Introduction of Cleanliness:
Cleanliness
is the absence of dirt or undesirable substances which include bad smells,
rubbish, dust, stains, dirt etc. Cleanliness is used in health and beauty, too.
The term comes from the meaning of something lacking an odor, and has an
avoidance of spreading dirt and contaminating others. Hence, cleanliness talks
about something being clean. A developed and civilized nation always prefers
cleanliness.
Islam and cleanliness:
“Cleanliness is half of the faith”
Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness, in both its physical and spiritual aspects. On the physical side, Islam requires the Muslim to clean his body, his clothes, his house, and the whole community, and he is rewarded by God for doing so. Islam insists on it, making it an indispensible fundamental of the faith. A Muslim is required to be pure morally and spiritually as well as physically. Through the Qur'an and Sunnah Islam requires the sincere believer to sanitize and purify his entire way of life.
In the Qur'an Allah commends those who are accustomed to cleanliness:
"Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean." (2: 22)
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) advised the Muslims to appear neat and tidy in private and in public. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
"Removing any harm from the road is charity (that will be rewarded by Allah)." (Bukhari)
From this we can understand the importance of cleanliness in Islam.
Significance of cleanliness:
Cleanliness is very important in
our life. Without it, many deceases attack in the society. A civilized nation
always cares to clean not their own places but also for the cleanliness of the
whole surroundings. A developed nation always follows the cleanliness rules.
Importance
of cleanliness can be seen in following areas:
Cleanliness in educational institutions:
Standards
of cleanliness are not the same around the world, and people have different concepts
of cleanliness. In times past, a clean, well ordered school environment in many
countries helped students develop good habits of cleanliness. Some school
grounds are so full of waste and trash that they resemble a garbage dump more
than a place to play or exercise. Colleges, universities and other educational
institutions are also not clean.
Throwing wrappers in grounds, canteens and
even in class rooms is a common practice. We need a strong campaign to aware
and to compel them to maintain cleanliness. Educational institutions have great
impact on the personality of any child. If in educational institutions children
give instructions about cleanliness they always give preference to remain clean
in their whole life.
Cleanliness in roads and streets, parks
and public places etc:
Most
of the Public places and parks are for relax and enjoyment of the people and
they must be clean. In Pakistan, many public places are left messy and
unsightly.
Some industries pollute the environment. Pollution, however, is
caused, not by faceless industries and businesses, but by people. People use to
clean their own houses but throw the garbage out of their home. People use to
throw wrappers out of their cars while driving.
Cleanliness in food, markets and
restaurants etc:
For
healthy life cleanliness is very important, we should always prefer to the
germs free food. The importance of cleanliness cannot be overemphasized when it
comes to our food whether we buy it at a market, eat it at a restaurant, or
have a meal at a friend's home.
A high standard of cleanliness is expected of
those handling or serving the food we eat. Dirty hands, theirs or ours can be
the cause of many sicknesses.
Cleanliness in hospitals:
Hospitals
are the place where the diseased people cured from diseases. So it must be
clean to safe the patients from the more complexity of the diseases.
Another
example of absence of cleanliness is our hospitals, unwashed hands among
doctors and nurses may help explain why hospital patients develop infections
that cost huge amount to cure diseases. So
for all these areas cleanliness is very important in our daily life.