The first thing
in the religion brought by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the
concern for cleanliness. Islam places great emphasis on
cleanliness, in both physical and spiritual aspects. While people
generally consider cleanliness a desirable attribute, Islam
insists on it, making it an indispensable fundamental of the
faith. A Muslim is required to be pure morally and spiritually as
well as physically, though the Quran and Sunnah Islam requires the
sincere believer to sanitize and purify his entire way of life.
Our
responsibility is not only to ourselves but also to bring our
family to practice a healthy, clean and pure life and for us be
the model for others.
Health and
cleanliness is built from a clean body, heart and mind. It is
crucially important for us to watch what we eat, wear, think and
feel. Every part of ourselves, visible or not, is related to
other part.
For every
Muslim ensuring and maintaining cleanliness is rewarded. In the
Quran Allah commends those who are accustomed to cleanliness:
إِنَّ
اللهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِيْنَ وَيُحِبُّ المُتَطَهِّرِيْنَ
“Allah
loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves who keep
themselves pure and clean”.
Surah Al-Baqarah
Ayat 22
In Islam, the
Arabic term for purity is Taharah. Books on Islamic
jurisprudence often contain an entire chapter with Taharah as a
healing.
Allah orders
the believer to be tidy in appearance:
وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ
“Keep
your garments clean.”
Surah AlMudathir Ayat 4
Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) advised the Muslims to appear neat and tidy in
private and in public. Once when returning home from battle he
advised his army:
“You
are soon going to meet your brothers, so tidy your saddles and
clothes. Be distinguished in the eyes of the people.”
Narrated by Abu Dawud
On another
occasion he said:
“Don’t
ever come with your hair and beard disheveled like a devil.”
Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi
And on
another:
“Had
I not been afraid of overburdening my community, I would have
ordered them to brush their teeth for every prayer.”
Narrated by Bukhari
Cleanliness
in Islam includes :
· Physical
One is free, bodily and
environmentally, from dirt and filth as well as from evildoings.
The body is a trust on all of us. We are responsible for its
maintenance, making sure it is capable of performing ibadah and
being able to do other necessary work. Cleanliness helps our body
to confront and overcome any difficult circumstances that may
arise and to strengthen the body’s immune system.
· Heart
The heart is to be free
from jealousy, hypocrisy and other bad desires. Yet it embodies
hope, patience, compassion, the sense of brotherliness and the
other virtuous qualities. Our words and actions leave an
impression of a Muslims on others.
· Mind
As Muslims we
must always have thoughts that are free from any bad and unlawful
intentions. Man has to pay attention to his diet against all
unhealthy food, medically and religiously. Man has to keep his
eyes, ears and tongue from evil. These are among the noble
characteristics as exemplified by Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ). And
modesty in dress for men as well as for women assists one in
maintaining purity of thought.
Importance of Cleanliness in Islam
Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness, in
both its physical and spiritual aspects. On the physical side,
Islam requires the Muslim to clean his body, his clothes, his
house, and the whole community, and he is rewarded by God for
doing so.
The attention to hygiene is one
aspect of Civilized Manner (Suluk Al-Hadari) which is an unknown
concern in any other religion or philosophy before Islam.
Cleanliness became an essential part of the rites and worship to
such extent that it is an inseparable part of the Muslim's life.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"Removing any harm from the road is charity (that will be
rewarded by Allah)."
[Bukhari]
While people generally consider cleanliness a
desirable attribute, Islam insists on it, making it an
indispensable fundamental of the faith. A Muslim is required to be
pure morally and spiritually as well as physically. Through the
Qur'an and Sunnah Islam requires the sincere believer to sanitize
and purify his entire way of life.
In the Qur'an Allah commends those who are
accustomed to cleanliness:
"Allah
loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep
themselves pure and clean." [2: 22]
Islam stresses the importance of cleanliness as
whown in several considerations in the Sunnah as well as the
Qur'an.
