Introduction :
Water and ablution are very crucial in Islam. Water is the primary source of life. Water is life itself. Allah says in the Holy Quran: “We have created out of water every living thing.” Water has a prominent value in Islam. It is the primary element of purification. Purification is the most important thing for a Muslim for their Ebadat to be valid. For Allah to accept a Muslim‘s prayer, a Muslim should be pure.
Hygiene and purity for a Muslim :
Islam urges its followers to be pure and enjoy premium hygiene. A Muslim should be pure in garment as well as in body. Islam urges Muslims to have different clothes to do different things all day long. So, a Muslim should have a garment for being at home. A Muslim should have another garment for performing their prayer in the mosque. Islam recommends a Muslim to have night gowns to sleep in. This way a Muslim’s clothes are always pure. While other nations don’t use water to clean themselves after using the bathroom, a Muslim‘s parents bring their kids up to clean themselves using water.
Water and the toilet etiquette :
So, the lavatory or the bathroom etiquette is very important for every Muslim. A Muslim must make sure that the water they use for purification is pure itself in the first place. Water is pure when its colour, smell and taste haven’t changed. A Muslim uses water to clean and make their clothes pure. A Muslim’s body is always clean and pure. A Muslim is keen on having a bath as often as they can. A Muslim takes a shower whenever they feel the need to. At least, a Muslim should take a shower once a week before the Friday prayer.
A Muslim's hygiene habits :
A Muslim is not only keen on following body wash etiquette, but also follows various hygiene habits. A good Muslim’s finger nails shouldn’t be ignored. An obedient Muslim should cut their fingernails whenever these nails grow long. A pure Muslim cares for their hair; washing and combing it very often. A less careful Muslim who doesn’t, may be accused of looking like Satan. When a Muslim performs Hajj or Umrah, a male Muslim is recommended to shave his hair or at least cut it very short.
A Muslim's body care etiquette :
Also, a Muslim should follow (Sunnan al-Fitrah). This means that a Muslim should be clean by getting rid of the surplus hair under their armpits, his mustache and the pubic. A Male Muslim gets circumcision done for him; preferably on the seventh day after his birth. There is an authentic hadith of prophet Mohammad which states that: “Ablution is a Muslim’s weapon”. This denotes the great importance of ablution for a Muslim. Ablution is not only for prayer. Ablution protects a Muslim against all physical, spiritual and even psychological evils.
The health benefits of ablution :
When a Muslim makes an ablution, they wash their hands carefully. This prevents and stops germs from infecting a Muslim. Thus a Muslim avoids a lot of infectious diseases. When a Mulim makes an ablution, a Muslim is pure and the devils can’t affect them. This gives the Muslim a sense of trust and closeness to Allah. This dismisses any sort of doubt within a Muslim’s soul and makes them feel quiet and relaxed. When a Muslim makes an ablution, they wash their apparent body parts which contain the ends of their nerves. Ablution removes all stress and tension; which makes a Muslim psychologically at ease and happy.
