The life of our Prophet (peace be upon him) is the finest model for Muslims of how to live by the moral values of the Quran. Our Prophet (saas) advised believers to avoid all behavior that is incompatible with the moral values of the Quran and advised them to be clean in mind and body, and set an example for them on this.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) attached the greatest importance to cleanliness, and therefore, to his hair and beard, too. It is reported in some sources that he always carried with him a comb, a mirror, a miswak (a small natural toothbrush), a toothpick, scissors, and a kuhl bottle. (Islam and Christianity, the Superior Morality and Habits of Hadrat Muhammad;)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised his companions to do the same and said, “He who has hair should honor it.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 33, Number 4151)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) set an example for the believers with the importance he attached to his appearance and cleanliness. One account describes the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) attitude to such matters:
“The Prophet (peace be upon him) once intended to go to his companions, and so he put on his turban and dressed his hair… He said, “Yes, Allah loves the actions of His servant who refines his body to meet his friends and brothers.” (Imam Ghazzali’s Ihya Ulum-Id-Din (The Book of Religious Learnings), Islamic Book Service, New Delhi, 2001, Volume III, p. 268)

Ummu Hani (radi Allahu anha), daughter of Abu Talib, relates, “Rasulullah (peace be upon him) honored our home when he came to Mecca. At that time his blessed head was plaited in four strands.” (Et-Tirmidhi Imam Abu İ’sa Muhammed, Şemail-i Şerife, Vol. 1, Hilal Press, Ankara, 1976, p. 51)

As revealed in the verse, “… Allah loves those who turn back from wrongdoing, and He loves those who purify themselves ” (Surat al-Baqara, 222). Cleanliness is a form of behavior much beloved of our Almighty Lord and compatible with believers’ creation. Cleanliness, a behavior regarded as most superior by Allah, also bestows very great delight and ease on believers. Sincere believers, who feel great determination and effort when it comes to implementing Allah’s commands at every moment of their lives, also display the same punctiliousness with regard to cleanliness.

The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) manner of dress
His companions handed down a great many details about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) manner of dress. In addition to these, the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) advice to the believers about how they should dress reveals the importance he attached to this subject. One hadith reports him as saying:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Putting on beautiful clothes does not mean putting on pride. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on other people.” (Sahih Muslim Hadith)

Hazrat Hasan (radi Allahu anhu), the grandson of our Prophet (peace be upon him), said this about his opinions on dress: “Our Prophet (peace be upon him) used to instruct us to dress as well as we could and to use the most fragrant perfumes we could find.” (Bukhari, et-Tarih’ul-Kebir, I, 382, no:1222)

Some of the information that was conveyed through the inner circle of the Prophet (peace be upon him) about his clothing is below:
Ibnu Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) relates:
“I saw the finest possible clothing on Rasulullah (peace be upon him).” (Abu Davud, Libas 8, (4037); Kütüb-i Sitte, Translation and Commentary, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Canan, Vol. 15, Akçağ Press, Ankara, p. 69)

Umm Salama (radi Allahu anha) reports that “The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) liked the kurta (long shirt) most.” (Tirmidhi, Shamail-e-Tirmizi, Kitab Bhavan Publication, New Delhi, 1997, p. 47)

Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib (radi Allahu anhu) states, “I have never seen someone with long hair and red clothing look more handsome than Rasullullah (peace be upon him). His hair reached his shoulders.” (Shamaa-il Tirmidhi, Islamic Book Service Publications, New Delhi, 2000, p. 11)

Another report comes from Fazl ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhu): “The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘Adopt white clothes; it is the best attire.'” (Tirmidhi, Shamail-e-Tirmizi, Kitab Bhavan Publication, New Delhi, 1997, p.55)

The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) outdoor clothes
Ubayd bin Khaalid (radi Allahu anhu) reports that “I was once going to Madina. I heard a person from behind me say, ‘Wear your lungi (loose dress) higher because it avoids physical and spiritual impurities.’ (The lungi will remain cleaner and will not become dirty because of being dragged on the ground.) When I turned to see who was talking, I noticed that it was Rasulullah (peace be upon him).” (Shamaa-il Tirmidhi, Islamic Book Service Publications, New Delhi, 2000, p. 115)

The cleanliness of their bodies, clothes, homes, and the food they eat is as much a distinguishing feature of Muslims as the cleanliness of their thoughts and hearts. Muslims’ hair, hands, faces, and, in short, their whole bodies, are always spotless. Their clothes are always clean, smart, and well-maintained. The places they live, or work in, are always neat, clean, pleasant-smelling, airy, and relaxing, as befits Muslims. There is no doubt that the finest example of this is our Prophet (peace be upon him), sent by our Lord as the last prophet for all mankind. Allah addresses our Prophet (peace be upon him) as follows in the Qur’an:
“You who are enveloped in your cloak!
Arise and warn.
Magnify your Lord.
Purify your clothes.
Shun all filth.” (Surat Al-Muddaththir, 1-5)

The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) pleasing scent
The Prophet (peace be upon him) attached great importance to cleanliness. He always smelled very fresh, clean, and pleasant, and he recommended that Muslims do the same. Accounts that have reached us from his companions give further details of this aspect of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
Jaabir bin Samura (radi Allahu anhu) states, “Whenever the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) trod on any path, when someone passed by later, they could recognize that the Prophet had passed by there because they could smell the fragrance of his body.” (Fazlul Maulana, Al Hadis, Vol. 4, p. 340)

From Anas bin Malik (radi Allahu anhu): “I never felt a silk cloth, nor pure silk, nor any other thing softer than the palm of Rasulullah (peace be upon him). Nor did I smell any musk or any other fragrance more sweet-smelling than the fragrance of Rasullullah (peace be upon him).” (Shamaa-il Tirmidhi, Islamic Book Service Publications, New Delhi, 2000, p. 362)

In Qisas al-Anbiya, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was described in this way: “His body was clean, and his scent beautiful. Whether he had used scent, his skin always had a lovely scent to it. If someone shook hands or conversed with him, or showed his friendship or affection, he would smell that clean scent all day, and if he laid that sacred hand on a child’s head, that child could be distinguished from other children by that clean scent.” (Ahmed Cevdet Pasa, Qisas al-Anbiya, (Stories of the Prophets), Volume 4, Kanaat Press, Istanbul 1331, pp. 364-365)

Our Prophet’s (peace be upon him) Cleanliness Is a Model for All Muslims
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) frequently recommended cleanliness to believers. By paying great attention to cleanliness himself, he represents the finest model for believers. In one hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says, “ALLAH IS PURE AND LIKES PURITY, HE IS CLEAN AND LIKES CLEANLINESS, HE IS GENEROUS AND LIKES GENEROSITY, HE IS HOSPITABLE AND LOVES HOSPITALITY, SO CLEAN YOUR COURTYARDS” (Tirmidhi)

Our Lord, whose knowledge pervades all things, has made our Prophet (peace be upon him) a model for Muslims on the subjects of cleanliness and spiritual purity, as in all other matters. Believers who spend their whole lives in sincere devotion to Allah must turn to Allah in all things and adopt the cleanliness, modern sense of dress, and grooming as models for themselves and make preparations for the hereafter in the physical as well as the spiritual sense.

Cleanliness Is a Feature of the People of Paradise
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) reveals in the hadiths that cleanliness is one feature of the people of paradise:
“Surely, Islam is pure; therefore, be pure, because he can never enter Paradise who is not pure.” (Ahmad Diya’al-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, vol.1, 96/2)

Almighty Allah has also revealed in the Qur’an that filth is a characteristic of polytheists (Surat at-Tawba, 28) and hypocrites (Surat at-Tawba, 95). We must not forget that in order to be able to enjoy the delight and excitement of living in paradise, a spotless place full of enchantments, the soul must be trained and earthly desires controlled in this world in such a way as to delight in cleanliness and beauty in this world.

It is revealed that by our Almighty Lord’s leave, believers will enter paradise as spotless as they are in this world:
“And those who believe in their Lord will be driven to the Garden in companies, and when they arrive there, finding its gates open, its custodians will say to them, ‘Peace be upon you! You have done well, so enter it timelessly, forever.” (Surat az-Zumar, 73)

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