Islam places much emphasize upon
cleanliness. Purity of body, mind and soul are inextricably intertwined
in Islam, for physical cleanliness is central to spiritual purity. In his Friday
Sermon of 13 July 2012, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of
Mauritius explains Prophetic traditions on body hygiene and on respect for the natural environment in the wider context of leading a healthy
and long life in the Islamic way.
Drawing upon his own close study and
analysis of the subject, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) observes: “[t]he
absence of tobacco and alcohol consumption, consumption of five fruits and
vegetables daily, physical exercise half an hour a day can contribute to the
prolongation of life. Certainly it is the cleansing of the body, whether
of our internal systems and our soul which each contributes to make us human
beings capable of living a long life, according
to the will of God in good physical, moral and
spiritual health...”
Read
the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:
“The human being who lives temporarily on
earth will be compensated after his death according to his beliefs, his actions
as well as his intentions. In Islam, acts of goodness not only reveal the
spiritual and cultural, but they (also) concern different aspects of man’s
life.
Islam has taught rules under the name
which is now commonly called hygiene. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)
said: “Ten things are part of (what the human being does by) natural
predisposition: trimming his moustache, keeping the beard, brushing the teeth,
rinsing his nostrils, trimming his nails, washing his finger joints, removing
the hair of the armpits, shaving the pubic hair, using water after relieving
him (after going to the toilet), and (one link in the chain of
transmission says he remembers the tenth thing vaguely, that is) rinsing
his mouth.” (Reported by Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, An-Nasaa’i)
According to other links in the chain of
transmission, the tenth thing is circumcision. In another famous Hadith
reported by Muslim, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) considers purification
as being half of faith. So we see that Islam has put much emphasis on
how Muslims must cultivate a healthy (clean) lifestyle.
Staying clean means getting rid of germs
and dirt; which means protection against various skin and mouth disease. Therefore,
the Muslim constantly washes his face and hands during the ablution which is
performed several times daily to reduce the amount of germs that invade our
body through the mouth and nose. Consequently this helps to protect oneself
against digestive and respiratory diseases. It is also illegal to urinate in
stagnant water so as to prevent the spread of germs from one person to another
and the risk of spreading infectious diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever
and paralysis.
Just as we are required to wash the hands
properly and keep the premises where we have relieved ourselves (that is, the
toilets) clean, the health specialists strongly recommend keeping those places
clean so as also to prevent other several inflammations and suppurations. The believer
must wash his body at least once a week (during the Ghusl of
Jumu’ah) to clean his skin of dirt, bacteria, microbes and other impurities,
which guarantees us the prevention against skin infections, and helps keep the
skin healthy. It is to be noted that this same bath should be taken at
different times of the existence of a Muslim, for example: after having sex,
and for the woman specifically at the end of the excessive bleeding after
childbirth but also after menstruation, and other circumstances specified by
the Shariah.
Without this bath, the daily prayers, the
reading the Quran and other sacred rites will be void. The small ablution
or Wu’zu must be done before every prayer if needed.
The prophetic tradition tells us that one
must wash his hands as soon as he wakes up so as to get rid of all uncleanness
due to nocturnal secretions of the body such as sweating and other. That is why
the following Hadith has all its importance whereby the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) said: “When one of you wakes up, let him refrain
from putting his hand in a utensil before having well washed it (that is, his
hand) three times.” (Bukhari and Muslim). Therefore, we come to
understand that the purity of the body is a necessary element for those who
want to get closer to Allah the Almighty, which leads us to consider corporal
hygiene as essential.
The Quran is clear about this: “Purify your clothes!” (74:5) or “Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and
loves those who purify themselves.” (2: 223).
But the lifestyle does not stop only to
personal hygiene because in Islam the hygienic principles of the body
through fasting can detoxify the body. Similarly with regard
to food, we know how much food taboos are justified both by the actual harmful effects
on the body than the mind. Therefore, Allah the Almighty has forbidden
consumption of alcohol and pork for the constant or perpetual wellbeing of
humanity. Nowadays, more and more science progresses along and proves the
correctness of Islam in this regard. Scientific studies show that among all
kinds of meat known to humanity, pork contains more germs, and most of these
meats are most infectious and other life-threatening.
Moreover, according
to an analysis and reflection that I have made on tobacco and alcohol, I note
that the absence of tobacco and alcohol consumption, consumption of five fruits
and vegetables daily, physical exercise half an hour a day can contribute to
the prolongation of life. Certainly it is the cleansing of the body, whether of
our internal systems and our soul which each contributes to make us human
beings capable of living a long life, according
to the will of God in good physical, moral and
spiritual health.
Respect the Environment and Keep it Clean
Cleanliness concerns also our environment.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) exhorts us in this way: “Keep
the place in front of your house clean so as not to offend the passersby.”
Then we understand how essential it is to keep our interior in good state but
also to respect the environment in which we live, in this case (it is) our
neighbourhood, our city and above all nature. In another Hadith the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (sa) said: “Beware of committing the three great sins
which the author shall be cursed, namely, to relieve oneself from the water
points, on the roads and dark places.”
This explains how much the Muslim should respect the areas frequented by
people as well as animals. It is our duty to not only preserve nature but also
to prevent others from dirtying or destroying it. But unfortunately, we see
that despite everything, it’s the other people (nation from other
faiths) who invest in this field which is Islamic.
Finally, we return to our key point, the practice of Islam is based primarily
on healthy living. Being Muslim is not limited only to our acts of worship but
also to the integral part of several other aspects. So we should be a thousand
times pickier than other communities that have not received any orders from
their “Lords”.
May
Allah increase our knowledge and may we Muslims keep ourselves clean, both at
the physical and spiritual level. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
DURING THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN,
believers are generally expected to observe fasting in normal circumstances. Many
of them, however, may have to go on regular travels as part of their everyday life
routine. Arduous journeys may also have to be undertaken by some people and
fasting on such occasions may entail hardship for the persons concerned. Some
of them, may have a health situation that necessitates continuous medication. Islam
takes into account these diverse physical and health conditions of the
believers and it offers the possibility of replacing the missing fasts with an
equal number of days in other/ better times. Both the Holy Qur’an and the noble
practice of the Holy Prophet (sa) affirm the exceptions under special
circumstances. In his Friday Sermon of July 27, 2012 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius explained
at length the essential wisdom of these benign teachings of Islam. 
