Dr. Hothaifa Ahmed AlKharrat

No Faith gives as much guidance on the cleanliness and hygiene of the human body as Islam. It urges us to adopt praiseworthy traits when dealing with our inborn natural instincts. These are amongst the primary teachings of the Faith. “Purify your garments” is one among the many of Allah’s exhortations given to Prophet Muhammad in surah Al-Mudhathir.

It is evident that the teachings of purity occupy an exalted station. It is one of the most important attributes by which this Faith is distinguished. These teachings certainly deserve the attention of anyone who lays claim to civilized society.

The importance of purity and cleanliness appears in many of the texts in the Qur’an and the Hadith. For example, here is a verse in praise of the people of Quba. “…therein the men loved cleanliness and Allah loves those who keep themselves clean”.

We also see in another place a clear statement of God’s love for those of His pure worshippers: “… verily God loves those who repent and those who are pure.”

We see many examples of this subject matter in hadiths, amongst which is the following statement of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Ritual ablution is one half of Faith”. Also “any Muslim who purifies himself according to the rites of ablution, then prays the five obligatory prayers will verily find the atonement that is found therein”… and again He says, “Verily Allah is good and loves goodness. He is clean and loves cleanliness, so you must clean your dwelling places and be not like the Jews.”

The importance of caring for the bodily hair occurs frequently among many Islamic teachings. These urge a pledge of cleanliness on matters of personal hygiene. Some of these can be found among the wellknown hadiths, which mention a range of good qualities associated with the subject of bodily hygiene. For instance, The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned 10 innate habits of cleanliness – trimming the mustache, permit the beard to grow, clean your teeth with Siwak, rinse your nose with water, trim your fingernails, wash your knuckles, shave your armpits, shave your pubis, and use the water to clean the remnants of urine and stools. The reciter said ‘I forgot the tenth’. Ah yes, the tenth habit is to rinse your mouth”.

We will now look at an important lesson concerning the hygiene of the hair on the head, the mustache, the beard, the armpits, and the private areas of the body. We will explore this subject from a purely medical perspective. The importance of cleanliness in these areas of the body contributes significantly to the health of the entire body. It protects the body from the occurrence of diseases that are often found among non-Muslims as a result of their negligence of these matters.

Islam encourages believers to pledge to care for the cleanliness of the hair on their heads, to wash away the oils, and to comb it regularly. Here is a hadith to this effect: “The one who has hair should care for it”. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) one time saw a man with disheveled and unkempt hair, which led to him questioning “Is there not something that can help this man groom his hair?”

In addition, Islam also encourages believers to wash their hair before Friday prayers, visiting Holy Sites or commemorating Holy Days, or recovering from ceremonial impurity. We find in the hadith “…Allah has enjoined on every Muslim to wash his hair and his body every seven days”. The head is a part of the body on which one is enjoined by the well-known verse of the Qur’an to perform ablutions.

In the skin of the scalp, there are many glands that secrete sweat and oils. Regular washing with water is the best way to maintain hygienic care and to ensure that these secretions are washed away. Diligence in this matter will prevent skin diseases that afflict the scalp if proper hygiene is neglected, such as dandruff, fungal infections, and lice infestations. These are often accompanied by itching of the scalp.

Trimming the Mustache
The mustache is the hair that grows along the upper lip. There are many hadiths that speak to the importance of care and grooming of the mustache. For instance, the Prophet (peace be upon him) says, “Don’t be like the idolaters. Let your beard grow and trim your mustache”. Also “Let the beard grow freely, don’t be like the sun worshippers. Observe decorum”. There exist many counsels on the health benefits that arise from the care of the mustache. Many germs and microbes can establish themselves on the long hairs of the mustache that grows around the opening of the mouth. This means that these living organisms will enter the mouth along with the food and drink.

The matting of long mustache hair can create an environment conducive to the growth of microscopic germs that can enter the orifice of the mouth, then into the digestive system and cause many inflammatory illnesses.

