Sunnahs of daily life, with their sources.

The sunnahs of daily life are the small habits of the Prophet ﷺ: beginning with the right, saying Bismillah, greeting with salam, keeping clean and trimmed. They are not obligations, but following them out of love for him brings reward and turns ordinary moments into worship. Aishah said the Prophet ﷺ liked to begin with the right in putting on his shoes, combing his hair, purifying himself, and in all his affairs.¹

Cutting nails and the fitrah

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Five things are part of the fitrah: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, trimming the moustache, clipping the nails and plucking the armpit hair."² Anas said a limit was set for them: they should not be left for more than forty nights.³

The order of cutting nails: no authentic hadith sets an order. Scholars such as an-Nawawi recommended starting with the right hand, from the index finger to the little finger and then the thumb, then the left hand from the little finger to the thumb, then the right foot from the little toe and the left foot ending with the little toe. This follows the general sunnah of starting with the right, so any order that starts with the right is fine. The reports that tie nail cutting to Friday, or to a special order that brings blessings, are weak.⁴ Bury or dispose of the clippings respectfully if you can.

The beard and the moustache

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Be different from the polytheists: let the beard grow and trim the moustache." When Ibn Umar did Hajj or Umrah, he held his beard in his fist and cut what was longer.⁵

Sleeping

The Prophet ﷺ told al-Bara: "When you go to bed, make wudu as you do for prayer, then lie on your right side," and taught him a dua.⁷ Before sleeping he would dust off his bed, and blow into his cupped hands after reciting the three Quls, then wipe them over his body. He also taught that whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi in bed is protected until morning. Read the dua before sleeping, Ayat al-Kursi, the Quls and Surah Al-Mulk, and the dua on waking up.

Eating and drinking

The Prophet ﷺ told a boy: "Say Bismillah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you."⁸ If you forget Bismillah at the start, say it when you remember:

• Eat and drink with the right hand. Eat what is in front of you, and do not lean back while eating.
• Drink sitting down when you can, and in three breaths, breathing outside the cup.¹⁰
• Do not blow on hot food or drink. Lick your fingers and clean the plate before washing.
• The Prophet ﷺ never criticised food. If he liked it he ate it, and if not he left it.¹¹
• See the dua before eating and the dua after eating.

Leaving and entering the home

On coming home, mention Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said that when a man mentions Allah on entering his home and at his meal, Shaytan says to his companions: "No place to stay and no dinner for you."¹³ Then greet the people inside with salam. Allah says: "When you enter houses, give greetings of peace upon each other" (Quran 24:61). Full dua: dua for leaving the house.

Sneezing and yawning

The Prophet ﷺ said: "When one of you sneezes, let him say Alhamdulillah, and let his brother say to him Yarhamukallah. When he says Yarhamukallah, let him reply: Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum."¹⁴

Cover your mouth when you sneeze or yawn, and try to hold back a yawn.

Greeting with salam

The Prophet ﷺ said: "You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you something that, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread the salam among you."¹⁵ The one riding greets the one walking, the one walking greets the one sitting, and the smaller group greets the larger.¹⁶ Reply with a better greeting, or at least the same:

Giving salam is sunnah and replying is wajib. Shaking hands when you meet is also sunnah, between men and between women.

The right hand and the right side

• Use the right hand for eating, drinking, giving and taking, and the left for cleaning yourself in the toilet.
• Put on the right shoe first and take off the left first.¹⁷
• Enter the masjid with the right foot, and the toilet with the left.
• Start wudu and ghusl with the right side. See how to make wudu.

1. Sahih al-Bukhari 168; Sahih Muslim 268.
2. Sahih al-Bukhari 5889; Sahih Muslim 257.
3. Sahih Muslim 258.
4. An-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, on the fitrah; Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, who noted that the reports on the order of nails have no sound basis.
5. Sahih al-Bukhari 5892; Sahih Muslim 259.
6. Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Hazr wal-Ibahah; al-Haskafi, ad-Durr al-Mukhtar. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
7. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from al-Bara ibn Azib.
8. Sahih al-Bukhari 5376; Sahih Muslim 2022.
9. Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Aishah; at-Tirmidhi graded it hasan sahih.
10. Sahih Muslim, from Anas.
11. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah.
12. Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Anas; at-Tirmidhi graded it hasan sahih gharib.
13. Sahih Muslim, from Jabir.
14. Sahih al-Bukhari 6224, from Abu Hurayrah.
15. Sahih Muslim 54.
16. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah.
17. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah.

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.