The 365 · Sunnah · Day 27 · Morning
Oiling and Grooming the Hair Regularly
The hadith
مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ شَعْرٌ فَلْيُكْرِمْهُ
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Whoever has hair, let him honor it.' (Sunan Abi Dawud 4163, classed hasan, narrated by Abu Hurayrah.) Anas ibn Malik narrated: 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would frequently oil his head, comb his beard, and would wear an Izār often.' (Sunan Abi Dawud 4159 and similar.)
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ sade: 'Den som har hår, låt honom hedra det.'
Sunan Abi Dawud 4163 (hasan, Abu Hurayrah); Sahih al-Bukhari 168, Sahih Muslim 268 ('A'ishah, beginning with the right); Sahih Muslim 223 (cleanliness is half of iman)
The story
'A'ishah ra. narrated about the Prophet ﷺ: 'He liked to begin with the right when putting on shoes, when combing his hair, when purifying himself, and in all his affairs.' (Sahih al-Bukhari 168, Sahih Muslim 268.) The right-hand priority extended to grooming. The Prophet's ﷺ daily care of his appearance was a Sunnah.
Why it's here
The Prophet ﷺ paid specific attention to grooming. He combed his hair, oiled it (some narrations name the oils he used: olive, musk, ud), trimmed his moustache, kept his beard, cut his nails, used the siwāk. The body is named in the Sunnah as a daily responsibility, not a vanity. Cleanliness is half of īmān (Sahih Muslim 223).
Try it today
1. Comb your hair daily. Apply oil if your hair benefits from it.
2. Trim the moustache, keep the beard (for men). Cut the nails on Fridays (Sunnah pattern).
3. Use the siwāk before salāh.
4. Begin all grooming acts with the right (right shoe first, right hand for the comb).
In your day
Modern men often think grooming is feminine. The Sunnah denies this: the Prophet ﷺ was the most groomed of men, and the most masculine. His example normalizes serious daily care. The Companions inherited the standard. Modern Muslim men should also inherit it.
A reflection to carry
Oiling and grooming the hair. The Prophet ﷺ: 'Whoever has hair, let him honor it.' (Abū Dāwūd 4163.) The Prophet ﷺ oiled his hair and beard regularly; cleanliness and grooming are part of the believer's outward Sunnah.
Read the longer reflection
The Prophet ﷺ would comb his hair regularly, oil it (often with olive oil), and arrange it neatly. He would say: 'There is one who is more entitled to dignity than you.' (Abū Dāwūd 4187, hasan, on the angels' dignity.) Cure: keep hair and beard clean; oil regularly (especially with the named oils: olive, kalonji); comb daily; trim regularly. The Prophetic emphasis on grooming counters the modern sometimes-neglectful approach to personal appearance among religious men. The Companions were physically clean and well-groomed; this was a community-marker.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawud. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
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