The Importance of Maintaining Hygiene and Health for a Muslim
How beautiful is this religion of Islam, because all things have determined the terms and levels, so that we as Muslims in particular must obey the provisions that Allah has given. So that the continuity of life can be orderly and maintained. Ranging from big things to small things are regulated in Islam, from managing the country to managing a family, from keeping the environment clean to personal hygiene, all of these things are inseparable from Islamic teachings that are sourced from the Koran and Hadith. So that we as Muslims just carry out the existing provisions.
However, it is ignorance and care that makes the presence of various problems. When we don’t care about God’s law, we will automatically obey the lusts and temptations of Satan, so that the order that should be maintained is tarnished.
One of them is related to cleanliness. Cleanliness is an important part in Islam, cleanliness and holiness are part of the perfection of the blessings that Allah has given to His servants, because clean is the initial capital of a healthy life, health is a priceless blessing. Even the Prophet Muhammad associated cleanliness with one’s faith. Rasulullah SAW said; Holy is part of faith (HR. Muslim). In the hadith it is very clear that cleanliness and holiness are an inseparable part of faith, therefore people who do not maintain cleanliness and chastity are the same as having neglected some of the values of faith, so they are not considered true believers. overall.
Cleanliness is very closely related to health, when a person cares and is responsive to cleanliness, his health will also be maintained. Our religion, Islam, is extraordinary in giving attention to health issues. Because health is one of the main supporting elements in carrying out various things, both at work and in carrying out worship activities to Allah SWT.
We are ordered to be clean because Islam wants to maintain the health aspect of humans, as stated by Imam ash-Syatibhi in his book Fi Usul Al-Ahkam, that the purpose of the presence of Islam is to protect religion, soul, mind, body, property and offspring. Therefore, in carrying out the purpose of the presence of Islam, health plays a very urgent role. Without a person’s health condition, it is naturally difficult to carry out various efforts to fulfill basic obligations. In other words, it can be concluded that health is the main capital in achieving the goal of religious presence.
In the Islamic treasures there are two popular terminology which means healthy, namely Ash Shihah and Al Afiat. According to one scholar that the meaning of Ash Shihah is a form of health that includes physical/physical/outward, while Al Afiat is a form of health that includes spiritual/spirit/inner . Islam has long ago provided clear, complete and integrated instructions about the concept of the importance of maintaining good health both physically and spiritually.
However, when we observe Cleanliness is still a problem that we need to pay attention to in our country. We can see this from the surrounding environment which is still far from the word “clean”. Because there is still a lot of garbage scattered everywhere, causing various kinds of problems such as flooding, bad smells and so on.
It is not enough if we only care about personal hygiene, because besides that, Islam is also very concerned about the cleanliness of the living environment, because as a religion that is a blessing to all nature, Islam will not allow humans to damage or pollute the surrounding environment. The cleanliness of the environment itself will greatly affect the safety of the people around it, therefore keeping the environment clean is as important as maintaining personal hygiene.
It’s not difficult if we want to see piles of garbage around the environment we live in. However, the place is often used by the general public. Maintaining the sanctity and cleanliness of places visited by many people is very important, because if the place is dirty and becomes a breeding ground for disease, it will be very easy to infect many people at the same time.
We are also prohibited from spitting in any place, because besides spittle itself is very disgusting, it is also a means of transmitting several diseases. The mosque at the time of the Prophet SAW was only a floor of dirt and sand, so sometimes there were people who secretly spit carelessly in it, then Rasulullah SAW ordered whoever spit in the mosque to plant the spit so that it would not be dirty and be stepped on or occupied by others .
