What is the meaning of the word Fitrah?
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The word fitrah is a term that can be found in the text of both the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. It is a word which is used to refer to many things. In the hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah which is found in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, the Prophet ﷺ says:
الْفِطْرَةُ خَمْسَ أَوْ خَمْسٌ مِنَ الْفِطْرَةِ الْخِتَانُ، وَالاسْتِحْدَاهُ، وَنَتْفُ الْإِبْطِ، وَتَعْلِيمُ الْأَطْفَال، وَقَصَّ الشَّارِبِ
“Five practices are characteristics of the fitrah: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, removing the hair from the armpits, clipping the nails, and trimming the moustache.”
In another hadeeth narrated by ‘Aa’ishah which is found in Saheeh Muslim, we find that the Prophet ﷺ says:
عَشْرٌ مِنَ الْفِطْرَةِ فَصُّ الشارب وإعفاء اللحية والسواك واستنشاق الماء وقَصَّ الأَظفارِ وَغَسْلُ الْبَرَاجِمِ وَنَتْفُ الْإِبط وَحَلْقُ الْعَانَةِ وَانْتَقَا الماء. (مسلم)
“Ten acts are from the fitrah: trimming the moustache, letting the beard grow, using the tooth-stick, snuffing water in the nose, clipping the nails, washing the finger joints, removing the hair from the armpits, shaving the pubic hair and istinjaa”.” [Muslim]
The narrator said: “I have forgotten the tenth, but it may have been rinsing the mouth.”
These two hadeeth assert that whoever performs the five actions mentioned by the Prophet in the hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah, or the ten actions mentioned in the narration of ‘Aa’ishah should be described as being upon the fitrah. This description refers to the condition upon which He has created all people. Allah ﷻ has encouraged us to perform these actions because they enable us to improve our appearance, become more presentable, and maintain a cleaner body.
The word fitrah in this context refers to the ancient customs of the Prophets which were implemented by all of the revealed religions. These practices are considered from the Sunnah of the Prophets. Allah has chosen these practices for His Prophets and commanded His creation to implement them. These actions are particularly important since they serve as a constant reminder which helps people to identify the followers of the Prophets.
But it is specifically important to note that it should not be understood from the mention of a particular number in the hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah or ‘Aa’ishah that the characteristics of the fitrah are restricted. The characteristics of the fitrah are not restricted to a particular number. Rather, the numbers that have been specifically mentioned in the hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah and ‘Aa’ishah simply imply that many of the most important characteristics of the fitrah will be mentioned in the hadeeth.
Although the word fitrah has many meanings, these two authentic hadeeth of the Prophet show how the word fitrah is used to refer to actions of purification that were implemented by all of the Prophets. So whenever we read in the Qur’aan how Allah ﷻ uses the word fitrah to describe the state upon which He created all people, we should not confuse this under- standing with the way that the word fitrah may appear in the Sunnah. As we have learned from the hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah and ‘Aa’ishah, there is more than one meaning that can be understood from the term fitrah. From Aboo Hurayrah we have learned five meanings for the word fitrah and from ‘Aa’ishah we have learned ten.
Learning from the lesson
- The word fitrah is a term that can be found in both the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. It can be used to refer to many things.
- The Prophet has mentioned several actions that are described as being from the fitrah.
- The actions that the Prophet mentioned as being from the fitrah are practices that are considered from the Sunnah of the Prophets
Discussion
- Define the term fitrah
- List the five things mentioned in the hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah as being part of the fitrah.
- Is the number of things that are part of the fitrah limited to five?