First, cleanliness is one of the qualities
which Allah, the Exalted, loves. He says:
"Surely
God loves those who repent, and He loves those who are always
pure." (2:222) He also praised the people of Qiba' and their love
of cleanliness, saying, "A mosque which was founded upon piety
from the very first day is more worthy be stood in. In it are men
who love to purify themselves, and God loves those who purify
themselves." (9:108)
Purification or cleanliness is considered an
inseparable part of faith to the extent that some Muslims mistook
the saying: "Cleanliness is a sign of faith" as a hadith. The
actual authentic hadith in this respect says:
"Purification is half of
faith"
[Muslim, Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi on the
authority of Abi Malik Al-Ash'ari, Sahih Al- Jami' Al-Saghir
(No.3957)]
Purification includes both moral purification
where one is free from polytheism, hypocrisy and ill manners, and
physical purification means private and public cleanliness.
Second, cleanliness is the pathway to health
and strength. Islam aspires the health and strength of Muslims,
preparing them to confront and overcome different circumstances
and as ammunition for the Muslim group. The strong believer is
better and Allah loves him more than the weak believer. The Muslim
is entrusted with his body thus, he must not neglect it until it
becomes plagued with disease for the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
said:
"Your body has a right on you."
[Agreed upon on the authority of `Abdullah
Ibn `Amr, Al-Lu `lu' Wal Marjan (No.715)]
Third, cleanliness is a prerequisite to
beautification or appearing in the way most loved by Allah and His
Prophet.
It is reported that the Prophet s.a.w. said:
"Allah is Beautiful and He loves
beauty."
After the Prophet s.a.w. said:
"If one has an atom's weight of arrogant
pride in his he! he will not enter Paradise". On hearing the
Prophet's words, a man said: I like to wear elegant clothes and
shoes or he said one likes to wear elegant clothes and shoes.' The
Prophet commented, "Allah is beautiful and he loves beauty,
arrogant pride means the denial of the truth and despising
people."
[Note: Reported by Muslim on the authority
of Ibn Mas'ud in the book of Iman, (No.147)]
Allah, the Exalted says:
"O children of Adam, adorn
yourselves fully at every time of prayer." And says: "Who had
forbidden the ornament of God which He brought forth for His
servants and who has forbidden the good things which he has
provided?"
[7:31-32]
Hence, `the Prophet forbade men going to the
mosque in the clothes worn at work. Al-Hasan used to adorn himself
wearing musk and his best garments on going to the mosque. When
asked about this, he explained: "I beautify myself for Allah's
Sake." Then he recited, "Adorn yourselves fully at every time of
Prayer."
Lastly, cleanliness and pleasant appearance
are of characteristics, which allow relationships to strengthen
amongst people. The sane human being will try to avoid people who
are unkempt. Hence, the Prophet emphasized the importance of Ghusl
or bathing on Friday. Similarly, there is a prohibition on eating
garlic, onion, leek and food like it, before going to the mosque
in order not to disturb others from the strong odor. If one
insists on eating them, then he is not permitted to enter the
mosque and is deprived of the congregational Prayer.
In both Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim,
Ibn `Umar reported that the Prophet s.a.w said:"Whoever has eaten
garlic, should not approach our mosque".
[Note: Agreed upon, Al-lu'lu' Wal Marjan
(No.331-333]
Jabir Ibn `Abdullah reported that the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Whoever has eaten garlic or
onion should keep away from our mosque and stay at home."
[Note: Agreed upon, Al-Lu `lu' Wal Marjan
(No 331-333)]
And Al-Mughirah Ibn Shu'bah reported;
"Whoever has eaten from this
malignant tree, should not approach our mosque until its smell
completely vanishes."
[Note: Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Ibn
Hibban, Sahih Al- Jami' Al Saghir (No.6092)]
These Hadiths rebukes those who eat these raw
legumes and threaten to exclude him from approaching the mosques.
By analogy, smokers, nowadays, should be deprived of approaching
the mosques for they expose people to passive smoking,
consequently, to danger.
These legumes are lawful - halal per se,
whereas , smoking is dangerous physically, spiritually, and
economically and it is thereupon judged as forbidden. The Ayah in
which Allah describes his Prophet in the books of old times apply
to smoking as Allah says:
"He enjoins on them what is good
and forbids them from what is evil".
On the bases of instinct, intellect and
scientific proofs, tobacco is definitely not one of the good
things in life.
Self Pure & Clean,
Environment Pure & Clean
In Islam the Arabic term for purity is Taharah.
Books of Islamic jurisprudence often contain an entire chapter
with Taharah as a heading.
Allah orders the believer to be tidy in
appearance:
"Keep your clothes clean." [74:4]
The Qur'an insists that the believer maintain a
constant state of purity:
"Believers! When you prepare for
prayer wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows,
rub your heads (with water) and (wash) your feet up to the ankles.
If you are ritually impure bathe your whole body." [5: 6]
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. advised the Muslims to
appear neat and tidy in private and in public.
Once when returning home from battle he
advised his army:
"You are soon going to meet your
brothers, so tidy your saddles and clothes. Be distinguished in
the eyes of the people."
[Abu Dawud]
On another occasion he said:
"Don't ever come with your
hair and beard disheveled like a devil."
[Al-Tirmidhi]
And on another:
Aishah related that the Prophet s.a.w. said:
There are then things which are dictates of the natural religion
(i.e. Islam): 1. trimming the mustache, 2. growing the beard, 3.
using miswak (i.e. cleaning the teeth), 4. sniffing up water (in
the nose during wudhu), 5. cutting the nails, 6. washing the
finger joints, 7. plucking the hair of the armpits, 8. shaving the
pubic hair and 9. cleaning with water (after using the toilet).
(The narrator said that Aishah forgot the tenth one.)
[Muslim]
another:
Anas bin Malik narrated: For trimming the
mustache, cutting the nails, removing the hair from both the
armpits and the pubic area – the limit has been alid down for us
(by the Prophet s.a.w.) It is that we should not leave these
undone for more than forty days.
[Muslim]
And yet another:
"Had I not been afraid of
overburdening my community, I would have ordered them to brush
their teeth for every prayer."
[Bukhari]
To illustrate the importance
of Muslims maintaining their high level of personal hygiene, the
following points are specifically mentioned by Prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him, on answering the call of nature.
Narrated `A’ishah, the Mother of the Faithful, may Allah be
pleased with him:
"The Prophet,
peace and blessings be upon him, used his right hand for getting
water for ablution and taking food, and his left hand for his
evacuation and for anything repugnant."
[Sunan Abu Dawud]
Salman reported: The prophet s.a.w. forbade
us to turn our faces towards the qiblah (in Makkah) while passing
stool or urine. He also forbade us to wipe our private parts with
our right hands.
[Muslim]
Umar bin al-Khattab stated:
The Prophet s.a.w. once saw me urinating
while standing and told me not to do so, so I never urinated again
while standing.
[Ibn Majah and at-Tirmidhi]
In respect to bad habits and
cleanliness,
The Prophet s.a.w.
said:"None of you should urinate in still water and then perform
Ghusl in it."
[Note: Agreed upon on the
authority of Abu Hurairah, Al-Lu'lu' Wal Mrajan (No.161)]
"None
of you should urinate in stagnant water and then make ablution in
it "
[Note: Reported by Ahmad,
Al-Tirmidhi and Al-Nasa'i, Sahih Al-Jami' Al Saghir,
(No.7594)]and,
"None of you should
urinate in a bathing place."
