In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
One characteristic of a good life is that it is lived in clean, healthy and comfortable surroundings. The soul of human was created in such a way as to be able to feel pleasure in the cleanness and beauty of Heaven. Muslims always choose the cleanest and most healthy alternative. If we find ourselves living in generally dirty, disorderly and depressing home environment, don't wait to transform it into a clean, healthy and comfortable living. This is an important step to promote a good life for you, your family and your neighbors.
Cleanliness has been considered one of the important factors by which to judge a civilization’s or society’s development. Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness, both physically and spiritually. On the physical side, Islam requires the Muslim to clean his body, his clothes, his house, and his environment, and he will be rewarded by Allah.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, for example,
Removing any harm from the road is charity (that will be rewarded by Allah).[Bukhari]
Allah loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.
Allah says,
إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّٰبِينَ وَيُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ ﴿٢٢٢ ...[Qur'an Al-baqarah 2:222]
Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves." (222)
Allah says,
لَا تَقُمْ فِيهِ أَبَدًا ۚ لَّمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ أَحَقُّ أَن تَقُومَ فِيهِ ۚ فِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَن يَتَطَهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَٱللَّـهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُطَّهِّرِينَ ﴿١٠٨[Que'an At-Tawba 9:108]
Do not stand [for prayer] within it - ever. A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves. (108)
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, in one of his sayings has termed cleanliness/purity as half of faith.
Purity is half of faith. Alhamdulillah [Praise be to Allah] fills the scales, and Subhana-Allah [How far is Allah from every imperfection] and Alhamdulillah [Praise be to Allah] fill that which is between heaven and earth. Prayer is light; charity is a proof; patience is illumination; and the Quran is an argument for or against you. Everyone starts his day and is a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or bringing about its ruin.[Muslim]
What we can glean from the above is that without cleanliness of our body and environment, one cannot receive the proximity of Allah spiritually and most importantly, faith cannot be completed in the absence of cleanliness and purity. Worshipping and seeking Allah’s love is conditioned upon cleanliness and purity.
So, cleanliness is a fundamental and powerful tenet of our faith. However, unfortunately, it is not reflected in our society.
Throwing garbage in the streets, roads or parks is a common practice in our society. Whether there are garbage bins or not, we have no right to litter in public places. It is interesting to see even most people who came from North America where there are litter laws (and they probably follow those laws), when they are visiting in another country that does not have such laws, they would quickly develop the habit of littering like the residents. This shows their lack of sensitivity towards cleanliness and hygiene.
When you travel or live in certain so called second or third world countries, finding a toilet can be a great challenge. Even if you can find one, it is in such pathetic condition that you cannot use it.
There are many other examples which can be cited to indicate the pathetic condition of cleanliness and hygiene in our society. But I think suffice with these two.
Each and everyone of us has a role to play to educate and sensitize the masses about the importance of cleanliness in the light of the Islamic teachings. We should, individually and collectively, make this valuable principle of Islam part of our lives.
Like everything else in Islam, it begins with you and your family first.
Allah orders the believer to be tidy in appearance.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُدَّثِّرُ ﴿١﴾ قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ ﴿٢﴾ وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ ﴿٣﴾ وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ ﴿٤﴾ وَٱلرُّجْزَ فَٱهْجُرْ ﴿٥[Qur'an Al-Muddathir 74:4]
O you who covers himself [with a garment], (1) Arise and warn (2) And your Lord glorify (3) And your clothing purify (4) And uncleanliness avoid (5)
The Qur'an insists that the believer maintain a constant state of purity.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَـٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّـهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٦[Qur'an Al-Ma'ida 5:6]
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful. (6)
Part of our personal cleanliness is through maintaining wudu' (ablution). Wudu' is a condition for the validity of prayers. Wudu' is also required when we want to touch the Qur'an, and it is recommended to have wudu' when we recite the Qur'an or hadith. We are encouraged to be in wudu' throughout our awake time and take wudu' before we go to sleep.
Every Friday, it is sunnah to take a complete bath (ghusl), cleanse ourselves, put perfume (for men) before going to the masjid for Jumu'ah prayer. Even if we have an excuse not to pray Jumu'ah or if we are not legally required to pray Jumu'ah, we should perform the ghusl of Friday.
Salman Al-Farsi said: the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said 'Allah will forgive the sins of the past week for he who on Friday will take a bath, cleanse himself, put on his [regular] perfume or any perfume available in house. Then, he goes out [to Jumu’ah prayer] and does not try to separate two friends. Then he prays wherever he could and listens to the Imam.'
We should wash our body as soon as it requires washing to keep ourselves fresh and clean. To take a bath on Friday is specifically required since a large number of people will be gathering at mosques. However, if our body became dirty or we sweat, then, we should take a bath as frequent as needed to keep fresh and clean. Don't try to camouflage bad body odor with perfume. You do need to take shower. It is bad manners to be in public with bad body odor.
We should always try to look nice and smell nice, even when we are alone. Why? Because, not only we will feel and smell good and be ready to greet any surprise guest ir visitor, this should be our manner with Allah and the honorable angels who are present all the time.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, 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]
He also said,
Had I not been afraid of overburdening my community, I would have ordered them to brush their teeth for every prayer.[Bukhari]
Moral hygiene was not ignored, either, for the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, encouraged the Muslims to make a special prayer upon seeing themselves in the mirror.
O 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]
Muslims dress modestly for it helps us in maintaining purity of thought.
Muslims give charity in order to purify their wealth. Those who Allah has blessed them with wealth but do not give charity and pay the required annual zakat has in effect contaminated his wealth by hoarding that which rightfully belongs to others.
خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ إِنَّ صَلَوٰتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّـهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿١٠٣
Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [Allah 's blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. (103[Qur'an At-Tawba 9:103]
Maintain cleanliness in your house. Cleanliness is the key to hygiene and health. It prevents many illnesses. It attracts family members to the house and a source of respect for the family.
Always keep your house clean and tidy. Avoid clutter and avoid mess. Keep things in their proper places. If you haven't use the item for a while, chances are you don't need it--discard them (give to someone who can use it or throw it away.)
Clean the toilets and the kitchen every day, and as often as needed.
Dust regularly, at least once a week (in some areas you would need to do this more frequently) and remove all stains and dirt from the walls, doors, windows, furniture, and other items.
Keep the garbage in a covered dustbin, keep it away from the other rooms, and kitchen. Empty the dustbin regularly. Do not keep the garbage in front of your house.
Do not let your children urinate in the garden or the yard, and if they did, wash the place immediately.
Do not pile up dirty dishes. Wash them as soon as possible after use. Wash the dishes with clean water, and afterwards keep them in a clean place. Don't get into the habit of leaving dishes in the sink overnight.
Do not pile up dirty laundry. Wash them as soon as possible, and fold and put them away after they are dry. Remove all dirty clothes, especially babies' nappies, from the vicinity of all rooms and kitchen and wash them as soon as possible.
Wash your hands before eating and teach your children to do the same. After food, one should wash one's hands and mouth. If possible one should brush one's teeth after every meal. Brushing one's teeth is essential, at least, once a day, preferably before sleeping at night.
Cut your nails once a week, the sunnah is on Fridays. Long nails are not hygienic, because germs can live under long nails.
Take a bath, at least, once a week (at least every Friday), if possible daily.
One must remove all hair from under one's armpit as well as other places by shaving or other means. Hidden hair on the body is a suitable place for the growing germs.
Do not leave food exposed to flies, because flies are carriers of many dangerous microbes.
Rise early and make your bed as soon as you rise. Take shower and begin your day fresh.
May Allah grant us good in this life and the next and save us from the Fire. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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