Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalaamu Alaikum

hope u r in the best of health. i really enjoy ur site n there is one question bothering me so much. i have obsseive compulsive disorder and its making life very difficult. i always feel dirty n i hardly ever feel clean enough to pray. i think about germs all day long, and feel that my clothes n body are getting contaminated. i dont know wat to do.wat does islam say about cleanliness? how much do i have to do to stay clean. pls answer my question brother. may Allah SAW reward u.

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Answer:

Cleanliness extreme

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: wat does islam say about cleanliness?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 222 (part):

….For Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 296 (part) Narrated by Banu Sulaym

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying: “…. and cleanliness is half of the faith.’

The deen or ‘way of life’ called Al-Islam emphasizes and absolutely encourages the believers to keep themselves physically pure and clean at all times; so much so that Allah Subhanah Declares that He loves those believers who keep themselves pure and clean, and the Messenger of Allah (saws) declared that cleanliness is half of faith!

Not only does Islam guide and command its followers to become and remain spiritually clean from spiritual impurities like polytheism, disbelief, hypocrisy, etc.; but Islam guides and commands its believers to strive to also be and remain physically pure and clean.

Your Question: how much do i have to do to stay clean

Beloved sister, having said that Islam guides its followers to be physically clean and pure does not at all mean that one goes to the extremes in his religion, and becomes obsessive and compulsive in regards to any matter in the deen….but rather Islam guides that one always take the medium and beautiful way and strive to maintain a balance between two extremes….one extreme is that of the obsessive and compulsive nature, and the other extreme of being absolutely careless and negligent of ones cleanliness and purity!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 171 (part):

171 ……do not go to extremes in your religion.

If one has to the best of one’s ability taken enough measures to keep oneself pure and clean, then after that constantly fear that one is dirty for no reason, or one is not physically pure enough to pray, or to constantly fear about germs and getting contamination for no valid reason, etc….that then would definitely be going towards one of the two extremes….something which is absolutely discouraged in Islam.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan