In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate "May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You" Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu Cleanliness and Beautification http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/Q_SSC/cleanliness_beautification.html
The attention to hygiene is another aspect of Civilized Manner (Suluk Al-Hadari) which is an unknown concern in any other religion or philosophy before Islam. Cleanliness became an essential part of the rites and worship to such extent that it is an inseparable part of the Muslim's life. Wudhu : The five daily Prayers are obligatory upon every Muslim, man and women. This Prayer is actually pledge to meet Allah, the Exalted, from the rising of the dawn until the disappearance of the twilight at evening. It is, in fact a spiritual shower washing away sins five times a day. In this respect Allah says: "And establish regular Prayers at the two ends of the day and when the night approaches, surely the good deeds blot out the evil deeds." (11:114) This Islamic Prayer has a uniqueness unlike the Prayer in other religions in that physical purification is a necessary condition. If Prayer is the key to Paradise then, likewise purification is the key to Prayer. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Allah does not accept Prayers without purification." [Note: Reported by Muslim and Ibn Majah on the authority of Ibn `Umar, also by Ibn Majah on the authority of Anas and Abi Bakrah and also Abu Dawud, Al-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah on the authority of the father of Abi Al Malih, Sahih Al- Jami' Al-Saghir, No.7746] This purification and cleanliness are of two kinds: purification from impurities and purification from the excretions from the private parts. Purification from impurities purifies the body, the clothes and the place in which one prays from any impurities such as the stains of the blood, dead animals and pigs, and the vomiting, urine or excrement of human beings and animals. The other kind of purification does not mean cleanliness from something palpable. But rather purifying the inner of oneself because it is an order from Allah. A Muslim is obliged to make ablution if exposed to minor impurities. This means he must wash the areas of the body which are ordinarily exposed to dust and dirt and he should have a body-washing (Ghusl) after menstruation and sexual intercourse. Moreover, these acts of purification are connected to recurrent natural stimuli which one must blot out through purification. It is also preferable, in Islam, for the Muslim to be eager to clean his body regularly, particularly when he meets his fellow Muslims in the congregational Prayers. Bath : Ghusl is also an act in which it is preferable to be performed before the Friday congregational Prayer as stated in the noble hadith. In other versions, the hadith goes to the extent of ordering one to perform (Ghusl) as part of the overall cleanliness and hygiene of the Muslim Society: "Ghusl on Friday is obligatory(Wajib)on every adult!" [Note: Reported by Malik, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah on the authority of Sa'id, Sahih Al-Jami' Al-Saghir, (3690)] Another hadith obliges the Muslim to perform (Ghusl) at least once a week saying: "Every Muslim should bathe once every seven days where he should wash his head and all of his body." [Note: Agreed upon on the authority of Abu Hurairan, Al-Lu `Lu' Wal Marjan, (No.442)] Mouth : The Sunnah has directed attention in taking care of certain parts of the human body such as the mouth. The means of cleaning it was the Swak which is easily found and used in the Arab Peninsula. In this respect, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:"The Swak is a purifying agent for the mouth and it is a way of seeking Allah's Pleasure." [Note: Reported by Ahmad on the authority Abi Bakr; also by Al-Shafi'i, Ahmad, Nasa'i, Ibn Khaizamah, Ibn Hibban, Al-hakim and Al-Baihaqi on the authority of `Aishah, and by Ibn Majah on the authority of Abi Umaman, Sahih Al-Jami Al-Saghir, (3695)] Hair : Concerning the hair, Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Whoever has hair should care about it." [Note: Reported by Abu Dawud on the authority of Abu Rurairah, (No. 4163), Sahih Al-Jami' Al-Saghir, (No.6497)] Ata Ibn Yasser reported that:"A man came to the Prophet(Peace be upon him): When he was in the mosque with uncomped hair and an untidy beard. The Prophet pointed to him as if ordering him to fix his hair and beard. He did so and returned. Thereupon the Prophet (Peace be upon him): When he was in the mosque observed, "Isnt this better than one of you coming with his hair uncomped, as if he was a devil ?" [Note: Reported by Malik, Al-Mawatta', vol.2, p.949] Thus the Prophet as the instructor taught the Muslims the importance of having a pleasant appearance which comes second in importance after the excellence of the inner self. Furthermore, he taught Muslims to wash their hands thrice on waking up before putting them in the water, saying,"For no one knows where his bands were during sleep." [Note: Reported by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Majab, Al-Nasa'i, Abu Dawud, and Al-Tirmidhi on the authority of Abu Hurairah, Sahih Al-Jam'i Al Saghir, No.332] For Arabs used to clean their private parts with stones due to scarcity of water and many of them weren't in the habit of wearing pants, so perhaps they might have touched their private parts (where the impurity was) while they were asleep. He also taught them to wash their hands after eating and particularly after eating meat. He went so far as to warn them against neglecting to wash their hands before sleep saying:"Whoever goes to sleep without washing his hands from the traces of fatty foods, exposes himself to illness and should blame no one but himself." [Note: Reported by Abu Dawud (No.3852), Al-Tirmidhi (No.1861), Ibn Majah (No.3267), and Ibn Hibban as mentioned in Al-Mawarid (No. 1354), all of them reported it on the authority of Abu Hurairah except Ibn Majah who reported it after Fatimah, (May Allah be pleased with both of them), No.3296] Home : The Sunnah stressed the importance of cleanliness in the house saying: "You must clean your houses and do not follow in the footsteps of Jews". [Note: Reported by Al-Tirmidhi] Road : Moreover, the Sunnah instructed Muslims to maintain the cleanliness of the roads by lifting any harmful objects found on it. This is considered a Sadaqa and as a means to ridding the streets of impurities and filth. Some Bedouin Arabs used to urinate on the roads or in the shade. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) strictly warned them against it and considered it one of the reasons to provoke Allah's curse and the people's curse saying: "Beware of those acts which cause others to curse. They asked, "What are those acts?" The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Relieving oneself in the people's walkways or in their shade". >[Note: Reported by Ahmad, Muslim and Abu Dawud on the authority of Abu >Hurairah, the previous reference (no. 110)] > > >"Beware of the three acts that cause others to curse you: relieving yourselves >in a watering place, on foot paths or shaded places." >[Note: Reported by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim and Al-Baihaqi on the >authority of Mu'adh, Sahij' Al- Jaini' Al-Saghir (no. 112)] > This instruction in conjunction with the others were the first attempts, known in the history of mankind, to link human beings with the protection of the environment from harm in the name of religion. to be contd.... ________________________________ Replying Those Why Ask "Do Muslims Take Bath Only On Fridays" ? (dawah) http://www.islamawareness.net/Cleanliness/friday.html “Excuse me, Sir. I was told that you are a Muslim? ” “Well in that case, I would like to know, how do you people manage with only one bath a week? he asked. Possibly less out of ignorance and more to vilify me, he continued in the same vein. ”I understand that you people take bath only on Jumma, that is Fridays ?” Ignoring the clear sarcasm in his tone, I said, “Yes you may be right..” I paused. “It is true that Muslims do take bath on Fridays, but they also take bath on the eve of their festivals. They also bath after burying their dead. The Muslim males take bath every time they ejaculate for any reason. Muslim females also take bath at the end of their menses. Muslim couples take bath after having sex. This is over and above the daily routine bath one undertakes as a matter of habit.” “Do you know gentleman,” I continued, ”Muslims wash their genitals after passing urine? Do you also know that prior to each prayer five times a day, Muslims perform what is known as Ablution (Wudu), whereby they wash off all those parts of the body which are exposed to environmental pollution?” Is it out of sheer ignorance or systematic vilification campaign, one cannot decide for sure, but giving the benefit of doubt to all our friends who are not only awfully ignorant about Muslims and Islam but are also vulnerable to disinformation campaigns, we would like to give them a brief idea of the concept and practice of cleanliness in Islam. The importance of cleanliness in Islam can be gauged from this simple fact that most of the Books of Ahadith (Prophets deeds and sayings) and also the Books of Fiqh (Sharia) start with a chapter on Taharah that is cleanliness. (In fact the meaning and spirit behind the concept of Taharah is much beyond the superficiality of the conventional cleanliness). This particular chapter starts with the classification of water and goes on to describe how water gets impure or polluted, modes and methods of purification of water and host of other topics. This chapter ends with a concluding topic of how Muslims should bath their dead? Muslims go much beyond the superficial and cosmetic concept of Manicure & Pedicure imported from the West. They do not believe in the technology which combines toilet papers with odor-masking perfumes. Muslim males are required to get circumcised so that even faint traces of urine are not entrapped in the foreskin of the genitals. The fruit of such a clean practice is borne out by the results of studies carried out by Prof. Schot of Australia, in the African AIDS belt, where to his surprise he discovered that the occurrence of this fatal disease was least among those who practiced circumcision. Dr. Advani of Tata Cancer Research Institute, Mumbai, also confirmed that Muslim women constitute the least percentage among the victims of vaginal cancer. The observation, he said, can only be explained by the fact that their males are circumcised. Muslims are duty bound to shave off their armpits and pubic hair as a matter of routine practice. The males are also instructed to trim their moustaches in order to keep them clear of oral intakes. Our beloved Prophet strictly prohibited his followers to consume onion and garlic (indicating thereby any foul smelling consumable including cigarettes) before going to any congregational prayer in mosques, lest they offend fellow companions praying next to them. Brushing of teeth ( once in a day ) is very recent development of near past. Muslims are known to use Miswak, the herbal brush for the past 1400 years, five times a day prior to each ablution, as recommended by their Prophet. Cleanliness is inbuilt in Islamic Sharia, as prerequisite to every form and mode of worship. Be it the recital of the holy Quran, offering of the five daily prayers, fasting or the Hajj. In fact a Muslim cannot offer his obligatory prayers with unclean body, clothes or using dirty premises. The Holy Quran instructs the faithful to ”keep their clothes clean” (74:4). They are also made to imbibe this very message that “Allah loves those who are clean.” (2:222). In fact to what length and breadth, Islam goes on to take care of its followers in respect of personal hygiene, can be exemplified by the afore-mentioned verse whereby Muslims are categorically prohibited to have sex with their mates during menses. Well at this juncture someone may start feeling that Islam prescribes much more stringent code of cleanliness than they ever thought. They are not wrong. But they are not fully correct too! The emphasis in Islam is more on the cleanliness of the inner-self, that is heart, mind and soul. The external cleaning process and rituals in reality are the preparatory ground work to achieve the more important task and that is cleanliness of the inner-self, which is the ultimate goal of the religion. ________________________________ Also Read Replying Those Who Ask : Do All Muslims Have 4 wives ? (dawah) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveIslam_LiveIslam/message/380 Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveIslam_LiveIslam/ What Seperates our Group from the rest ? Only Authentic Information about Islam is passed backed by Quran or Hadith's. Plus we only send max 1 mail per day. Join Today and learn more about Islam , Insha'Allah [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