Furthermore, the existence of mustache hair close to the nose makes one susceptible to mucous secretions from the nose and spray of saliva. This humid environment creates a suitable combination for the growth and multiplication of germs. The guidance of cleanliness contained in the Sunnah will surely protect us from these risks and dangers and reduce the incidence and growth of these microscopic germs.

Let the Beard Grow
The beard is the hair that grows on the cheeks and the chin. There are many hadiths that counsel us to grow out the beard hair. For instance, ‘…but my Lord commanded me to trim the mustache but let my beard grow’. Also ‘Prophet Muhammad commanded that the mustache be trimmed and the beard to grow’.

The direct exposure to the rays of the sun and strong winds outside of the home can harm the collagen of the facial skin and lead to cause wrinkles. Facial hair will minimize these harmful effects and it will lighten the sharpness of the wind on the skin of the face thus helping to protect the skin from the long-term effects of wind and sun exposure.

Indeed, there exists scientific evidence that shows us that direct exposure to the sun’s rays is the main cause of skin cancer. In this respect, the hairs of the face serve as protection for the skin by presenting a barrier to the strong rays of the sun.

It has also been determined that there are many other benefits of letting the beard grow. For instance, the beard plays an important role in keeping the skin warm and protecting it from the harmful effects of cold wind, which could harm the facial nerves and potentially lead to facial paralysis.
On the other hand, shaving the beard can bring harm. For instance, shaving the beard with a sharp razor can provoke the gradual deterioration of the surface tissue of the face and the appearance of tiny wounds. All of these factors make the skin susceptible to bacterial contagions, viruses, and fungal infections.

Removing the Hair from the Armpits (plucking)
Armpit and pubic hair appear at puberty, along with sweat glands. Medical studies have confirmed that removal of these hairs reduces the oily and sweaty secretions. Over time, it also reduces the growth of hair. Removing armpit hairs also limits the incidence of various skin diseases such as infection of the sweat glands, tinea, and hair folliculitis.

It also helps us avoid uncleanly conditions that are conducive to infestations of lice and other parasitic insects. Studies have shown that millions of microscopic living organisms can inhabit each square centimeter of the armpit and pubic skin. For this reason, it is important to ensure that these areas are properly cleaned, and that hair is removed. These are important steps towards eliminating harmful life forms that are the causes of many inflammatory skin conditions.

Removing Pubic Hair
Pubic hair is the hair that is found around the reproductive organs. Some hadiths recommend the removal of this hair. For example, “Removing pubic hair, trimming the fingernails and mustache are among the innate habits of cleanliness”.

Another example is the following: “A time has been appointed for trimming the mustache and fingernails and for shaving the armpits and pubic areas. This should not be neglected for more than forty nights.”

The pubic areas are found near the body’s excretory systems. For this reason, this area can easily become polluted with urine and feces, as well as sweat and oily secretions. Neglecting the cleanliness of this area of the body will lead to the proliferation of many microscopic organisms in addition to the gradual increase of oils and sweat materials. For this reason, shaving the pubes will protect us from parasitic diseases such as lice and skin fungal infections. These are common amongst non-Muslims who neglect shaving their pubic hair. This leads to the appearance of ulcers and various inflammatory skin conditions.

Some of these studies have confirmed that the accumulation and multiplication of bacteria around the pubic areas will eventually infest and lead to the inflammation of the urinary tract system (urethra, ureter, bladder and kidney). One-third of Western women suffer from these inflammations, which result from neglect of cleanliness around the organs of the pubic area.

In conclusion, the Muslim can rightly be proud to adhere to these meritorious traits that respond to man’s innate sense of personal hygiene. By these traits, he achieves distinction among his peers. He becomes a unique example to be emulated. All praise to Allah as He should be praised. He has graced His servants with many bestowals, the greatest of which is the blessing of Islam.