[Note: Reported by Ahmad,
Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Al Nasa'i, Al-Hakim and Ibn
Hibban on the authority of `Abdulah Ibn Mighfal, Sahih Al- Jami'
Al-Saghir (No.7597)]
Mind Pure and
Clean, Lives Pure Clean
Moral hygiene was not ignored, either, for the
Prophet s.a.w. encouraged the Muslims to make a special prayer
upon seeing themselves in the mirror:
"Allah, You have endowed me with a
good form; likewise bless me with an immaculate character and
forbid my face from touching the Hellfire."
[Ahmad]
And modesty in dress, for men as well as for
women, assists one in maintaining purity of thought.
Muslims go through a spiritual
shower washing away of sins five times a day in the form of
‘solah’ which means prayer. In this respect Allah says:
"And establish regular
Prayers at the two ends of the day and when the night approaches,
surely the good deeds blot out the evil deeds."
[11:114]
The five daily Prayers are
obligatory upon every Muslim, man and women. This Prayer is
actually pledge to meet Allah, the Exalted, from the rising of the
dawn until the disappearance of the twilight at evening.
This Islamic Prayer has a
uniqueness unlike the Prayer in other religions in that physical
purification is a necessary condition. If Prayer is the key to
Paradise then, likewise purification is the key to Prayer.
Part of the merits of ablution
is that it earns Muslims a special name by which they will be
called on the Day of Judgement; the name is Al-Ghurr-ul-Muhajjalun
(People of shinning bodily parts), due to performing ablution in
proper way.
Narrated
Nu’aim Al-Mujmir: "Once I went up the roof of the mosque along
with Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him. He performed
ablution and said, "I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be
upon him, saying, ‘On the Day of Resurrection, my followers will
be called Al-Ghurr-ul-Muhajjalun from the traces of ablution and
whoever can increase the area of his radiance should do so (by
performing ablution in the most perfect manner.’"
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 1,
Hadith No. 138]
The Prophet s.a.w. said:
"Allah does not accept Prayers without
purification."
[Muslim,Ibn Majah on the
authority of Ibn `Umar, also by Ibn Majah on the authority of Anas
and Abi Bakrah and also Abu Dawud, Al-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah on the
authority of the father of Abi Al Malih, Sahih Al- Jami'
Al-Saghir, No.7746]
This purification and
cleanliness are of two kinds: purification from impurities and
purification from the excretions of the penis, vagina or anus.
Purification from impurities
purifies the body, the clothes and the place in which one prays
from any impurities such as the stains of the blood, dead animals
and pigs, and the vomiting, urine or excrement of human beings and
animals.
Ibn Abbas reported:
Once the Prophet s.a.w. passed by two graves and said,
“Their occupants are being
punished, but not for (what you consider to be) major sins. One of
them did not avoid being contaminated by urine, while the other
continued spreading slander.”
[Bukhari and Muslim]
The other kind of purification
does not mean cleanliness from something palpable. But rather
purifying the inner of oneself because it is an order from Allah.
A Muslim is obliged to make ablution if exposed to minor
impurities. This means he must wash the areas of the body which
are ordinarily exposed to dust and dirt and he should have a
body-washing (Ghusl) after menstruation and sexual intercourse.
Moreover, these acts of purification are connected to recurrent
natural stimuli which one must blot out through purification. It
is also preferable, in Islam, for the Muslim to be eager to clean
his body regularly, particularly when he meets his fellow Muslims
in the congregational Prayers.
Being charitable is a way of
purifying one's wealth. A Muslim who does not give charity
(Sadaqah) and pay the required annual Zakah, the 2.5% alms-tax,
has in effect contaminated his wealth by hoarding that which
rightfully belongs to others:
"Of
their wealth take alms so that you may purify and sanctify them."
[9: 103]
All the laws and injunctions
given by Allah and His Prophet s.a.w. are pure; on the other hand,
man-made laws suffer from the impurities of human bias and other
imperfections.
Thus any formal law can only be
truly just when it is purified by divine guidance - as elucidated
by the Qur'an and the Sunnah - or if it is divinely ordained to
begin with - the Shari'ah.
