Being a comprehensive religion, Islam deals with all aspects of life, major and minor. A Muslim is required by Islam to adhere to the Islamic way of life in all his affairs.
Clipping fingernails is one of the five qualities dictated by thefitrah or the natural inclination of man. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “Five are the acts quite akin tofitrah: Circumcision, shaving the pubes, clipping the nails, plucking the hair under the armpits, and clipping (or shaving) the mustache”(reported in all the six authentic collections ofHadith).
Dr. `Abdul-Wahhab ibn Nasir Al-Tariri,former professor of Shari `ah at Imam MuhammadIbn Saud University, Saudi Arabia, states the following: We are clearly commanded by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Sunnah to clip our fingernails short. This command is directed to both men and women equally.
In cutting nails, it is required to cut the excessive pieces under which dirt could gather. Therefore, the fingernails should not hang over any part of the finger’s free skin.
When clipping the nails, it is part of theSunnah to start with our right hand, since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) preferred to start with his right hand in all things, including his manner of grooming. `A’ishah said about her husband, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) preferred to start with his right side in all matters, in his purification, in combing his hair, and in putting on his shoes”(Al-Bukhari and Muslim). There is no preference, however, for any individual finger over another.
The recommendation to bury fingernail and hair is attributed to some of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Some Muslim scholars state that it is permissible to dispose of the nails by throwing them in the garbage or down the drain.
