Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu alaikum,

I’m a reverted muslim Alahamdulliah. I got Islam through my husband who was my then MBA classmate. I’m married to him for the past 1.6 years now.

I’m living with my husband’s parents and sisters in a joint family. During my tenure of 1.6 years I’m happy about my achievement of following ISLAM and about my husband`s family for all their continuous support and everything except when I come to cleanliness. I find my husband’s family members not very clean in their daily life. They take their bath only on Friday n one more day of the week, whereas I’m used to bathing daily, (they do not oppose that), whenever they attend nature calls they do not wash their feet and hands once they come out. They directly walk into the kitchen and touch the vessels, they do not wash vegetables 3 times before cooking, and even the vessels are not cleaned neatly. I’m a working woman and will not be able to contribute completely in all these activities. And till now I have been silently adjusting to all these as I’m not knowing how to put across these things to them. Sometimes I feel very upset when I see the dirty things around or the haphazard way of doing things. Half the time there is communication gap as I do not know their language. So putting these sensitive things I need to be very conscious. Please do not mistake and take it as a complaint from me. This is in the interest of demonstrating what Islam is all about. Kindly help, I’m very confused.

Please send in your suggestion relating to Ahadiz and the Quran. Awaiting eagerly for your reply. Let me know what Islam has got to say about cleanliness.

Allahafiz

 

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Answer:

 

Cleanliness in Islam

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: Let me know what Islam has got to say about cleanliness.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 222 (part):

….For Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 296 (part)          Narrated by Banu Sulaym

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying: “…. and cleanliness is half of the faith.’

 

The deen or ‘way of life’ called Al-Islam emphasizes and absolutely encourages the believers to keep themselves physically pure and clean at all times; so much so that Allah Subhanah Declares that He loves those believers who keep themselves pure and clean and the Messenger of Allah (saws) declared that cleanliness is half of faith! 

 

Not only does Islam guide and command its followers to become and remain spiritually clean from spiritual impurities like polytheism, disbelief, hypocrisy, etc.; but Islam guides and commands its believers to strive to also be and remain physically pure and clean.

 

Dear and beloved sister in Islam, regarding the issues you have related like taking a bath daily, or washing hands and feet thoroughly when coming out of the privy, touching of vessels without washing hands, or not washing the vegetables three times before cooking, etc. are issues regarding personal hygiene and normal cleanliness….and these issues have more to do with personal habit and preferences than anything else.

 

It is possible that one who has a habit to take bath a few times a day would assume that one who takes one bath a day is unhygienic or dirty; or one who washes his hands and feet thoroughly with soap after the privy assumes that one who washes them only with water is dirty or unhygienic; etc.   It is possible that the quality of hygiene that suffices for one may not be sufficient for another. 

 

As long as one is sufficiently hygienic and does not do things which jeopardize the health of others around them, neither the one who prefers excessive hygiene force others who are not to follow them, nor should the ones who are sufficiently hygienic force the one who is excessive to follow them.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan