with these secretions in addition to remnants of food and drink. It is then difficult to keep it perfectly clean which may lead to the growth of germs and bacteria and may result in a bad smell originating from the person, or may even cause diseases. That is why the Prophet in ordered each Muslim to observe these acts of fitrah at least once a weak, and not to leave them for more than forty nights.