الطَّهَارَةُ

Salaam! In the last course, you learned that prayer is the second pillar. Before praying, there is one very important thing: being clean.

Allah says: إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ inna llaaha yuḥibbu t-tawwaabiina wa yuḥibbu l-mutaṭahhiriin "Allah loves those who turn back to Him, and He loves those who purify themselves." (meaning of part of verse 2:222)

And the Prophet ﷺ said: الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الْإِيمَانِ aṭ-ṭuhuuru shaṭru l-iimaan "Cleanliness is half of faith." (Muslim 223)

In Arabic, cleanliness for Allah is called aṭ-ṭahaara: الطَّهَارَة.

Three things to keep clean: • My body: I wash, I brush my teeth (the Prophet ﷺ loved the siwaak, a stick for cleaning the teeth: Bukhari 887, Muslim 252). • My clothes and the place where I pray: no dirt on them, and above all no urine. • My heart: no lies, no jealousy. That we clean by turning back to Allah.

In the toilet, good habits: • I go in with my left foot and say: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْخُبُثِ وَالْخَبَائِثِ allaahumma innii a'uudhu bika mina l-khubuthi wa l-khabaa'ith "O Allah, I seek Your protection from evil and evil ones." (Bukhari 142, Muslim 375) • I am careful not to get dirty, then I clean myself well, with water (or paper), using my left hand. • I wash my hands with soap. • I come out with my right foot and say: غُفْرَانَكَ ghufraanak, "I ask Your forgiveness" (Abu Dawud 30, Tirmidhi 7 [À VÉRIFIER : numéros]).

Little activity: with your parent, make a "My cleanliness" poster for the bathroom: washing hands, brushing teeth, a clean toilet. Tick every day what you have done!

Understanding the lesson

Explanation When we go to see someone important, we make ourselves clean and smart. Prayer is a meeting with Allah: so we get ready with care. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty." (Muslim 91) Cleanliness in Islam is not only about not smelling bad: it is worship. When I wash for Allah, He loves me and He rewards me. There is outer cleanliness (the body, the clothes, the place) and inner cleanliness (the heart). The two go together: verse 2:222 speaks of those who turn back to Allah and those who purify themselves. In the toilet, Islam teaches us simple actions to stay clean, and a dua to protect us.

Lessons to draw from it • I keep my body, my clothes and my room clean, for Allah. • In the toilet, I am careful, I clean myself well and I wash my hands. • I also clean my heart: I say sorry when I make a mistake.

Key points to remember • "Allah loves those who purify themselves" (2:222). • "Cleanliness is half of faith" (Muslim 223). • Cleanliness for Allah is called aṭ-ṭahaara. • In the toilet: go in with the left foot and the dua (Bukhari 142, Muslim 375), come out with the right foot saying "ghufraanak".

The main message Allah loves those who are clean: I take care of my body, my clothes and my heart, and I am ready for prayer.