Bismilah
Asalamalaikum
There is no way that a muslim can fully practise his/her Islam fully without abiding to the highest standard of hygiene that Islam teaches us and calls us to practise 100%.
I have noticed among the very practising muslims that they shine from tahara. We muslims should be neat, tidy and always good looking. I know a Brother who became a muslim simply by his adoration for Cleanliness in Islam. Alot of muslims are beginning to lose this beautiful treasure that our beloved rasululah (saw) has stressed to us to never neglect over and over again. There is a beauty that comes with Imaan, and there is no Imaan without cleanliness. This is very apparent when you look at the comparrision between muslims and non-muslims. For instance a non muslim showers in the morning to smell nice and because he has to mix with people at work etc. We muslims take a shower every time we have intimacy with our spouses. We get up before fajr early in the morning to do ghusl and to purify ourselves for fajr, to stand infront of Allah. This is the point I am trying to make: can the muslim who did this solely for the pleasure of Allah & the nonmuslim who did it for somehting else ever be the same? There was a moment in my life when I had to live among non-muslims everyday. I have seen how they constantly complain about smelling bad. I have also seen how they wonder why muslims smell so nice. What amazed me was also how they showered more then the muslims. The Hadith that the prophet (saw) said: praying 5 times a day is like being put in a stream of water 5 times day. So how can one have any impurity?What else comes to mind is also all the things that Allah made haram for us to consume. Think of the person who drinks and smokes. One of the ways your body removes impurites is through the skin. So if your constantly consuming impure thngs like: alcohol, pork, & cigarettes your skin will be releasing more impurities and smells more foul then the body who stays away from those haram things. This is to give you an idea of why nonmuslims & the muslims who have diverged from the sunnah struggle to smell nice. Our bodies are a gift from Allah & Allah will question us on how we treated it and what we put in it. May Allah help us keep our outward cleanliness upto match with the inner one ameen.
This will be a little bit long, so I will post it by bits Insha'Allah please do come and read.
<b>Tahara </b>
<i><b>(Cleanliness or Purification)
</b></i>
<b>1) The Purity of Water </b>
2) Types of Impurities
3) The Ways of Purification
4) Useful Points
5) Acts That Correspond to Human Nature
6) Menstruation and Post-childbirth Bleeding
7) Istihadha (Non-menstrual Vaginal Bleeding)
8) Ghusl (Major Ablution)
9) Tayammum (Ablution with Clean Soil)
9) Wudu' (Ablution)
Islam is based on five pillars: Bearing witness to God's Existence and Oneness and the Messengership of Muhammad, praying five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, paying zakat (the prescribed purifying alms), and hajj or pilgrimage. The first pillar includes all essentials of belief, which were discussed in other parts of the site.
<b>Tahara</b>
<b>(Cleanliness or Purification)</b>
Islam requires physical and spiritual cleanliness. On the physical side, Islam requires Muslims to clean their bodies, clothes, houses, and community, and they are rewarded by God for doing so. While people generally consider cleanliness desirable, Islam insists upon it and makes it an indispensable fundamental of religious life. In fact, books on Islamic jurisprudence often contain a whole chapter on this very requirement.
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be God’s blessings and peace, advised Muslims to appear neat and tidy in private and in public. Once when returning home from battle he advised his army: <b>“Soon you will meet your brothers, so tidy your saddles and clothes” (Abu Dawud, “Libas,” 25). On another occasion he said: “If I had not been afraid of overburdening my community, I would have ordered them to use a miswaq (to brush and clean their teeth) for every prayer”
</b> (Bukhari, “Iman,” 26).
Moral hygiene also was emphasized, for the Prophet, upon him be God’s blessings and peace, encouraged Muslims to make a special prayer upon seeing themselves in the mirror: <b>“God, You have endowed me with a good form; like-wise bless me with an immaculate character
</b> ” (Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 1:34, 6:155). He advised modest clothing, for men as well as for women, on the grounds that it helps one maintain purity of thought.
Being charitable is a way of purifying one’s wealth. A Muslim who does not give charity (sadaqa) and pay the required annual zakat (the prescribed purifying alms), contaminates his or her wealth by hoarding that which rightfully belongs to others: Of their wealth take alms so that you may purify them (9:103).
All the laws and injunctions given by God and His Prophet, upon him be God’s blessings and peace, are pure. Any law established by Divine guidance is just and pure.
<b>The Purity of Water</b>
Pure water is used essentially in matters of purification or wudu’ (minor ablution) and ghusl (major ablution). Hence the necessity to investigate water’s purity. Water has four essential attributes: smell, color, taste, and fluidity. Any pure and purifying water is judged according to whether it retains these attributes or not. As a result, water is classified into two categories: mutlaq and muqayyad water.
Mutlaq water is <i>“natural”</i> water, such as that which comes from rain water, snow, hail, sea water, and water from the Zamzam well.
<b>It is subdivided as follows:</b>
*Water that is both pure and purifying (e.g., rain water, snow, hail, sea water, and water from the Zamzam well).
*Water that drips from a person after he or she has performed the minor or major ablution, and therefore is considered “used.” It is considered pure, but cannot be used for another-minor and major ablution.
*Water that is both pure and purifying, but whose usage is disliked (makruh) (e.g., water left in a container after a cat, bird, or another “allowed” animal has drunk from it).
*Water mixed with impure elements. Water whose taste, color, or smell has been altered by an impure substance cannot be used for purification. However, if the liquid is still-considered -water, meaning that the impure substance has not altered its taste, color, or smell, it can be used for purification.
*Water that is pure but may or may not be purifying. One example of this type of water is the water that remains in a pot after a donkey or a mule has drunk from it.
<i>Muqayyad</i> water includes naturally muqayyad water, such as fruit juices and water that has been mixed with various substances (e.g., soap, saffron, flowers) or objects that the Shari‘a considers pure. Such water is considered pure until, due to being mixed with other substances, one can no longer call it water. In<b> this case, the water is still considered pure, but it cannot </b> be used for purification (<b>minor and major ablution</b>).
<i>to be continued</i>.... nxt: <i>types of impurities</i>
