The Importance of Home in Islam, Cleanliness, Decoration, and Avoidance of Extravagance
A dwelling or home serves as a safe place and refuge for a person, where he lives a private life and begins to feel free from the constraints of society. In the home, the body finds rest and the soul finds peace. That is why Allah Almighty mentioned His favors by saying:
وَاللهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ بُيُوتِكُمْ سَكَنَا
“Allah has made your homes a place of rest for you.”
And the Prophet ﷺ liked spacious homes and considered them a worldly blessing. The Prophet ﷺ said:
أربع من السعادة : المرأة الصالحة، والمسكن الواسع، والجار الصالح، والمركب الهنى
“Four things bring happiness: a righteous wife, a spacious home, a good neighbor, and a fine mount.”
The Prophet ﷺ used to frequently supplicate:
اللهم اغفرلى ذنبي ووسع لي فى داري وبارك لي فى رزقى
“O Allah! Forgive my sins, make my home spacious, and bless my provision.”
Someone said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Why do you often make this supplication? He replied:
وهل تركن من شيء
“Has this supplication ever been rejected?”
The Prophet ﷺ encouraged keeping homes clean so that cleanliness and hygiene become among the manifestations of the beloved religion of Islam, and a distinguishing feature that sets Muslims apart from those whose religion considers filth a means of drawing near to Allah. He said:
إن الله طيب يحب الطيب، نظيف يحب النظافة، كريم يحب الكرم، جواد يحب الجود، فنظفوا أفنيتكم ولا تشبهوا باليهود
“Allah is pure and loves purity, He is clean and loves cleanliness, He is generous and loves generosity, He is bountiful and loves bountifulness. Therefore, keep the courtyards of your homes clean and do not resemble the Jews.”
Manifestations of Luxury and Idolatry:
There is no harm in adorning one’s home with paint, designs, and permissible types of decoration:
قُلْ مَنْ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ اللهِ الَّتِي اَخْرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِ
“Tell me, who has declared unlawful the beauty that Allah has created for His servants?”
Yes! There is no harm for a Muslim to prefer beauty in matters of his home, clothes, shoes, etc. The Prophet ﷺ said:
لن يدخل الجنة من كان فى قلبه مثقال ذرة من كبر – فقال رجل : إن الرجل يحب أن يكون ثوبه حسنا ونعله حسنا فقال : إن الله جميل يحب الجمال
“Whoever has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will not enter Paradise.” Someone asked: A person likes that his clothes and shoes be good (so is this also arrogance?). He said: Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty.”
In another narration:
إن رجلا جميلا أتى النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: إني أحب الجمال وقد أعطيت منه ما ترى، حتى ما أحب أن يفوقنى احد بشراك نعل، أفمن الكبر ذلك يارسول الله؟ قال : لا ولكن الكبر بطر الحق وغمط الناس
“A handsome man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: I like beauty and you are witnessing the beauty that has been given to me. I do not even like that anyone should have superiority over me in the matter of the strap of a shoe. So, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is this also arrogance? He said: No, rather arrogance is to reject the truth and to look down on people.”
However, excessiveness is not liked in Islam in anything. And the Prophet ﷺ did not approve of a Muslim’s home being a symbol of luxury and extravagance, which the Qur’an has severely condemned, or a symbol of idolatry, against which this monotheistic religion has fought with full force.
