Purity, Cleanliness is Half of Eemaan

By Mu’tasim al-Hameedee
Transcribed by Aboo Uthmaan [1]

A very important issue that concerns the Muslims, in every Masjid, in every place, a very important issue that concerns us in this community, a very important issue that many of us consider to be minor, many of us don’t pay attention to, even though the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) described it as being half of Eemaan. When a man fell short in this regard, in this important issue, the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) commanded the companions to take him out of the Masjid and throw him in al-Baaqi, the graveyard of al-Madeenah.

This issue disturbs many people who come to the Masjid whilst they are in their prayer; this issue drives many people away from the religion of al-Islam. When the Muslims fall short in it, many complaints come from the people, they say: “We can’t pray when we come to the Masjid or any other Masjid we don’t find kushoo’ in the prayer”, the reason for this is that they find bad smells. Smell that comes out from the feet, the smell of onions, the smell of garlic, the smell of food that deters the people away from the kushoo’ in the prayer. Many of us ask: “Why do we talk about these issues, the Muslims are being killed all over Iraq, all over the world and he is talking about smells.” I remind you of the statement of the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) where he says in an authentic hadeeth: “Purity, cleanliness is half of Eemaan.” Is something that is half of faith a minor issue?

‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radee Allaahu ‘anhu) stood on the pulpit when he was giving the Khutbah on Jumu’ah and he said to the people: “You eat garlic, and onions and I believe garlic and onions have an evil smell, an offensive smell.” And the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), whenever he saw that a man came to the Masjid with that smell, he commanded the companions to send him to al-Baaqi, the graveyard in al-Madeenah. So cook them properly and when their smell dies out you can come to the Masjid.

Many Muslims give a bad image of Islam, they themselves smell bad wherever they go, but the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) commands us to clean ourselves and to beautify ourselves when we come to the Masjid. It is befitting for us as believers that when we come to stand before our Creator that we clean ourselves and we know that according to the most correct opinion of the Scholars that ghusl (having a bath in Jumu’ah) is obligatory. Before you come to the Masjid have a bath. Have a bath; you are standing before your Creator. If you are going to meet a king or a minister or an important person then you make sure that you dress up in the best way, that you clean yourself, that you wear the best perfumes, but when you stand before your Creator you smell bad, your feet smell, you smell of sweat, and you disturb your brothers when they are praying.

In an authentic hadeeth the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Had it not been for the fact that I do not want to make this religion hard for my Ummah, I would have commanded you to use the miswaak with every prayer.” Why use the miswaak? Many people have bad breaths or mouths that smell, so when a person talks to them, they turn away from them, you can’t keep up with them because of the evil smell that comes out of their mouth. Why is it that we find this amongst Muslims? It is known that the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would keep the miswaak in his mouth most of the time, to clean his mouth, to remain clean and this should be the case of the Muslim wherever he goes.

Imaam al-Bukhaaree and Imaam Muslim narrated that the prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Five things are from fitrah (five things are from the natural disposition of human beings, from this religion al-Islam): 1) Circumcision 2) To shave the public hair 3) Clipping the nails 4) Plucking the armpits 5) To cut the moustache short…” These are things from Islam, five things, but how many of us fall short in them? All these have to do with cleanliness. But unfortunately we find many Muslims do none of these, why? It is clear because in Islam the inward manner of a person reflects in his actions, what is in your heart reflects on your actions, reflects on your appearances, reflects on the way you behave. So if your heart is clean then your body will be clean. This is why the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught us in an authentic hadeeth: “Whenever we make wudoo’, we say: ‘Ashhadu anlaa ilaaha illallaahu wahdahu laa shareekalahu washhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu Allaahumma aj’alnee minat-tawwabeen waj’alnee minal mutatahhireen (I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, O Allaah, make me one of those who constantly repents to You and of those who purify themselves)’.” Make me from those who repent, because repentance cleans our hearts. And make me from those who purify themselves and purify their bodies. So the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) combined purification of the hearts, with purification of the limbs and with purification of the body.

Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) describes the Musrikeen in the Qur’aan:

“O you who believe (in Allaah’s Oneness and in His Messenger (Muhammad)! Verily, the Mushrikeen (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah, and in the Message of Muhammad) are Najasun (impure). So let them not come near al-Masjid-al-Haraam (at Makkah) after this year, and if you fear poverty, Allaah will enrich you if He will, out of His Bounty. Surely, Allaah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” [At-Tawbah 9:28]

This filth that is in there hearts, associating partners with Allaah, has made them filthy, in their hearts and in their bodies and today many Muslims, many Muslims fall in shirk associating partners with Allaah, they say we don’t worship them, they call upon righteous people, they call upon the prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and they say we don’t worship them. Calling upon a person is worship, when you call upon a dead person you have made him a partner along with Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala). So anyone who does this then there is the filth of shirk in his heart and this reflects on his actions, this reflects on his body and if we wonder why many people are being deterred away from Islam, then part of the reason is what they see from the lack of hygiene of the Muslims.

If I ask one question today: “How many amongst us present in this Masjid made ghusl before they came to the Jumu’ah? How many amongst us, how many amongst us have feet which smell bad or smell of sweat?” You are the one who should answer this question and if you do smell bad and someone prays behind you, you will deter him away from kushoo’. And if we were to apply Islam as it was at the time of the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), a person who comes to the Masjid with a bad smell, then he should be taken away from the Masjid so as not to disturb the prayer of the people. So remember brothers if our hearts are pure, our body should be pure, this is the Sunnah of our Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), we should never fall short in it and we should never do away with it.

And it was mentioned in al-Qur’aan that Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) said about the people of Lut, and how they fell into a filthy sin, homosexuality. When they described Prophet Lut (‘alayhis-sallam) and his family, they said kick them out from this town, kick him out from here, him and his family, this was because they were people who purified themselves. So sin is filthy and when we fall in sin we cause this filth to come into our hearts and then it reflects in our actions, it reflects in our attitudes, it reflects in our behaviour and in our manners as Muslims.

In an authentic hadeeth narrated by Muslim the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whoever eats onions, garlic or leak, then let him not come near to our Masjid, let him not come near to our Masjid because the angels, the angels they are harmed by that which harms humans beings.” So when you come to the Masjid and you smell bad you will be harming the angels of Allaah, you will be harming them and remember in the hadeeth of the prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam): “Whenever one of you stands in the prayer, the angels, one of the angels will put his mouth on your mouth.”

So what if you smell bad, how can an angel place his mouth on your mouth? And at the end remember you stand before your Creator, you stand before Allaah, so stand in the best manner, beautify yourself, have the ghusl for Jumu’ah and don’t disturb the prayer of your brothers. It is a very important issue, even though many of us are heedless of it, even though many of us consider it to be a minor issue; these are the manners of the Muslim. Remember that the Muslims who spread Islam all over the world, they did that with their conduct, they did that with good manners, they did that with the perfect character of the Muslim, they did that with setting a good example for all to follow. So it is for us to present Islam in the best way, it is for us not to harm our brothers, it is forbidden for any Muslim to harm his brothers.

Footnote:

[1] I (Aboo Uthmaan) transcribed (albeit not a verbatim transcription) this text from a lecture entitled “Purity, Cleanliness is Half of Eemaan” by Mu’tasim al-Hameedee. Any mistakes in this transcription are from me, and the Shaykh is free from them.