Author: Abdulrazzaq al-Maghribi
Date published: 2022-05-13
Updated: 2026-01-09
What is Fitrah?
The term Fitrah comes from the Arabic language. It translates to 'natural predisposition', the natural nature with which each person is born.
You know that feeling you get when you see something immoral? That is because of your natural nature. We all know basic morals and values. Like that lying is not allowed, or that doing injustice is wrong. We know these things automatically, without having to learn them.
In Islam, the Fitrah means more than what we consider basic moral and immoral values. It also concerns recognition and acknowledgment of The Creator. It is of the Fitrah to believe and worship something. And that automatically leads us all to worshiping Allah.
In addition, the Fitrah also concerns actions that we experience as natural. Such as shaving pubic hair, clipping nails and trimming the mustache.
So, Fitrah is actually a natural knowledge that we have been given. We follow it in order to go through life in a natural way.
Relation of the Fitrah to Islam
The greatest connection that the Fitrah has with Islam is monotheism (Tawheed). Hence our name 'Fitrah Tawheed'. Allah has created the Fitrah for us so that we can recognize and worship Him.
Thus, the concept of the Fitrah largely has to do with monotheism. In the Quran, Allah often pairs natural disposition with the religion of Ibrahim (Hanif). That is because the two put a lot of emphasis on monotheism.
So turn your face towards the religion Hanif. (Follow) The natural disposition with which Allah created mankind.
30:30 Quran
Thus there are no exceptions when it comes to the innate Fitrah. Every child is born with it, inclined to the pure worship of Allah. But the child is then changed by parents to a Christian, Jew or other religion.
Abu Huraira reported:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Every child is born with the Fitrah. His parents then make him a Jew, or a Christian, or a fire worshiper. If an animal gives birth to a youngster with intact limbs, do you see any error?"
Then Abu Huraira recited the Quran verse: "The Fitrah with which Allah created mankind".
[Sahih Bukhari 1292 and Sahih Muslim 2658]
Abu Huraira reported:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The mother of each person gives birth to him according to his Fitrah. It is then his parents who make him a Jew, Christian or fire worshiper. If his parents had been Muslim, he would have remained Muslim too.
[Sahih Muslim 2659a]
Because every child is born with the Fitrah, we recognize the Oneness of Allah. We recognize and acknowledge monotheism when we continue to follow the Fitrah.
Therefore, we can worship Allah as He wants to be worshiped. And that is without associating partners with Him. We observe the Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) and avoid Shirk (idolatry).
We are informed by the Fitrah what major shirk entails. For example, you do not need to be explained that worshiping others beside Allah is idolatry. This prevents us from being ignorant of major Shirk acts when we are aware of those.
Acts of the Fitrah
In Islam, several acts are described that belong to the Fitrah. We find this in the narrations of the Prophet (ﷺ).
- Trim the mustache
- Growing a beard
- Using the Miswak
- Sniffing water with the nose
- Clipping the nails
- Washing the finger joints
- Remove armpit hair
- Shave pubic hair
- Cleaning after defecation or urination with water
- Rinse mouth with water
- Circumcision
Islam brings the Fitrah back to life by trimming the mustache. The Prophet (ﷺ) orders his followers to trim their mustaches and not to leave it like the idolaters do.
It is seen in the West as something bad, and looked down upon. Yet it is an act of the natural predisposition to let it grow. Some react with disgust and others like it. Islam preserves this act of the Fitrah. All the Prophets grew their beards, including Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). And who is better than them?
The bottom line is that keeping the mouth clean is one of the deeds of the Fitrah. Whether this is done with a Miswak or not, it remains recommended. The use of the Miswak is from the Sunnah, and thus recommended to use.
During ritual ablutions we sniff water through our nose. In addition from it being from the Fitrah, it also just keeps your nose clean.
Islam encourages Muslims to remain pure and clean. This includes clipping the nails. In addition, it is natural to trim the nails. And that is better for us if we want to be as close as possible to our Fitrah.
Wash between fingers. We learned to do that from a young age. In this way we effectively clean our hands. It is also a natural act, without us having to think about it.
Besides that armpit hair does not look clean, it can store a lot of bacteria. Especially because the armpits have to release a lot of heat through sweat. It can also repel an unpleasant odor. Islam upholds the Fitrah by encouraging the removal of armpit hair. That was done in the Sunnah with plucking.
Islam attaches great importance to cleanliness. This also involves shaving off pubic hair. It is an act of the Fitrah to remove it.
Toilet paper is not enough to clean oneself from the impurity of urination or defecation. To make sure you are clean again, water is required. It removes residual bacteria and residue. In addition, there is another big problem that is going on. We waste a lot of paper. Islam offers a double solution: cleanliness and saving paper.
Oral hygiene comes up twice when we look at this list. The mouth is also known to store a lot of bacteria. We all rinse our mouths during ritual ablutions. The Prophet (ﷺ) also rinsed his mouth after drinking milk because it contains fat.
In Islam, boys are circumcised. Circumcision ensures more cleanliness and prevents bacteria. It is a ritual that Muslims have from the Prophet Ibrahim (عليه السلام).
