Etiquette & Sunnahs of Cleanliness (Nazafah) in the Quran & Sunnah

1. Allah loves those who purify themselves.

Allah says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves. (Surah al-Baqarah 2:222)

Note: The immediate context of the verse relates to menstruation and its rulings. Its final part also mentions the virtue of those who purify themselves.

2. The command to keep clothes clean.

Allah says:

وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ

And purify your clothing. (Surah al-Muddaththir 74:4)

Note: The Sharia purity of clothing is especially important for prayer. In general life too, keeping clothes clean and suitable is good Islamic etiquette.

3. The rulings of wudu, ghusl and purification.

Allah says, in the relevant part of the verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا

O you who believe, when you rise to prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows, wipe over your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, purify yourselves. (Surah al-Ma’idah 5:6)

Note: Wudu and ghusl are performed according to specific Sharia rulings. General cleanliness of the body and attaining Sharia purity for prayer are not one and the same thing.

4. Purity and suitable dress at the time of worship.

Allah says:

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ

O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive; indeed, He does not like the excessive. (Surah al-A’raf 7:31)

Lesson: Suitable and clean dress is adopted at the time of worship, and extravagance in eating and drinking is also avoided.

5. Allah praises those who love to purify themselves.

Allah says, in the relevant part of the verse:

فِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَتَطَهَّرُوا وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُطَّهِّرِينَ

In it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves. (Surah at-Tawbah 9:108)

Note: The context of this verse relates to Masjid Quba and the people there who loved purity.

1. Purity is half of faith.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الْإِيمَانِ

Purity is half of faith.

Lesson: A Muslim gives importance to physical and Sharia purity. Cleanliness is not treated as unimportant or merely outward.

2. The five acts of fitrah.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

الْفِطْرَةُ خَمْسٌ: الْخِتَانُ، وَالِاسْتِحْدَادُ، وَنَتْفُ الْإِبْطِ، وَتَقْلِيمُ الْأَظْفَارِ، وَقَصُّ الشَّارِبِ

Five things are part of fitrah: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, plucking the underarm hair, trimming the nails, and shortening the moustache.

Lesson: The acts established from this hadith are trimming the nails, shortening the moustache, removing the pubic hair, plucking the underarm hair, and circumcision, whose detailed juristic status is a separate topic. Scholars regard these as acts to be done regularly and not postponed without reason.

3. Do not delay these acts beyond forty nights.

وُقِّتَ لَنَا فِي قَصِّ الشَّارِبِ وَتَقْلِيمِ الْأَظْفَارِ وَنَتْفِ الْإِبْطِ وَحَلْقِ الْعَانَةِ أَنْ لَا نَتْرُكَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً

A time limit was set for us for shortening the moustache, trimming the nails, plucking the underarm hair and shaving the pubic hair: that we should not leave them for more than forty nights.

Note: This does not mean waiting forty days for cleaning; it is done earlier when needed. The limit is that these acts are not left beyond forty nights.

4. Use the miswak and keep the mouth clean.

السِّوَاكُ مَطْهَرَةٌ لِلْفَمِ مَرْضَاةٌ لِلرَّبِّ

The miswak purifies the mouth and pleases the Lord.

Encouragement to use it with every prayer:

لَوْلَا أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي لَأَمَرْتُهُمْ بِالسِّوَاكِ مَعَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ

Were it not that I might burden my Ummah, I would have commanded them to use the miswak with every prayer.

Lesson: Regular use of the miswak and keeping the teeth and mouth clean is a sunnah. A toothbrush may also be used for cleaning the teeth.

5. Cleaning the mouth and nose in wudu.

The Prophet ﷺ performed wudu in this manner, as mentioned in various narrations:

ثُمَّ غَسَلَ يَدَيْهِ، ثُمَّ تَمَضْمَضَ وَاسْتَنْشَقَ

Then he washed his hands, then rinsed his mouth and sniffed water into his nose.

Lesson: Rinsing the mouth and sniffing water into the nose to clean them is part of the sunnah method of wudu, done with moderation. In illness or fasting, the relevant Sharia concessions are observed.

6. Wash the hands after waking from sleep.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ أَحَدُكُمْ مِنْ نَوْمِهِ فَلْيَغْسِلْ يَدَهُ ثَلَاثًا

When any of you wakes up from his sleep, let him wash his hand three times.

Lesson: The hadith specifically instructs washing the hands before putting them into the water of a vessel. This can also be part of the morning cleanliness routine.

7. Take care of the hair.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ شَعْرٌ فَلْيُكْرِمْهُ

Whoever has hair, let him honour it.

Lesson: Keeping the hair clean, combing it and maintaining it suitably is part of good manners. This hadith does not make any particular hairstyle necessary for everyone.

8. Bathing, cleanliness and perfume on Friday.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, in the relevant part of the hadith:

لَا يَغْتَسِلُ رَجُلٌ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ، وَيَتَطَهَّرُ مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ طُهْرٍ، وَيَدَّهِنُ مِنْ دُهْنِهِ، أَوْ يَمَسُّ مِنْ طِيبِ بَيْتِهِ

Whoever bathes on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, uses his oil or applies some perfume of his house, then goes out for the Friday prayer...

