Cleaning

there are some reasons for the changes that happen to your body when you wake up in the morning. your face swells, your hair is dirty, your body has an unpleasant odour and there is an unwelcome taste in your mouth. the swollen face you see in the mirror and your unkempt appearance show you just how dependent you are. everyone must wash their face in the morning, brush their teeth and groom himself or herself. this reminds someone who has espoused the teaching of the qur'an that in this he is no different from other people, and that only allah has no imperfections.

moreover, when someone who sincerely turns to allah looks in the mirror and feels uncomfortable at what he sees, he understands better that he cannot possess anything of beauty by the power of his own will.

it can be seen that allah has created in his slaves some imperfections to remind them of their dependence on him. the fact that a person's body and environment become dirty within a short time is an example of this. but allah has shown people how to overcome these imperfections and has made blessings such as soap and detergent available to us. allah shows this to us in the qur'an:

for truly with hardship comes ease; truly with hardship comes ease. (surat al-inshirah: 5-6)

the ability to notice this secret of the creation of blessings and to give thanks for them to allah belongs only to believers endowed with understanding.

while a believer cleans himself, in the morning or in the course of the day, he gives thanks that allah has provided the materials with which to do it. because he knows that allah loves cleanliness and clean people, he sees washing himself as an act of worship and hopes to gain his pleasure. he gladly obeys what allah has commanded in verses 4 and 5 of surat al-muddaththir:

purify your clothes. shun all filth. (surat al-muddaththir: 4-5)

in the following verse revealed about events during the battle of badr, allah says that he sends down water from the heavens for people to clean themselves and for their other needs.

and when he overcame you with sleep, making you feel secure, and sent you down water from heaven to purify you and remove the taint of shaytan from you, and to fortify your hearts and make your feet firm. (surat al-anfal: 11)

water is the basic requirement needed for people to clean their bodies, their possessions and their houses. besides being able to clean visible dirt and invisible bacteria, water also has the ability to help one relax. when water pours over the body, it can disperse the static electricity that makes people fatigued and out of sorts. we can't see the static electricity produced on our bodies, but it sometimes makes itself noticeable by a crackling sound when we take off our sweaters, a mild electric shock when we touch something or by the movement of our hair. when we wash ourselves, we rid ourselves of this accumulation of static electricity and our bodies feel light and comfortable as a result. the freshness of the air after rain has fallen also comes from the fact that water has cleaned the air of static electricity.

allah is pleased when people are clean and well-groomed. this can be seen in a few verses in the qur'an that allude to the physical cleanliness of people in the garden.

allah says that "… there will be youths like hidden pearls." (surat at-tur: 24), and in other verses allah says that there are "purified wives" for those in the garden. (surat al-baqara: 25; surah al 'imran: 15; surat an-nisa': 57)

some people give importance to being well-groomed only when they are with others or when they have to make themselves liked; they don't care about their appearance and their cleanliness when they are not in the presence of others. to find it normal to go around the house until evening unwashed with a dirty face and bad breath, ungroomed, with the bed unmade and untidy room is the result of faulty reasoning.

however, allah urges muslims to make the best and cleanest environments for themselves and commands everyone to maintain the utmost cleanliness in everything from food and clothing to the places in which they live.

mankind! eat what is good and lawful on the earth. (surat al-baqara: 168)

they will ask you what is lawful for them. say: "all good things are lawful for you…" (surat al-ma'ida: 4)

… (the prophet) commanding them to do right and forbidding them to do wrong, making good things lawful for them and bad things unlawful for them… (surat al-a'raf: 157)

and when we made the house a place of return, a sanctuary for mankind: they took the maqam of ibrahim as a place of prayer. we contracted with ibrahim and isma'il: "purify my house for those who circle it, and those who stay there, and those who bow and who prostrate." (surat al-baqara: 125)

they replied, "we have been here for a day or part of a day." they said, "your lord knows best how long you have been here. send one of your number into the city with this silver you have, so he can see which food is purest and bring you some of it to eat." (surat al-kahf: 19)

and tenderness and purity from us, he (yahya) had taqwa (i.e., consciousness of allah that leads one to obey him and not disobey him). (surah maryam: 13)

while the lifestyle of ignorant people leads them to make uncomfortable and unhealthy environments to live in with their own hands, muslims, in conformity with the teachings of the qur'an, live a good life in this world. ignorant people create environments that are troublesome both for themselves and those around them, while muslims lead their lives in healthy, invigorating places where everyone can live in comfort and peace of mind.

in short, in conformity with the teachings of the qur'an, believers will be clean and well-groomed, not for the sake of other people, but because this is what allah likes and, naturally, because this is what feels most comfortable. by cleaning the place where they live, they feel a great deal of pleasure from creating an environment in which other people feel comfortable; in the matter of cleanliness they don't show the least laxity and they always do everything in their power to be clean and well-groomed.