Prayer TimesThe Messenger of Allah (Алланың оған салауаты мен сәлемі болсын) mentioned trimming the nails as one of the five acts of natural cleanliness (fitrah).
About this, our Prophet (Алланың оған салауаты мен сәлемі болсын) said:
خَمْسٌ مِنَ الْفِطْرَةِ الْخِتَانُ، وَالاِسْتِحْدَادُ، وَتَقْلِيمُ الأَظْفَارِ، وَنَتْفُ الإِبِطِ، وَقَصُّ الشَّارِبِ
“Five things are part of natural disposition: circumcision, removing pubic hair, trimming the moustache, cutting the nails, and plucking the armpit hair.” [1]
However, it is not allowed to let the nails grow for more than forty days. In a narration from the Companion Anas ibn Malik:
وُقِّتَ لنا في قصِّ الشَّارِبِ، وتقليمِ الأظفارِ، ونتْفِ الإبْط، وحَلْقِ العانةِ: أنْ لا تُترَكَ أكثرَ مِن أربعينَ
“We were instructed not to leave trimming the moustache, cutting the nails, plucking the armpit hair, and shaving the pubic hair for more than forty days.” [2]
In the book Radd al-Muhtar it is stated: “The best is to trim the nails, shorten the moustache, remove pubic hair, and bathe every week. If not, these should be done every fifteen days. To delay beyond forty days is a sin.” [3] Therefore, trimming the nails weekly is recommended (mustahabb). To delay beyond forty days is makruh tahrimi (prohibitively disliked), which is considered sinful.
[1] Bukhari, No. 5801. Muslim, No. 257.
[2] Muslim, No. 4422, 1/222.
[3] Radd al-Muhtar, 3/66.
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