Every time there is a school or institution in Malaysia that teaches their students to clean up: sweep and mop the classroom, clean the toilet, wipe the table after meal, send the food back to the kitchen, these schools and institutions are automatically associated with the Japanese.
Has it ever occurred to any one of us that being clean is something that is taught in the religion, but it is the Japanese who have had the highest regard towards cleanliness?
In the religion of Islam, many Ayah and Hadith mentions about being clean and pure. Let’s take a look at a few.
Cleanliness is part of faith. – Prophet Muhammad SAW
Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah SWT loves those who purify themselves. – Surah At-Taubah, Ayah 108
Surely Allah loves those who repent and keep themselves clean. -Surah Al-Baqara, Ayah 222
In fact, as Muslims, our prayers are not accepted without performing the ablution (Taharah or Wudhu’). Ablution is a form of purifying ourselves before performing prayers.
Keeping our cleanliness is something asked of in the religion. Cleanliness does not just refer to taking showers, applying powder and brushing the teeth. It is keeping our bodies clean. It is making sure our clothing item is clean. It is ensuring our surrounding is hygienic. Therefore sweeping and mopping, picking up the trash, cleaning up after meals, pushing in the chair, keeping the table clean and tidy, arranging the books, arranging shoes, cleaning the cups and plates, scrubbing the toilet floor, wiping the glass door, all becomes a must. If we want to live in a clean and healthy environment, who is responsible for a clean and healthy environment?
Yes, all of us, together.
So getting students studying in Malaysian schools and institutions to clean up after their own mess is not a Japanese thing. It is a religious command. It is asked of us as humans living on the planet of this earth. It is our duty to keep ourselves and our surrounding clean. Let’s teach our children, be it in school or at home, to practice maintaining their hygiene and the hygiene of their surrounding. We are what makes a difference.
Warm regards from the Abedeen team.
