Steps to Exercise — Page 22
- 22 - Without sufcient justifying reason, a Muslim cannot postpone his bath and has to have it at least once a week. Islam goes further and declares bathing compulsory on other occasions. Because of the essential relationship between Muslim husband and wife, it becomes inevitable to bath frequently. A Westernised, so-called ‘civilised’ person can say that it is obvious that bathing is essential and why should it be made compulsory? This hollow objection is being rejected by the conduct of the residents of each lane and street in the civilised West. It is true that many educated and rich people there have a habit of taking bath once a day, but because this habit is not included in their religion or culture, it is not considered compulsory to take bath at any occasion. Vast majority of poor and lower middle class people do not go near the bath for weeks and months during winter. However, although they present a very attractive scene of cleanliness and glamour when they come out in the evenings with stiff white collars and colourful suits, their cleanliness is articial and only on the surface. If one could visualise beyond those clean clothes, one comes across a very unpleasant reality. A person who does not use water after the calls of nature, who does not know the difference between the use of the right and the left hand, who because of absence of ablution uses warm water only to shave and uses a wet towel to clean his face, as far as the rest of the body is concerned water has not touched it for months. Can any dress or suit in the world make a person clean and pure who never trims his nails, does not shave the hair which accumulate lth, does not rinse his mouth after the meals, who suffers from foul breath and pyorrhoea and who does not even use paper after urinating? Not even a thousand of white collars can wash away the stains of uncleanliness and impurity. Even if they wear the clothes of emperors and glamorise and beautify the evenings of London and Paris, they cannot be compared in purity to a Muslim wearing rags who washes his hands and face ve, six or even seven times a day to raise them in supplication to Allah. To remain dirty and be shabbily dressed is not a virtue. The Holy Prophet of Islam used to pay great attention to his dress besides cleanliness. He used to use oil and used to comb his hair regularly. He used to say that Allah Himself is Beautiful and He likes beauty. If a believer wants to imagine exemplary cleanliness, then he must remember the above quote. The Holy Prophet did not like formality. His simplicity was fascinatingly blended with his exemplary cleanliness. His dress, although patched in many places, was a picture of clean purity. His diet, consisting of permissible and chaste food, never exceeded moderation. His body and his dress were clean and pure like spotless crystal and his sacred soul was always busy in the remembrance of Allah. Those were the actions that made the perspiration of the Holy Prophet sweet scented. Hadhrat Ans is quoted as saying that he never found Musk or Ambergris as sweet smelling as the perspiration of the Holy Prophet.