Question:
Dimyati Bakri mentions a text that that says that a person’s fingernails, hair and blood return to them in the hereafter, therefore, one should not cut one’s nails or cut one’s hair in a state of janabah because these body parts with return in the hereafter in janabah. This is mentioned without citing any evidence, is there something authentically established in the hadith for it?
Answer:
Wa alaykum salam wa rahmatuLlah,
Abu Bakr Shata al-Dimyati related the mentioned text in the work Hashiyat I’anat al-Talibin ‘ala Hill Alfaz Fath al-Mu’in li Sharh Qurrat al-‘Ayn bi Muhimmat al-Din. As well, both Ramli and Khatib related it verbatim from Imam Ghazzali’s Ihya’. (Nihayat al-Muhtaj 1/229; Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/125) This report from Ghazzali is also found in Qalyubi’s commentary; however, he criticized it, and stated,
“For things such as blood returning, that is problematic; as are other body parts, because what returns are the body parts that one died with…” (Hashiyat al-Qalyubi 1/68)
Bujayrimi related this from him with slight rephrasing; and also, something similar from Madabighi. (Tuhfat al-Habib 1/364) Accordingly, some have stated it, while others objected to it.
There is something attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, that he prohibited clipping the nails, etc., when in a state of major ritual impurity. It is found in Ibn ‘Asakir’s Tarikh Dimashq v. 43, p. 211. There, Ibn ‘Asakir – he himself being a Shafi’i – deemed it to be “munkar bi marrah.” In Tanzih al-Shari’ah al-Marfu’ah ‘an al-Ahadith al-Shani’ah al-Mawdu’ah 2/85, Ibn ‘Arraq included the narration; and stated, “It is most probable that the malady/fabrication in it is from Abu Bakr Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Maraghi.”
Therefore, under this discussion there is not a sound hadith that would prohibit cutting the nails, etc., while in a state of major ritual impurity.
And Allah knows best.
Shafiifiqh.com Fatwa Dept.