Neatness, Organization and Order

By Sa`eed Muhammad al-Deeb [Rules for the Muslim Home]

The Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, said:

"You are going to meet some brothers of yours, so reform your saddles, and be well dressed until you become a shining star in the sight of the other people because Allah dislikes vice and using viciousness." (Abu Dawud)

Notice when the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, said:

"You are going to meet some brothers of yours, so reform your saddles, and be well dressed until you become a shining star in the sight of the other people."

Reforming the saddle in those days corresponds to car today, as it is the outdoor home of the Muslim. Moreover, making the clothes tidy is included amongst those things which make the Muslim appear nice in the eyes of other people. This is the duty that a Muslim should perform towards his brothers and kinship, inside and outside his house. Consequently, whoever enters his house should see a pleasing house. This will never happen unless he shows great care to the neatness of the house and himself. So the housewife should be a leading example to her husband and children. In fact, all the members of the household should be adapted to that; except for some casual occasions where one may look shabby.

We used to see some of our teachers looking smart and very neat whether we visited them in the day or night. Not only that, but we used to see everything in their houses very well organized. So they were like the soldier who has to be alert in doing his job and performing his duty.

Unfortunately, many people live in extreme chaos and neglect their houses, and whenever you visit them you find disorganized tables and shelves, and scattered clothes everywhere. So wherever you look, you see chaos and disorganization. Furthermore, the housewife sometimes stays wearing her nightgown after she wakes up and you see her children dirty and neglected. Certainly, all of these things are against the morals of the Muslims and against the Shari`ah.

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, cleaned Osama (bin Zaid) once when he was a child because he saw him dirty, `Aa’ishah advised a woman to make herself look attractive for her husband, and Ibn `Abbas ordered a man to look handsome in the eyes of his wife the way she does for him.

To sum up, the Muslims should be clean and neat whether inside or outside his house and this should be a habit.

To maintain good order of the house and make it clean and organized, the following should be noticed by the members of the household.

First: Everything at home should be organized, and if it is used, it should be returned to its place after use.

Second: Members of the house should adapt themselves not to spread their things, but rather they should be put in their usual places.

Third: Every room, the guestroom, the bedroom, the library room, or the kitchen should be cleaned so that it would not be untidy after being used.

Fourth: All books and papers that are put on the table should be returned to their place.

Fifth: After they have woken up, members of the household should put on their usual clothes. Moreover, children have to be cared for and taught how to be clean and neat throughout the day.

Notice that the scholars of Islam gave organizing its importance through all their instructions.

Furthermore, it is important to know that organizing the sleeping schedule is necessary, especially for children. It should be in accordance with the religious and non-religious duties such as the requirement to separate the children in bed, i.e. boys from girls.