Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I have an odd question, but it is something that i dont really understand. Ive seen many times looking through this site this quote..

"Five practices are characteristics of the Fitra (nature):, shaving the pubic hair, , clipping the nails, depilating the hair of the armpits, cutting the moustaches short and circumcision (for males)."

But i do not understand how it is nature to shave, clip the nails, cutting the moustache and for the malesto get circumcized?

Isn`t it nature for the males to not get circumcised because they are born uncircumcized? And also, we are born with hair in certain places, why is it "nature" to cut it if we are born with it.. isn`t that the nature?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Fitra characteristics of nature

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.777 Narrated by Abu Huraira

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Five practices are characteristics of the ‘Fitra’:

shaving the pubic hair, , clipping the nails, depilating the hair of the armpits, cutting the moustaches short and circumcision (for males)."

Your Question: But i do not understand how it is nature to shave, clip the nails, cutting the moustache and for the malesto get circumcized?

Beloved sister in Islam, the confusion or misunderstanding that has arisen is probably because, for lack of a better term in English, the Arabic term ‘fitrah’ has been translated into ‘nature’; but if truth be told, the limitations of the English term ‘nature’ can never ever do justice to the vastness of the meaning of the Arabic term ‘fitrah’.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 30 Surah Rome verse 30:

30 So set thou thy face steadily and truly to the Faith: (Establish) Allah's handiwork (fitrah) according to the pattern (fitra) on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allah: that is the Standard Religion: but most among mankind understand not.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.298 Narrated by Abu Huraira

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "No child is born except on Al-Fitra (Islam) and then his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian…..”

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.482 Narrated by Abu Huraira

On the night Allah's Messenger (saws) was taken on a night journey (Miraj) two cups, one containing wine and the other milk, were presented to him at Jerusalem. He (saws) looked at it and took the cup of milk. The Angel Jibrael (a.s.) said, "Praise be to Allah Who guided you (O Prophet (saws)) to ‘Al-Fitra’ (the right path); if you had taken (the cup of) wine, your nation would have gone astray."

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 52 Narrated by Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘Ten are the acts according to ‘fitrah’: clipping the moustache, letting the beard grow, using the tooth-stick, cutting the nails, washing the finger joints, plucking the hair under the arm-pits, shaving the pubes, and cleansing one's private parts (after easing or urinating) with water.’ The narrator said: ‘I have forgotten the tenth, but it may have been rinsing the mouth.’

Thus in conclusion, although ‘nature’ is one of the aspects of ‘Al-Fitrah’, it does not relay nor does it do justice to the full meaning of the Arabic term ‘Fitrah’. Because of the limitations of the English language, the phrase I can think of which comes only close to the vast meaning of ‘al-fitrah’ might be… ‘those acts which correspond to one’s rightful nature’ or ‘those acts which take one towards one’s naturall instinct’.

Your Question: But i do not understand how it is nature to shave, clip the nails, cutting the moustache and for the malesto get circumcized?

Just like taking a regular bath, or cleaning one’s private parts after relieving oneself, or the regular brushing of one’s teeth, or even the striving to hide one’s private parts, or the natural instinct of saving one’s face when experiencing a fall, or lying down when one wishes to sleep etc. correspond to the natural instinct of mankind…..it is a natural hygienic instinct or an act which corresponds to the rightful nature of mankind to shave one’s unwanted hair, to clip one’s nails, or for the males to let their beards grow, trim their mustache, or get circumcised.

Just as one cannot say that it is unnatural to have a regular bath, or it is unnatural to wear any clothes to hide our shame, or it is unnatural to clean one’s teeth…..one cannot say it is unnatural to remove one’s unwanted hair, or clip one’s nails, or get circumcised, etc.

Your Question: Isn`t it nature for the males to not get circumcised because they are born uncircumcized? And also, we are born with hair in certain places, why is it "nature" to cut it if we are born with it.. isn`t that the nature?

Beloved sister in Islam, the growth of the skin around the male genitals is indeed natural and science has confirmed that this skin is absolutely needed to prevent any harm to the exposed genitals of the males during the period of child-birth….but to remove this extra skin is a characteristic of ‘fitrah’ or an act which corresponds to one’s rightful nature.

Similarly the growth of hair in certain places of one’s body is natural; but its trimming or removal from certain places like the arm-pits and pubic region are acts which correspond to one’s rightful nature or instinct.

Dear and beloved Sister in Islam, we sincerely apologize if in our shortcoming in knowledge, or because of our shortcoming of our command over the English language….. we might not have been able to totally convince you regarding the difference between the true vastness of the meaning of the Arabic term ‘fitrah’ and its only available translation to the English term of ‘nature’.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan