Learn Islam’s Powerful Teachings on Cleanliness

System of Islam

The Islamic System of Cleanliness (Part-1)

Mawlana Farman Ali Attari al-Madani

Just as Islam provides pure teachings regarding spirituality, faith, and beliefs, it also teaches us about external cleanliness and hygiene. Islam dislikes filth and favours cleanliness, tidiness, and purity. Lady ꜤĀisha رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا reports that the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Islam is indeed a pristine religion, so maintain cleanliness, as only the pure will enter Paradise.”[1]

Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Muṣṭafā al-AꜤẓamī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه writes:

This blessed habit (of maintaining cleanliness) is an excellent virtue for both men and women; a precious crown upon the head of humanity. Whether wealthy or poor, cleanliness in every condition reflects one’s dignity and honour, and it is beloved to Allah. It is a symbol of faith for every Muslim to maintain cleanliness of their body, home, belongings, and everything else. Filth is the worst enemy of a person’s dignity and honour, so everybody must develop the habit of cleanliness.[2]

Islam provides a system of purity through which Muslims can keep themselves, their home, family, society, heart, and soul pure. The meaning of ṭahāra is cleanliness and hygiene, and it holds great importance in worship, daily practises, and other aspects of life. The Islamic system of cleanliness includes various principles and methods. Let us have the privilege of reading some pearls of wisdom regarding this subject.

Bodily purity

Islam calls for bodily cleanliness and has prescribed several methods for attaining this. It stipulates ghusl for purification of the entire body, wudu for cleansing the limbs, and other means through which cleanliness can be maintained.   

1. Istinjāˈ

Relieving oneself is a natural bodily need. Islam teaches us to remove impurities thoroughly with water, and if water is unavailable, clods of soil should be used to attain purity. The command to use soil is given because soil possesses the ability to cleanse. If impurities are not cleansed according to the methods prescribed by Islam, the body will remain impure, and as a result, salah and other acts of worship will be invalid.

Additionally, maintaining cleanliness protects one from illnesses. According to a study, soil contains ammonium chloride and other components that remove odours. Urine and faeces are filled with germs, and their contact with the body is harmful. If their particles remain attached to the body, there is a risk of developing various diseases.

Dr. Hallock writes, “The use of soil clods to cleanse the private parts after relieving oneself, is an act that has left the scientific world astonished. All the components of soil destroy germs, so using this eliminates germs in the private area and can help prevent cancer in the genitals.”[3]

To learn more about this, read Method of Istinja, published by Maktabat al-Madina.

2. Wudu (ablution)

This is an act of physical purification. It enables a believer to perform salah, touch the Quran, and other things which otherwise could not normally be done. It is a must to perform wudu before praying, and the Quran gives this command:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اِذَا قُمْتُمْ  اِلَی الصَّلٰوۃِ فَاغْسِلُوْا وُجُوْھَکُمْ وَ اَیْدِیَکُمْ  اِلَی الْمَرَافِقِ وَ امْسَحُوْا بِرُءُوْسِکُمْ وَ اَرْجُلَکُمْ  اِلَی الْکَعْبَیْنِ ؕ

O you who believe!  When you ˹are about to˺ stand for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to your elbows, wipe over your heads, and wash your feet up to your ankles.[4]

By performing wuḍu, one acts upon the command of Allah and the limbs become purified. According to several hadith, the sins of those body parts are forgiven.[5] He who performs wudu also gains many medical and scientific benefits. To learn about these benefits, read Wudu and Science, published by Maktabat al-Madina.

3. Using miswāk

If wudu is performed according to the Sunna, one part of it is to use a miswāk. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم liked to use this before performing wudu. He said, “If I had not feared hardship for my nation, I would have made it obligatory to use miswāk before wudu.”[6]

Using miswāk prevents bits of food in the mouth from decaying by removing them, cleanses the mouth, and allows one to prostrate before Allah with this cleansed mouth. To learn more benefits of using miswāk, read the booklet Virtues of Miswak.

Trimming nails

Trimming the nails and removing hair around the navel is part of personal hygiene. According to Islamic teachings, we are commanded to trim the nails and remove unnecessary body hair within 40 days, and it is impermissible and a sin to exceed 40 days without a valid religious excuse. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Whoever does not trim the nails, the hair below the navel, and the moustache, is not from us.”[7]

Long nails are harmful from a medical aspect. Trimming them is conducive for health, a Sunna, and a laudable action. If they are trimmed according to the Sunna, one earns reward. It is recommended to trim them every Friday. If they have grown too long, one should not wait until then, as long nails are a cause of poverty.[8]

Tayammum

Islamic rulings are in harmony with human nature. Islam calls for gentleness and ease, so it has prescribed tayammum (dry ablution) in the absence of water during travel, when at home, or in illness. This is a substitute for wudu or ghusl, performed to attain purity for worship.

Allah states in the Quran:

وَ اِنْ کُنْتُمْ مَّرْضٰۤی اَوْ عَلٰی سَفَرٍ اَوْ جَآءَ اَحَدٌ مِّنْکُمْ مِّنَ الْغَآئِطِ اَوْ لٰمَسْتُمُ النِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوْا مَآءً فَتَیَمَّمُوْا صَعِیْدًا طَیِّبًا فَامْسَحُوْا بِوُجُوْہِکُمْ وَ اَیْدِیْکُمْ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ  کَانَ عَفُوًّا غَفُوْرًا (۴۳)

And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you has come ˹back˺ from relieving himself, or you performed intercourse with women and do not find water, then perform tayammum with pure soil; so, wipe over your faces and hands. Indeed Allah is Most-Pardoning, Most-Forgiving.[9]

The cause of revelation for the final part of the verse is that during the Battle of Banī Muṣṭalaq, when the Muslim army camped in a desert overnight, there was no water available and they intended to move elsewhere in the morning. Lady ꜤĀisha رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا lost her necklace there, and the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stayed to search for it. By morning, there was no water available, and this is when Allah revealed the verse regarding tayammum.[10]

Method of tayammum

The person performing tayammum should make the intention of attaining purity, then strike their hands twice on something made of soil-like material, such as dust, sand, stone, or an earthen floor. After striking once, wipe the face with the hands. Then, wipe both hands including the elbows after a second strike. To learn more about rulings of tayammum, read the tayammum chapter in Bahār-i-Sharīʿat volume 1, part 2.

Ghusl

Ghusl (ritual purification of the entire body) is also a means of physical cleanliness. It is human nature to love purity and beauty, and Islam takes this into account by encouraging Muslims to cleanse the entire body through ghusl. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “It is essential for every Muslim to bathe once every seven days, which includes washing the head and body.”[11]

Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khān NaꜤīmī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه explains:

Here, the day in mention is Friday. This means one should bathe every Friday, so the body and clothes become clean, and Muslims do not face discomfort in the busy Friday congregation. The head was specifically mentioned because lice can infest the hair. Otherwise, this is included when mentioning the body. Rinsing the mouth and nose with water and washing the entire body is obligatory during ghusl according to our school of thought.[12]

In certain cases, it is necessary to purify the entire body before performing acts of worship and other actions. Failing to perform ghusl, or performing it incorrectly, can result in the invalidation of worship and the individual becoming sinful. Islam not only commands physical cleanliness through ghusl during life, but has made it obligatory to wash the deceased before burial. To learn about the rulings related to ghusl, read the booklet Method of Ghusl, published by Maktabat al-Madina. It will be of great benefit اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه.