Ablution and Hygiene Before Sleep and Eating

📖Sunan al-Nasā’ī 258
Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, if he wanted to sleep while he was in a state of major ritual impurity, he would perform ablution. If he wanted to eat or drink, he would first wash his hands and then eat or drink.

• This hadith emphasizes the importance of personal hygiene and ritual purity in daily life.
• The Prophet ﷺ taught practical habits for cleanliness, even for actions like sleeping or eating, which may seem minor but contribute to overall health and spiritual discipline.
• Today, many people are aware of hygiene but often forget the spiritual and practical lessons the Prophet gave, which were revolutionary in a society like Arabia at that time, where ignorance about health and cleanliness was widespread.
• These practices show that Islam integrates spiritual guidance with everyday life, teaching actions that are beneficial both physically and spiritually.

Quranic Context

📖Quran 5:6
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles.

• This verse emphasizes ritual purification (wudu), linking physical cleanliness with spiritual preparation for worship.

📖Quran 2:222
Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.

• Allah values purity and cleanliness, both for health and as a reflection of spiritual discipline.