Bismillaah

When I was pregnant, I found cleaning my apartment a huge task. I don’t understand why it always felt so overwhelming then, but I suppose it could have been due to me constantly being dead tired. However, now I am no longer pregnant and it still feels like a big task, just not as big. It bothers me to see clutter, dirty dishes, food on the table, unfolded clothes, dirty clothes needing to be washed or even an itty bitty stain on the carpet from a recent spill. But what bothers me even more is the bathroom being dirty. I feel so nasty if the bathroom isn’t cleaned. It may look clean but if I feel it isn’t, I go nuts inside. I have to scrub the tub, even if it looks clean. I have to scrub the sink, the mirror with Windex, wash the floor, and clean the toilet etc. at least once a week. Does everyone feel what I feel? I highly doubt it! Atleast, it seems so when I visit Muslim restaurants.

Why is it that Muslim restaurants tend to have filthy bathrooms? We are talking not being cleaned for months straight! The mirrors are full of water spots, the floor is full of shoe traces and mud stains, water that you sometimes wonder if it is ‘just’ water, unclean toilets that make you gag, istinjaa bottles that probably will give infections and walls that are full of mold sometimes. I always thought Muslims knew that bathrooms needed to stay clean. It doesn’t mean perfect, but at the very least decent enough to want to enter it. Alhamdulillaah, Islaam has clearly showed us the importance of cleanliness and we need not be heedless of it.

The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, “Islaam is clean, so cleanse yourselves, for only the cleansed shall enter Paradise.” [At-Tabarani]

In another hadeeth he said, “Stay clean as best you can, for Allaah established Islaam upon cleanliness.” [Ar-Rafi`i]

Anytime I decide to use a public bathroom, I sanitize my area before and afterwards. As Muslims, we should be clean enough to as a minimum do that. Just imagine all the types of bacteria floating around. Oh and let us not forget to clean after ourselves in the Masjid, please.

Anyhow, I really am going crazy at the moment. The hardest task for me is putting clothes away. As I wrote in my tagged entry, the one thing that I can’t do is that. They are eventually going to come out again, aren’t they? Sigh. But what sucks is that even though I think like that, it bothers the heck out of me. It makes me feel really blah sometimes. Just seeing the apartment nice and tidy makes me feel so much better about myself. It’s truly amazing how much it can benefit my Iman and encourage me to partake in so many other activities. That is why our Beloved (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, “Cleanliness is one-half of Iman.”

Well, basically I’m tired of seeing clothes not being put away, and that is why I am going to make some goals for myself in this regard. I hope that I will be able to improve in this area as I feel it is detrimental to my goal of becoming a better Muslimah.

The goal: To fold clothes, and put them away immediately so that there is more space, no clutter and so that I feel better spiritually, bi’ithnillaah.

Mini goal: To put the clothes in the closet for 2 weeks straight. If I break my goal before the 2 weeks, I will continue to start the 2 week mark again, until I am able to go 2 weeks clutter free, insha’Allaah!

How to achieve:

  1. I need to get rid of any clothes we haven’t worn for a year, and hang up anything that needs to be hung up.
  2. After washing, I need to fold them immediately and separate them.
  3. Hang up right then and there. If I am busy with something else, I will focus my eyes towards this first, insha’Allaah.

So make du`aa’ for me! I really NEED to do this. May Allaah aid me with it, Aameen!