Lesson: Bathing for Friday, cleaning the body and clothes, using the miswak and applying suitable perfume are among the sunnah acts for the Friday prayer.

Note: Scholars differ on whether ghusl for Jumuah is obligatory or an emphasised sunnah. The majority regard it as an emphasised sunnah, while some scholars hold it to be obligatory.

9. Do not come to the masjid with an offensive smell.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

مَنْ أَكَلَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الشَّجَرَةِ فَلَا يَقْرَبَنَّ مَسْجِدَنَا وَلَا يُؤْذِيَنَّا بِرِيحِ الثُومِ

Whoever eats from this plant (garlic), let him not come near our masjid, and let him not harm us with the smell of garlic.

Note: This does not mean a general prohibition of eating garlic and onion. The principle is that worshippers should not be harmed by the offensive smell of these or anything else. If the smell remains, staying away from the masjid until it is gone is mentioned.

10. Protect the body and clothes from urine and impurity.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by two graves and said that one of them did not protect himself from his urine:

وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَكَانَ لَا يَسْتَتِرُ مِنْ بَوْلِهِ

And as for the other, he did not protect himself from his urine.

Lesson: Splashes of urine are guarded against as far as possible. If impurity touches the body or clothes, it is purified in the Sharia manner. Doubt alone does not make one regard oneself as impure; certainty and mere whisperings are to be distinguished.

11. Do not use the right hand for istinja.

وَلَا يَسْتَنْجِي بِيَمِينِهِ

And he should not clean himself with his right hand.

Lesson: In istinja the left hand is used, and the hands are washed well after cleaning.

12. Perform istinja with water.

فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا وَقَدِ اسْتَنْجَى بِالْمَاءِ

Then he came out to us, having cleaned himself with water.

Lesson: Istinja with water is established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The principles of removing impurity and attaining Sharia purity are to be kept in view.

13. Use an odd number when cleaning with stones, and avoid forbidden materials.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed using an odd number when cleaning with stones (istijmar):

وَمَنِ اسْتَجْمَرَ فَلْيُوتِرْ

Whoever cleans himself with stones, let him use an odd number.

In another narration he ﷺ forbade bringing bones and dung for cleaning.

Lesson: These narrations mention cleaning with stones. The juristic rulings for tissue paper or other means today are a separate juristic discussion; it is not correct to call every modern method exactly the sunnah mentioned in the hadith.

14. Do not soil people’s paths and shaded places.

اتَّقُوا اللَّعَّانَيْنِ

Beware of the two things that cause cursing.

The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked: What are the two things that cause cursing, O Messenger of Allah? He ﷺ said:

الَّذِي يَتَخَلَّى فِي طَرِيقِ النَّاسِ أَوْ فِي ظِلِّهِمْ

The one who relieves himself in the path of the people or in their shade.

Lesson: Soiling public paths, sitting places, resting places and places that people benefit from is severely blameworthy.

15. Do not pollute still water.

نَهَى أَنْ يُبَالَ فِي الْمَاءِ الرَّاكِدِ

He forbade urinating in still water.

Lesson: Ponds, water reservoirs and still water should not be polluted, as this may harm others.

In another sound narration, urinating in such water and then bathing in it is also forbidden.

16. Respect the qibla when relieving oneself in the open.

فَلَا يَسْتَقْبِلِ الْقِبْلَةَ وَلَا يُوَلِّهَا ظَهْرَهُ

Let him not face the qibla nor turn his back to it.

Note: The hadith mentions open ground. For built toilets, jurists have given further detail and differences, so every situation should not be placed under one ruling without detail.

17. Cover food and water vessels.

وَخَمِّرُوا الطَّعَامَ وَالشَّرَابَ

Cover the food and drink.

Lesson: Food is not left uncovered, water vessels are kept covered, the household’s water and food vessels are kept clean, and things are protected from dust and contamination. This precaution accords with the general meaning of the hadith; it is not correct to declare every modern food-safety method a permanent prophetic sunnah.

18. Do not breathe or blow into the drinking vessel.

إِذَا شَرِبَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلَا يَتَنَفَّسْ فِي الْإِنَاءِ

When any of you drinks, let him not breathe into the vessel.

And in another narration:

نَهَى أَنْ يُتَنَفَّسَ فِي الْإِنَاءِ أَوْ يُنْفَخَ فِيهِ

He forbade breathing into the vessel or blowing into it.

Lesson: Contaminating a shared vessel or water with the breath of the mouth is avoided. If a drink is hot, it is allowed to cool away from the vessel.

19. Remove harmful things from the road.

وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الْأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ

And the lowest of its branches is removing harmful things from the road.

Lesson: Removing glass, stones or anything that can harm people from the road is a good deed. This shows that keeping roads clean and safe for others is part of Islamic teachings.

20. Avoid spitting and spreading dirt in the masjid.

الْبُزَاقُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ خَطِيئَةٌ

Spitting in the masjid is a sin.

In another sound narration, spit marks in the masjid are counted among wrongs.

Lesson: Spitting in the masjid, throwing rubbish, leaving dirt and harming worshippers is avoided. If dirt does occur, it is cleaned properly; merely rubbing spit with a shoe on a hard floor is not cleaning.