Can I cut my nails while in janabah?

What janabah means

Janabah is the state of major impurity after intercourse or a wet dream. It means you need a ghusl before praying, and the Quran says so directly:

Janabah stops certain acts of worship, like prayer and (for most scholars) touching the Quran. It doesn't make you "dirty" as a person, and it doesn't stop daily life: eating, sleeping, working or grooming. See When is ghusl required?

A believer is never impure

Abu Hurayrah once slipped away from the Prophet ﷺ because he was in janabah. When he returned, the Prophet ﷺ said, "Subhan Allah! A believer never becomes impure" (Sahih al-Bukhari 283). Scholars use this to explain that janabah is a ritual state, not filth on your body. Your nails and hair are not najis, before or after cutting them.

Imam Ahmad was asked about a person in janabah removing hair and cutting nails, and he said there was no harm in it. Ibn Taymiyyah gave the same answer.

Where the "wait until ghusl" idea comes from

Imam al-Ghazali mentioned in his book Ihya Ulum ad-Din that it's better not to cut hair or nails while in janabah, because those parts would return in the Hereafter in that state. Later scholars pointed out that this has no authentic hadith behind it, and the Prophet ﷺ never told anyone to wait. So:

• Cutting first, then taking ghusl: fine.
• Taking ghusl first, then cutting: also fine, and some prefer it.
• There is no sin either way, and nothing needs to be redone.

Nail-cutting is a sunnah in any state

The Prophet ﷺ listed trimming the nails among the five acts of fitrah (natural cleanliness) (Sahih al-Bukhari 5889). You don't need to collect or wash the clippings either; just dispose of them in a clean, respectful way. Timing is flexible too. See Is it okay to cut my nails at night? and Does cutting my nails or hair break wudu?