Section Two
Rulings Specific to a Woman’s Physical Adornment

[She is required to observe those aspects of the fitrah that are particular to her]

1. She must carry out the practices of the fitrah that suit her—foremost among them trimming her fingernails and tending to them. Clipping the nails is a sunnah by unanimous agreement of the scholars, for it is one of the characteristics of the fitrah mentioned in the hadith. Removing excess nail promotes cleanliness and an attractive appearance, whereas leaving the nails long causes disfigurement, resembles predatory animals, allows dirt to gather beneath them, and prevents water from reaching the skin below. Sadly, some Muslim women have adopted the habit of growing their nails long in imitation of non-believers and out of ignorance of the sunnah.

It is also recommended for a woman to remove the hair of her armpits and pubic area, following the hadith that stipulates this and because it enhances cleanliness and good grooming. The optimal practice is to do so every week, and in any case it should not be postponed beyond forty days.

[What she is required to do—and what she is forbidden from doing—concerning the hair of her head and eyebrows, and the rulings on henna and dyeing]

2. Matters required of her, and matters prohibited to her, regarding the hair of her head and eyebrows, together with the rulings on applying henna and coloring the hair:

a) A Muslim woman is expected to keep the hair on her head intact; shaving it is unlawful unless there is a genuine necessity.