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Is it permissible to remove hair around the anus to ensure purity when cleaning oneself after defecation?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Human hair is divided into three categories:

1. That which the Sharia has forbidden to remove: It is not permissible to cut or remove it, such as the beard for men and eyebrows for both men and women; based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Let the beards grow full" and "Allah has cursed the women who pluck eyebrows and those who have their eyebrows plucked, and those who alter Allah's creation." 2. That which the Sharia has commanded to remove: It should be removed or shortened to the extent specified by the Sharia, such as armpit hair and pubic hair for both genders, and the mustache for men; based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Ten things are part of the fitra (natural disposition): trimming the mustache, letting the beard grow, using the siwak, sniffing water (into the nose), clipping the nails, washing the finger joints, plucking armpit hair, shaving pubic hair, and cleaning oneself with water." The time limit for shaving these and similar things should not exceed forty nights. 3. That which the Sharia has remained silent about: This is permissible, and it is left to the individual's choice, such as hair growing on the nose or forehead; it can be removed or left according to preference.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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