and in the hadith of Abū Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with them both—that when a person in a state of major ritual impurity was mentioned to him, he said: “The believer does not become impure.” In al-Hākim’s Sahīh, the wording is: “Whether alive or dead.”

I know of no evidence in Islamic law that removing one’s hair or nails while in a state of major ritual impurity is disliked. Indeed, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said to a man who had embraced Islam: “Remove the hair from your time of unbelief and be circumcised.” He instructed the man who had embraced Islam to bathe, but did not instruct him to delay circumcision or hair removal until after bathing. The unqualified wording of his instruction therefore indicates that either order is permissible.

Likewise, a menstruating woman is instructed to comb her hair when performing her ritual bath, even though combing removes some hair. And Allah knows best.