I understand we need to stretch our capacities to the limits to attend to the rising demands of our complicated life that may take different forms and levels of complication each according to his/her social obligations, living standard and probably career requirements- Yet ...

I believe committing to the noble example of our beloved Prophet can be life-altering.

With modern day life becoming increasingly demanding sending us forgetful of the simplest yet significant attitudes a genuine Muslim should keep, I thought may be we need to remind ourselves of the simple, minute, and very personal details of the life of Prophet Muhammad, our super role model and the concluding Prophet, who set universal standards for nobility, mercy, refined manners, and humane attitudes.

Remembering how our beloved prophet lived through every day may indeed help us visualize his perfect example, and embrace his divine spirit, hence reviving his Sunnah even in our most personal life details- may this elevate the aggravating burden of challenges we face nowadays, add a touch of beauty to our increasingly complicated and mostly barren life, and assert our Islamic identity already starting to waver.

- Commencing any act in the name of Allah;
The noble Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to commence any act in the name of Allah, bringing much barakah (blessings) to anything he does, and imbibing in his heart a continuous remembrance of his Lord, the one and only Lord of the Universe, Allah Almighty.

Prophet Muhammad used to say: “Any activity not begun with the words ‘In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful’, is severed (from its blessings)
- According to the Quran Exegesis of Ibn Kathir.

- The Use of the Right Hand;
Prophet Muhammad is known for using his right hand.

Lady Aicha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the right hand was used by the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for ablution and for taking food, and his left hand was used in the toilet and the like.
- Related by Imam Abu Dawoud  

Also Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allah, when he put on a shirt, used to begin with the right side.”
- Related by Imam Tirmidhi

- The Call of Nature;
There is not a single act of daily life that the noble Prophet (pbuh) didn’t set a fine Sunnah for, even the call of nature, and using the toilet.

Annas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he entered the toilet he used to say: “O Alah I seek refuge in you from all kinds of evils.”

Also Lady Aicha, the wife of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Prophet (pbuh), when he came out of the toilet, he used to say: “Grant me Your forgiveness”.

- Hygiene and Bathing;
The noble prophet has set an unparalleled set of fine standards for hygiene and cleanness, standards that are valid for ages and all circumstances.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger f Allah (pbuh)  said:
“It’s an obligation on every Muslim to bath (at least once) every seven days and wash both his head and body.”
- Related by Imams Bukhari and Muslim

Lady Aicha also said:
“Usually  the Prophet, when bathing because of Janaba (following sexual intercourse or wet dreams), began by washing his hands. The he made ablution for prayer. The he put his fingers in water and ran them through the roots of his hair and then poured three handfuls of water with his hands over his head, and then let the water flow all over his body.”
- Related by Imam Bukhari.

Lady Aicha also reported that the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“There are ten things related to men’s nature: trimming the moustache, letting the beard (grow), brushing the teeth, using water to clean the nose, trimming the nails, washing clean the finger joints, removing hair from under the armpits, shaving the pubes and using water (for cleaning after the call of nature),“
The narrator said: “I forgot the tenth, unless it was rinsing the mounth.”
- Related by Imam Muslim

So cleanness and personal hygiene are part of our human instinct, religion and, by extension, Islamic identity.

- Keeping a neat and decent appearance;

Prophet Muhammad used to keep a tidy and pleasant appearance and used to advice his companions of following the suit.

Ataa ibn Yasar said that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was in the mosque and a man entered with (the hair of his) head and beard untidy, and Allah’s Messenger indicated with his hand that he should tidy his hair and beard. The man did so and then returned. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:
“Is this not better than that one of you comes and his hair is as though he were a devil?””
- Related by Imam Malik

Also Amr ibn Shuaib reported from his father and his grandfather, who said: Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said: “Allah likes to see the traces of His bounty on His servant.”
- Related by Imam Tirmidhi

However this doesn’t mean that we should exaggerate our appearance or commit tightly to fashion, which makes us spend crazily on new outfits, even if we have what suffices our daily use.

Amr ibn Shuaib reported from his father, from his grandfather that Allah’s Messenger said: “Eat and drink, give in charity and wear (good) clothes as long as these things do not involve excess and arrogance.”
- Related by Imams Ahmad, Nasaai, and ibn Majah

Also Abu Umama Iyas ibn Thaalaba said that the Messenger of Allah said: “Listen! Listen! Wearing old clothes is part of the faith, wearing old clothes is part of the faith.”
- Related by Imam Abu Dawoud

- Eating and Drinking standards;
Yes, why not?
Even eating and drinking had their own fine Islamic standards set by our role model, the noble Prophet (pbuh), for us to follow the suit and benefit from.

Read on;

From Salman: the Messenger of Allah said: “The blessings of food is (received by) washing (the hands) before and washing (the hands) after (taking) it.”
- Related by Imams Dawoud and Tirmidhi

Also Umar ibn Abu Salama said: “I was under the care of the Messenger of Allah and my hand used to pick at random in the dish, so the Messenger of Allah said to me:
“Invoke in the name of Allah, and eat with your right hand and eat what is near you.””
- Related by Imam Muslim

How refined and unique is the Islamic code of attitude and ethics? Yet we tend to borrow from cultures, trends and lifesyles that are not the least representative of our Islamic identity, let alone lacking much of the noble fundamentals present in our Islamic teachings, part of which was set in the Prophet's Sunnah.
—End of PART I
-- Stay tuned for PART II

Wassalaam,
Maha Youssuf
maha@muslimtribune.org

Posted on November 20, 2011