Muhammad The Great Exemplar — Page 9
9 to it. Unfortunately, there are people who consider cleanliness inimical to the form and habit of those who walk on the path of virtue and righteousness. This way of thinking leads to the squandering of the pure things God has created for people, and those godly individuals who choose to make use of them are considered sinful. The Holy Prophet sa rejected all such false pieties and taught that God is pure and loves purity. Throughout his life, the Holy Prophet sa would regularly cleanse and bathe. Indeed, he mandated washing [with water] as a permanent feature of certain acts and practices. For example, after relations between a man and wife, whereby on account of domestic obligations it is easy to become careless in matters of cleanliness, he declared it obligatory to take a bath. And this was done with the command of God. Before each of the five daily prayers, he would wash those parts of the body which are normally exposed to the elements and instructed others to do the same. The Holy Prophet sa delighted in clean attire and encouraged his followers to wear fresh clothes particularly for the Friday prayer. He was also a lover of scents and perfumes, especially when worn at gatherings and functions. The Prophet sa instructed that places of congregation, where people from all walks of life come together, should be scented and kept clean to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. He would