Complete Guidance on the Sunnah Method of Cutting Nails
Source: Fatāwā ad-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 418
❖ Question
Is there a specific method for cutting nails mentioned in the Sunnah?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Obligation of Cutting Nails and Its General Sunnah Method
Cutting nails is an obligatory practice. The manner mentioned in the Sunnah regarding this act is as follows:
◈ Begin with the right hand
◈ Then proceed to the left hand
This sequence is based on an authentic Hadith narrated from ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ liked to begin from the right side in wearing shoes, combing his hair, performing purification, and in all his affairs.”
(Bukhari and Muslim)
Finger Order According to Some Narrations
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jīlānī (رحمه الله) mentioned a specific sequence in Ghuniyat al-Ṭālibīn (1/15):
For the Right Hand:
◈ Start with the little finger
◈ Then the middle finger
◈ Then the thumb
◈ Then the ring finger (next to the little finger)
For the Left Hand:
◈ Start with the thumb
◈ Then the middle finger
◈ Then the little finger
◈ Then the index finger
◈ Finally, the ring finger (next to the little finger)
However:
This specific sequence has no basis in the authentic Sunnah.
Weakness of a Commonly Quoted Hadith
Some individuals quote the narration:
«من قص أظفاره مخالفاً لم ير في عينيه رمداً»
("Whoever cuts his nails in the opposite direction will not suffer from eye ailments.")
But this narration is very weak.
Imām Sakhāwī (رحمه الله) said:
“I have not found this ḥadīth.”
According to hadith scholars and sources like:
- al-Waḍūʿāt al-Kubrā by ʿAlī al-Qārī (p. 47)
- al-Manār al-Munīf (p. 140)
This narration is counted among the most fabricated reports.
In al-Mukhtār al-Jaliyyah (p. 23), the suggestion of recommending to cut in the opposite direction based on this narration is declared questionable.
Hence, no Sharʿī ruling can be based on such narrations.
Established Sunnah Principle
It is proven from an authentic Hadith:
“Beginning from the right side is recommended in all good actions, except in matters related to impurity.”
Importance of Cutting Nails
Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله) in Nayl al-Awṭār (1/134) states:
“Cutting nails is unanimously considered Sunnah.”
The word “Taqlīm” is from the form Tafʿīl derived from Qalb, meaning to cut.
Imām Nawawī (رحمه الله) says:
◈ Cutting the hand nails before the foot nails is more preferable.
Recommended Order:
➊ Begin with the index finger of the right hand
➋ Then the middle finger
➌ Then the ring finger
➍ Then the little finger
➎ Finally, the thumb
Left hand: Start from the little finger and proceed in order to the rest of the fingers.
◈ Then, for the feet, start from the little toe of the right foot and move across to the little toe of the left foot.
Sharʿī Status of This Sequence
The commentator on Nayl al-Awṭār remarks:
“This sequence is debatable because recommendation (istihbāb) is a Sharʿī ruling and cannot be established without evidence.”
This action is neither proven from the Prophet ﷺ nor from the Companions.
What is proven is that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ liked to begin from the right.
The sequences mentioned regarding the fingers are personal preferences (istihsān), not from the Sunnah.
Imām al-Ghazālī (رحمه الله) also mentioned similar views and cited a non-authentic hadith in this context.
هَذَا مَا عِنْدِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
