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.
