Cleanliness in Islam

TO the Malay-speaking Muslims in Malaysia, cuci generally means to clean with water and/or any other cleaning agents, while suci means being spiritually clean or pure. To attain a state of suci especially for solat or prayer and worship, Muslims undergo the obligatory ritual of cleansing using water and/or special materials, often accompanied by a special incantation. These rituals are important in both the physical and spiritual aspects of cleanliness in Islam. While most societies consider cleanliness a desirable attribute, Islam makes it an indispensable fundamental of the faith and a mandatory requirement.

On the physical side, Islam requires Muslims to clean their body, clothes, house, food and the whole physical environment. Spiritually, a Muslim is required to be clean morally and ethically. In the Quran and Sunnah, believers are constantly urged to purify their entire way of life and strive towards a state of cleanliness with injunctions such as the following:

Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean. [2: 22] … Keep your clothes clean. [74:4] … Believers! When you prepare for prayer wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; rub your heads (with water) and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. If you are ritually impure bathe your whole body. [5: 6]

The body is considered ritually impure when it has been in contact with things or persons regarded as ritually unclean or najis. These can come not only from your external surroundings but even from your own bodily functions such as defecation, sexual release, menstruation and the first 40 days after childbirth. Except for a state of war and other emergencies, Muslims are required to use water not paper or any other substance to clean body wastes.

The controversy over launderettes specially for Muslims compels me to say something in defence of Islamic practices, which Muslims like me have been brought up to observe. Characteristically, members of a Muslim household are reminded to clean and cleanse themselves before performing their daily rituals, religious or otherwise.

As with adherents of other religions, there will be the overzealous and finicky who feel they must be cleaner and purer than the rest of us. There will be those who interpret religious rituals and the rules and regulations or hukum-hakam strictly even when their whole environment has evolved. They feel doubt and hesitation or waswas when they think they are not following the Prophet Muhammad’s PBUH ways. They need to be coaxed by enlightened and well-meaning religious teachers into adopting a more commonsensical approach to daily living.

Generally, Islam as the religion of the federation is treated with much respect in Malaysia. The provision of Muslimfriendly public facilities such as the surau and halal food sections are already widespread in the country. Interfaith understanding and accommodation is an outstanding feature of Malaysian society.

While the launderette issue has provoked the ire of several state Islamic authorities and caused an uproar against the ustaz who dared to challenge it, I would like to urge that there should not be a problem for launderettes to have a Muslim-friendly washing machine on their premises, side by side with the ones for less exacting customers. If Muslim customers are still waswas about this, I would advise them to wash their clothes at home.

While it is the right of the ustaz to defend and explain suci matters in Islam, it was unfortunate that he chose to do so in a condescending manner, dismissing and criticising the cleaning habits of a particular ethnic group. He should have presented his views in a friendly, accessible way to promote the peaceable face of Islam.

It is the right of every person to express an opinion, informed or otherwise. It is the privilege of every adherent of a faith or religion to speak up on matters of their religion, whether it is to query some of its teachings or to defend or explain them. It is nobody’s right to issue a gag order on this basic human right to freedom of speech. It is also the right of the authorities to intervene when the freedom is abused.

Just as I defended the word “Allah” as having a special meaning to and for MalayMuslims in that Allah is the name of the Almighty they know in Islamic teachings, I feel it is my duty to defend the concept of suci in Islam. My understanding is that of a Muslim brought up in the traditions of my faith, not that of an ustaz or ulama steeped in formal learning.