—the coarse hair that sprouts around the private parts. Because it is among the signs of puberty, the fiṭrah dictates that a person shave this hair: if it is left to grow, it may become tainted with impurities—whether from the back or the front—and collect dirt and filth, which is both unhygienic and harmful. Yet some people, behaving like livestock, keep their pubic hair, letting it grow longer and longer—may Allah protect us.

Third: Trimming the moustache. The moustache is the hair that grows exclusively on the upper lip; everything that extends over the upper lip is deemed part of it. This hair should be trimmed close, for if left long it is sullied by whatever issues from the nose, and when one drinks, the soiled hair comes into direct contact with the liquid, contaminating it and potentially carrying harmful microbes. In any case, its removal is a sunnah—the most important point is that it is a prophetic practice by which one seeks closeness to Allah when he trims it.

Fourth: Clipping the nails, meaning the fingernails and toenails. They should not be cut back so far that one reaches the flesh, for that harms a person and may lead to abscesses or the like; rather, they are to be trimmed in a balanced, moderate fashion.

Fifth: Plucking the armpit hair. If hair has appeared, it is preferable to pluck it rather than cut or shave it, for plucking removes it completely, weakens the roots, and delays regrowth—something the Sacred Law seeks.

These, then, are five practices: circumcision, shaving the pubic region, trimming the moustache, clipping the nails, and plucking the armpit hair.

Circumcision is performed once, and its ruling is thereby discharged. I should point out, however, that some people are born already circumcised, with no foreskin at all; you may find