Ep. 09: Maintain your Appearance | Best Conduct

Islam invited mankind towards the best of teachings; Islam came with a set of teachings that would be pushing people forward, compelling them to think of those around them and of the future The teachings of Islam also compelled people to think about themselves. One of the things that people are in tune with is their appearance. People, especially teenagers, are extremely conscious of their appearance. Some spend a considerable amount of time grooming themselves. Islam also came with the teachings that a person should maintain their appearance. It is not Islamic to be ungroomed or messy, disheveled, or to have messy hair or messy clothes. In fact, once, the prophet (SAW) saw a person whose hair was unkept, and he said, “Couldn’t this person find a comb to settle their hair down?” In another hadith, the prophet (SAW) said, “A person who has hair should show respect to their hair.” In other words, look after it. Once, he saw someone with clothes that had stains on them, and he said, “Could this person not find water to wash out the stains of his clothes?”

A neat and tidy appearance is also a part of Islamic teachings. This is something that we should be in tune with. When we come to class, the expectation is that we are coming in a neat and tidy appearance – the hair has been combed, the clothes are clean, and the people look presentable. we do not just do this for school, but also, for the rest of our lives, even after school, and during vacation. We should maintain a neat and tidy appearance, especially today, when there are so many questions being raised about Islam and so many doubts, suspicions and misunderstandings. When we are outside, we not only represent ourselves, but we represent our deen, and if we go out in an unkept way, whether we may not even think of it, people will say, “Look at those Muslims.” Even though they should not be saying that, and instead of “Look at that human being” or “Look at that boy”, they say, “Look at those Muslims. Look at how uncivilized these people are. They are always messy.” Islam did not come with this. Islam taught us to look after ourselves and treat ourselves with respect. The prophet (SAW) used the words of “respect.”

One of the expectations from the students is to always keep a neat and tidy appearance and to keep your appearance according to the sunnah. Do not think of adopting an appearance that compromises the sunnah. In this way, we will be on our way to setting an Islamic lifestyle for ourselves. If we do not, it is only a matter of time before we create a split personality, and a set of behaviors that differ when we are under watch and when we are not under watch. Maintaining a good appearance ties in with the Islamic theme of hygiene. Related to that, a part of our appearance is keeping our nails clean and trimmed, making sure that we are coming in a clean state, making sure that we are not walking around with body odor or foul smells. This is the reality; when we are in any environment, we must show respect to the fact that we are around people, and it is a matter of respecting others as well. It is not an Islamic habit to walk around with odors coming from one’s body or mouth. Once, the prophet (SAW) noticed that the sahaba (RA) were coming to the masjid from the fields after work or labor and they were wearing rough or thick clothes and were sweating profusely. Now, the masjid, which did not have facilities like AC that we have today, was filled with the smell of sweat. The prophet (SAW) made it obligatory to take a bath every Jumuah. At that time, water was scarce, and people were doing labor jobs in the heat of Madinah, but he made it obligatory that anyone who came for Jumuah must take a bath before coming, and that they should have a pair of clothes aside from their daily clothes just for Jumuah. Then, he taught them to use some oil or some product to groom their hair and perfume to help them smell pleasant. All of this was an exercise in presentation.

Whenever you are coming to a meeting or place of importance, you need to appear presentable. Likewise, when you are coming for Jumuah, you need to be presentable. These are some things to look out for. Keep your own appearance and the way you groom yourself neat. It is not about having the most expensive things; sometimes, we think that having the most expensive things means having the best appearance. Sometimes, you will have expensive things, and sometimes, you won’t, but it is about making sure that your appearance is neat and tidy, irrespective of what you have. Even your shoes – do not come with scuffed shoes, Look after them. It is a matter of how much pride you take in yourself . If you were in an army and you had scuffed-up boots, you would get in trouble and penalized, even though it is the army. They expect you to maintain your position because you are representing your country. They expect (or instill) a sense of discipline Keep these things in mind and develop them into good habits. Today, people take pride in these habits, despite all of them being embedded in our tradition and culture. May Allah (SWT) give us tawfiq to implement and practice these hadith.