She also said, “…and in his grooming,” and the word tarajjul (grooming) refers to straightening the hair, combing it, and applying oil to it. The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—followed the common practice of his time in that he would not cut his hair except during Hajj or ʿUmrah, although on occasion he would trim it and at other times leave it untouched. Consequently, his hair would sometimes reach the lobes of his ears, and at other times hang down until it brushed his shoulders. He, peace and blessings be upon him, took care to keep it clean, well-combed, and oiled so that it remained free of dust, lice, and anything else people find repulsive.

In the same way, it pleased him to give precedence to the right when putting on his sandals: when he put them on he would begin with the right foot before the left, and when taking them off he would start with the left before the right. The same rule applied to his garment—he would insert the right sleeve before the left—and to his trousers, placing the right leg in first and reversing the order when removing them.

The second hadith from ʿĀʾishah, may Allah be pleased with her, clarifies the matters for which the Prophet used his right hand and those for which he used his left. She explained that he used the left in anything involving impurity, such as istinjāʾ (washing after relieving oneself), istijmār (using stones for that purpose), istinshāq (sniffing water into the nose), and istinthār (expelling it), and anything similar that entails some form of defilement. For every act that involves something offensive, the left takes precedence; for everything else, the right is preferred, honoring it, because the right side is superior to the left, as has already been mentioned.