The first [kind of filthiness and fluids] is the filth and lice that accumulate in the hair on the head; cleansing this is desirable by washing, grooming, and oiling in order to remove the untidiness and matted hair. He (SAW) would oil his hair and groom it regularly, and He prescribed this; He (prayer and peace upon him) said: Oil yourselves regularly. And He (prayer and peace upon him) said: Whoever has hair, let him honor it; that is, let him keep it from getting filthy. A certain man with an unkempt head and a matted beard once came in to see him, and He said: Does this man not have any oil with which to tame his hair? Then He said: Would any of you all come to see me looking like a devil?!
The second: filth that accumulates in the crooks of the ears – wiping removes what is visible of it; and that which collects inside the ear canal – this ought to be cleaned gently upon exiting the bath, for indeed too much may damage the hearing.
The third: thick and sticky fluids which accumulate inside the sides of the nose. Inhaling water up through the nose [istinshaq] and rinsing out the nose [istinthar] remove this.
The fourth: plaque which accumulates on the teeth and the edges of the tongue. The teeth-cleaning stick [siwak] and rinsing the mouth remove this; we have mentioned both of these.
The fifth: filth and lice which accumulate in the beard whenever one does not look after this; it is desirable to remove this by washing and combing it through. There is a well-known account that He (SAW) always had a comb, a hair rake, and a mirror on journeys where there were few towns and inhabitants; this was the way of life of the Arabs. A gharib account [one chain of narration] relates that He (SAW) would comb through his beard twice a day; and He (SAW) had a thick beard. Abu Bakr was similar, and ‘Uthman had a long and delicate beard, and ‘Ali had a broad beard that filled the space between his shoulders. In another hadith even more gharib than this, ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), said: Some people gathered around the Messenger of Allah’s (SAW) door, and He went out to them, and I saw him rise out of a large vessel of water to level off his head and his beard; and I said: Do you really do that, oh Messenger of Allah?! He said: Yes; indeed Allah loves that a servant of His should make himself look good for his brothers whenever he goes out to see them.
The sixth: filth in the knuckles, that is, the crooks of the outside of the fingertips. The Arabs did not use to wash this often, leaving washing of the hands to after having eaten, so filth would accumulate in these creases. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) ordered them to wash their knuckles.
The seventh: cleansing the fingers. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) ordered the Arabs to clean them, including the tips of the fingers and any filth under the fingernails, since clippers can not always get there, and filth can accumulate there. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) fixed a period of time for them to clip their fingernails, pluck their armpits, and shave their pubic area – every forty days. But indeed He (SAW) ordered that under the fingernails be cleaned; it is related that the Prophet (SAW) found the divine inspiration to be slowing down, and when Jibril (peace be upon him) descended to him, he said to him: How can we send revelation to you all when you do not wash your knuckles nor clean your fingers nor use the siwak against any plaque on your teeth? Tell your people to do this. And “uff” refers to fingernail filth while “tuff” refers to filth in the ears. Regarding the word of the Mighty and Sublime { And do not say “uff” to either of them } [i.e. words of disrespect; Al-israa 23], that is, do not disgrace them by referring to the filth under the fingernails; it is said: Do not be repulsed by them as you are repulsed by what is under the fingernails.
The eighth: the filth that accumulates over the entire body from sweating and the dust of the road; a bath [hammam, i.e. the public bath] removes this. There is no problem with entering the hammam; the Messenger of Allah’s (SAW) Companions used to enter the baths in Sham.