God says in the Qur’an: “We indeed have created man in the finest form.” (95: 4) There is no doubt that among all living creatures on earth, man is given the finest form, as he walks upright and has a well proportioned face and features. Therefore, it is important to ensure that we keep good appearance at all times. It is wrong to leave our hair disheveled or to be careless about our other features. The Prophet (peace be upon him) always made sure of having his toiletries nearby so that he would take care of his appearance. Anas reports: “As the Prophet was about to go to bed at night, his water for ablution, tooth stick and comb were placed for him. When he got up at night, he would clean his teeth with the tooth stick, perform his ablution and comb his hair. I have seen God’s messenger using a comb made of ivory.” (Related by Abu Al-Shaykh.)
This Hadith gives us an impression of the Prophet’s personal hygiene. When he woke up for his night prayer, he would not only perform the required ablution for prayer, but he would also clean his teeth with the tooth stick. At the time people used a small stick cut of the branches of the Arak tree, which served as a fine toothbrush. Nowadays, some people insist on using the same stick, which is all right, but using an ordinary toothbrush serves the same purpose and can be used instead.
As the Hadith mentions that the Prophet used a comb made of ivory, which is part of the elephant’s tusk, it indicates that using the bones of animals that meet a natural death is perfectly permissible.
The Prophet also took his toiletries with him when he traveled or went on an expedition. Lady Ayesha reports: “I used to pack God’s messenger’s things for him. I would pack some oil lotion, a mirror, a pair of scissors, a kohl jar and a tooth stick.” (Related by Abu Al-Shaykh.) This is the same as we do when we travel nowadays. Everyone needs their cosmetic articles: some hair spray or lotion, a toothbrush and toothpaste, etc. We note that the Prophet took all this with him, as well as a mirror, scissors and a kohl jar. This shows that he was keen to maintain his good appearance when he traveled. Not only so, but the Prophet appreciated God’s gift in giving him a perfect shape. Anas reports: “When the Prophet looked in the mirror, he would say: ‘All praise be to God who has given me a good form and shape, perfected my face and made me a Muslim.’” (Related by Abu Al-Shaykh.)
We note that the Prophet also took with him a kohl jar as part of his toiletry. Kohl is a powder consisting of antimony sulphide or lead sulphide, used as eye make-up and as eye ointment, especially in Eastern countries. When used, kohl makes a black line around the eyelids to enhance the shape of the eye. It is perfectly permissible to use by both men and women. Ibn Abbas quotes the Prophet as saying: “Use the antimony kohl, for it makes eyesight clearer and strengthens hair.” (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Al-Nassaie, Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.) Ibn Abbas also reports: “The Prophet used to apply antimony kohl before going to sleep, applying it three times in each eye.” (Related by Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.)
There are indeed several Hadiths to the same effect, given with different chains of transmission, which means that the authenticity of these Hadiths is further emphasized. Anas, for example, reports: “The Prophet used to have black kohl. When he went to bed he would apply of it three times in this eye and three times in the other eye.” (Related by Abu Al-Shaykh.) However, the Prophet might vary the stuff he used to apply to his eyes, or the number of applications. Anas reports: “The Prophet used to have antimony kohl, which he applied three times in his right eye and twice in his left eye.” (Related by Abu Al-Shaykh.)
This last Hadith does not mean that the Prophet consistently applied kohl twice in one eye and three times in the other. There is no justification for such variation. It might have been just the odd occasion, which means that he probably did not have enough for three applications in each eye. Several Hadiths mention three applications in both eyes, which mean that this was his normal practice.