By Dr. Mozammel Haque
Today I will be discussing, Insha Allah, one of the most
important practical aspects of Islam which is cleanliness.
Islam is beautiful and that's why its followers are
beautiful and clean. But when you move around the High Street
of any European country and come across any dirty shop,
you would be surprised to know that the owner of that shop
is none other than a Muslim.
The Muslim whom Islam wants to stand out among people is
very clean. He has high standards of personal hygiene, bathing
frequently in accordance with the guidance of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) who encouraged people to wash themselves
completely and wear perfume, especially on Fridays: "Have
a bath on Fridays and wash your heads, even if you are not
in a state of Junabah (impurity, e.g. following marital
relations), and wear perfume.” (Al-Bukhari).
The Prophet (pbuh) placed such a great emphasis on cleanliness
and bathing that some of the four Imams considered performing
ghusl before Friday prayer to be obligatory (wajib). Abu
Hurayrah (RA) said: "The Prophet said: ‘It is
the duty of every Muslim to take a bath (at least) once
every seven days, and to wash his head and his body.”
(Agreed upon)
The true Muslim keeps his clothes and socks clean, checking
them from time to time, to be sure that they have no unpleasant
smell. He also wears perfume to help keep him clean. It
is reported that ‘Omar (RA) used to say: "Whoever
spends a third of his wealth on perfume is not being extravagant.”
The smart Muslim takes care of his mouth, for no one should
ever have to smell an unpleasant odour coming from it. He
does this by cleaning his teeth every day with a siwak,
toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwashes. Aishah narrated
that the prophet (pbuh) "never woke from sleeping
at any time of day or night without cleaning his teeth with
a siwak before performing wudu.”
The Prophet's concern for oral hygiene was so great
that he said, "If it were not for the fact that I
did not want to overburden my Ummah, I would have ordered
them to use the siwak before every prayer.” (Al-Bukhari
and Muslim). Aishah (RA) was asked what the Prophet (pbuh)
used to do first when he came home. She said: "Use
siwak.” (Muslim).
Regrettably, some Muslims neglect these teachings that
are at the heart of Islam, and do not pay heed to the cleanliness
of their mouths, bodies and clothes. So you may see them
going to the mosque or to other religious meetings and study
circles, annoying their brothers with their unpleasant smell
and offending the angels who surround these blessed gatherings.
What is really strange is the fact that they themselves
listen to and repeat the saying of the Prophet (peace be
upon him) that whoever eats onions, garlic or leeks should
not go to the mosque because his breath may disturb the
angels and the people:
"Whoever eats onions, garlic or leeks should not
approach our mosque, because whatever offends the sons of
Adam may offend the angels.” (Muslim).
The Prophet (pbuh) banned those who had eaten these pungent
vegetables from coming anywhere near the mosque, lest the
people and the angels be offended by their bad breath, but
these smells pale into insignificance beside the stench
of dirty clothes, filthy socks, unwashed bodies and unclean
mouths that emanates from some careless and unkempt individuals
who offend others in any gathering.
Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Nisa'I narrate that Jabir
(RA) said: "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came to
visit us, and saw a man who was wearing dirty clothes. He
said, ‘Could this person not find anything with which
to wash his clothes?'”
The Prophet (pbuh) did not like a Muslim to appear before
people wearing dirty clothes, if he had the means to clean
them. He encouraged Muslims always to dress in clean clothes
and to present a neat and attractive appearance. He used
to say: "There is nothing wrong with keeping two garments
for Friday, apart from one's workaday clothes.”
(Reported by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah.)
Islam frequently encourages its followers to be clean always,
to perfume their clothes and to ensure that their bodies
always smell fresh and clean. This is what the Prophet (pbuh)
used to do, according to the report that Imam Muslim quotes
from Anas ibn Malik, who said: "I have never smelt
any ambergris or musk that had a better scent than the scent
of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).”
Many reports describe the cleanliness of the Prophet's
clothes and body, and describe the sweet smell of his sweat.
For example, if he shook hands with a man, his beautiful
scent would remain on that man's hand for the rest
of the day, and if he laid his hand on the head of a child,
that child would stand out from others by virtue of his
sweet smell.
How urgent is the Muslims' need to follow the guidance
of this great Messenger in his command to take care of one's
hair and keep it neat in accordance with the teachings of
Islam. This is reported in the Hadith that Abu Dawud quotes
from Abu Hurayrah (RA), who said: "The Prophet (pbuh)
said: ‘Whoever has hair, let him look after it properly.'”
Looking after one's hair, according to Islamic teaching,
involves keeping it clean, combing it, perfuming it and
styling it nicely.
The true Muslim takes good care of his clothes, so you
will see him presenting a pleasant appearance, without being
extravagant. He is pleasant to look at and to meet, and
does not annoy people with his careless, disheveled appearance.
He always checks himself before he goes out to meet people,
and he makes himself look good, in moderation, for the Prophet
(pbuh) used to make himself look good in from his Companions,
as well as in front of his family. In his commentary on
the ayah (verse), "Say: Who has forbidden the beautiful
(gifts) of Allah, which He has produced for His servants,
and the things, clean and pure, (which He has provided)
for sustenance?….” (al-A''raf 7:32)
Al-Qurtubi said: "Makhul reported from Aishah (RA):
"A group of the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) was
waiting at the door for him, so he prepared to go out to
meet them. There was a vessel of water in the house, and
he peered into it, smoothing his beard and his hair. (Aishah
said:) I asked him, "O Messenger of Allah, even you
do this?” He said, "Yes, when a man goes out
to meet his brothers, let him prepare himself properly,
for Allah is beautiful and loves beauty.””
The Muslim does all of this in accordance with the Islamic
ideal of moderation, avoiding the extremes of either exaggeration
or negligence.
First Published in The Muslim World
Karachi, Pakistan
