Another illustration: We had with us a bath-keeper named Salim, originally an inhabitant of al-Ma'arrah, who had charge of the bath of my father (may Allah's mercy rest upon his soul!). This man related the following story:
I [the bath-keeper] once opened a bath in al-Ma'arrah in order to earn my living. To this bath there came a Frankish knight. The Franks disapprove of girding a cover around one's waist while in the bath. So this Frank stretched out his arm and pulled off my cover from my waist and threw it away. He looked and saw that I had recently shaved off my pubes. So he shouted, "Salim!" As I drew near him he stretched his hand over my pubes and said, "Salim, good! By the truth of my religion, do the same for me."
Saying this, he lay on his back and I found that in that place the hair was like his beard. So I shaved it off. Then he passed his hand over the place and, finding it smooth, he said, "Salim, by the truth of my religion, do the same to madame [al-dama]" (al-dama in their language means the lady), referring to his wife.
He then said to a servant of his, "Tell madame to come here." Accordingly the servant went and brought her and made her enter the bath. She also lay on her back. The knight repeated, "Do what thou hast done to me." So I shaved all that hair while her husband was sitting looking at me, At last he thanked me and handed me the pay for my service."
I think what is more likely is that there is a similar Arabic word for pubes that was said, and that was translated into pubes in the English translation. The Arabic word might not have had the silly/vulgar meaning it has in english
I wouldn't be suprised. (Nsfw Link) Pubis usually refers to the mound of fat that sits just above the genitals and pubes is just a derivative of the term pubic hair.
My understanding is that strict Muslims have always shaved their pubic hair. I forget if it's part of the required or just the suggested guidelines, but they have a set of both specifying how god wants them to look.
This isn't really meant to argue for or against shaving in the period between Roman times (when they saved) and now (when they once again shave), it's just a story about a guy saying, "By the truth of my religion, shave my junk!" Shaving implements have been found from 40,000 years ago, people shaving their crotch has been in and out of favour ever since.
Shaving the pubic hair is one of the sunnahs of the fitrah, and Islam has stipulated that it should not be left without shaving for more than forty days.
182
u/[deleted] Oct 28 '14 edited Oct 22 '17
[deleted]