Muhammad The Great Exemplar — Page 10
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad 10 avoid malodorous things and exhorted others to refrain from them also, especially when going out in public. Thus the Holy Prophet sa was always mindful of the cleanliness of the body, clothes and the sensitivities of smell and again he would call on others to follow his example. However, he also warned against becoming so preoccupied with material cleanliness that a person begins to neglect the purity of the soul. Similarly, one ought not to care for the immacu- lateness of their attire to such an extent that it becomes detrimental to society, in so much as choosing to keep away from the company of the poor and underprivileged. Again, in matters of food, one ought not to be so finicky they deprive themselves of essential forms of nutrition. Instead, people should strive to make others feel at ease so they can become good citizens and ensure that their company is not off-putting. According to a school of thought, cleanliness and perfume make the body pure but the soul impure. Conversely, the Holy Prophet sa said he was made to love beautiful smells, 4 and that God Almighty loves those who repent and purify their inner and outer selves. 5 The relationship between a man and a woman is integral to the natural order and forms one of the principle 4 Al-Jami Us-Saghir, Vol. 1, p. 122, 1321 h Egypt [Publishers] 5 Surah Al-Baqarah , 2:223 [Publishers]