CLEANLINESS IN ISLAM

In the name of Allah the Beneficent

CLEANLINESS IN ISLAM

By Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

The Merciful Lord Who is high above His entire creation has allocated for Himself Divine Attributes which are to be the terms of reference for man who is required to represent Him here on the earth. He says in His Holy Words, i.e. in the Holy Qur’an the following:

The Nature of Allah (i.e. His Sunnah) is the nature He has bestowed on mankind. The Habit of Allah does not change. (30:30)

It is without doubt a great blessing for man, a finite creature, to be selected by the All-Knowing, Infinite Being to be able to manifest something the “Habits of God”, contained in His Divine Personality, in one’s earthly life.

Every Attribute is equally important and has its benefits. Perhaps this is a reason why Alllah made them known to us. He says:

To Allah belong the Beautiful Names: (7:180)

Islam teaches that man should make every effort to mould his personality in accordance with the qualities contained in the Divine Attributes, so that he will become a better person physically, morally and spiritually.

In order to maximize the effect between creature and the Creator, one has to be pure and clean, as impurities will prevent proper contact between the light of the Lord and the soul. Allah says:

Verily, Allah loves those who make repentance and those who purify themselves.(2:222)

Impurities are of different kinds and affect the personality in different ways. The basic is physical impurity. It soils the physical body and must be removed. In order to be able to get maximize benefit from worship, reading of the Holy Qur’an, etc. one has to be in a state of physical purity. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why the Prophet (pboh) is reported to have said:

Cleanliness is half of faith.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

On the Day of Judgment the human being will be required to stand in front of the Lord with body and soul. If the body was not kept clean, there will be a problem, as the Lord loves cleanliness.

In addition, the action of the physical body through the nafs, can impact upon the soul. It can either keep it bright and shining or the soul can be soiled. As indulgence in prohibited things will put stains on it. Allah says:

Nay, but they have placed stains on their hearts because of what they do. (83:14)

Those who are believers, and do not clothe their faith with wrong doing they are the successful ones. (6:82)

When the light of the soul b become soiled it can spread to the cells of the body. This will cause the body to remain dark, and upon resurrection will have no light in it. Allah says:

On that Day, some faces will be bright and some faces will be dark. (3:106)

As Allah gave guidance in the Book and in the life pattern of the Beloved Messenger, we must endeavor to keep our selves pure and clean if we are desirous benefitting from what the Lord has prepared for those who took the necessary care to keep themselves pure and clean.