Have you ever noticed piles of shirts, jackets and other assorted items accumulating slowly on your chairs, bed, floors, and closet? Have you seen stacks of untouched mail, bills, and letters sitting on your table for weeks? What about your desk drawers that are filled with anything and everything? What about your car? Your refrigerator? Your bathroom? Have you stepped back to take a look at the disorganization we are capable of creating?
I want to share with you how living in disorganized spaces has a bad affect on our Iman and happiness.
I call these little messes ‘silent destroyers’- they go unnoticed until the affects have already taken place. Personally, I am a very organized person and it has been the utmost important thing to me since I can remember, but, after marriage and having a child, the utmost important things on someone’s list tend to change. I began noticing the piles of clothing stacked on chairs, the toys hidden under the couch, the unopened mail stuffed away in a drawer out of sight. I realized at that moment how I had been feeling down, how the focus in my Salaah decreased, and how my inspiration and energy to do everyday tasks diminished.
Sakeena is supposed to be in every Muslim’s life, in everything that they do, because peace of mind and peace of heart help us get through our days and focus on our obligatory worship. Living in a world of clutter takes a person’s sakeena away, without them feeling it until it is gone. It can lower the Iman to the point of taking away the khushoo’ in your salaah, your mind aimed at the mess surrounding your place of prayer. How can one be fully happy, satisfied, and productive if they come home to a place chaotic with disorganization? I have always lived off of the saying “a cluttered desk is a cluttered mind” because there is so much truth in it.
Cleanliness in Islam is not only about keeping our hygiene good: it is also about being clean in every aspect in our lives. Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said, “Cleanliness is half of Faith,” so if half of your faith is disorganized and messy, why wouldn’t your Iman decrease with it?
Narrated Abu Malik Al-Harith bin Asim Al-Ash’ari (may Allāh be pleased with him): “Truly, Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean” [Qur’an: 2:222]. Iman increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience. Have you realized that by living messily, you are living in state that is also a disobedience to Allah (glorified and exalted be He)? No wonder why our Iman gets so low in such circumstances! Take a second and imagine yourself sitting to read Qur’an, or starting Salaah, and you are surrounded by a messy house. Every Muslim should make an effort to keep a clean home to please Allah (glorified and exalted be He) and have a peaceful home environment.
6 Steps to Help You Get Organized
- It starts within. You must have the desire to obey Allah (glorified and exalted be He) when he ordered us to be clean. By doing so, you are getting reward (insha’Allah), so start with your intention to create a solid foundation that lasts a lifetime, not a week.
- Create a plan of organization with your family to maintain a clean home. Help them understand that it is an act of worship. Teach children to keep their own rooms clean and make them feel it is an accomplishment. This will also instill good character for how they take care of their own homes in the future.
- Create simple solutions. Something such as a coat stand for the living room can go very far. Family members are encouraged to hang their items in one place rather than on chairs and couches.
- Create a nice-smelling environment. Scent has been proven to give people energy and optimism, so I suggest buying a plug-in air freshener or candles to keep the house smelling nice.
- Keep the bathroom wiped down everyday. Having nicely stacked towels or a comfortable bathroom mat gives us a peaceful place to do wudu and it clears the mind in preparation for worship.
- Create a special area in the living space designated for worship. Have a prayer mat or two lying neatly or folded. Have all of your tools in that area – Qur’an, Islamic study books, etc. It will give you more khushoo’ having an area designated for prayer and worship, and as we know, having strong Iman and heart makes us more productive in everything else.
I hope you gained benefit from this article and if you did it is purely from the blessing and guidance of Allah (glorified and exalted be He). May Allah facilitate this Ummah, keeping us forever productive, InshaAllah.
How do you avoid the clutter and stay organized? Share your helpful tips and thoughts below!
About the Author:
Kara Regan accepted Islam in 2007, and since then has strived to develop correct Islamic knowledge through study. Kara says Islam has encouraged her to share her experiences in hopes that other Muslims may better themselves. Kara has written many articles intended to inspire and encourage Muslims. May Allah bring us all together and increase us in knowledge.
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Salaam Aleikom rahmatullahi wa barakatu
-Kara Regan
Because we are human, there will always come those days that we have no energy or desire to get something done, and that is OK, as long as it isn’t all of the time, and as long as it doesn’t start affecting other aspects of your life, like Salaah as you mentioned. What I can say to this question is what the Prophet (saw) said about not having too much routine in our lives. Humans become bored very easily, and that has a lot to do with taking away our energy because we no longer have the inspiration due to routine. For Salaah, you might change your praying place for a couple of weeks, a new different area in the house, and wear different prayer clothes than usual. For the house routine, switch it. I have found that playing Halal Nasheeds, or an entertaining lecture really keeps my mind occupied while I am cleaning, and then before I know it, everything is done. Either play it on an ipod or the computer, but if you are listening to something and thinking about it, it adds a lot more interest to everyday tasks. One last thing, reward yourself after you have finished cleaning, so it is something to look forward to, a dessert, tea, anything that makes you happy when you think of it, and then picture how relaxed you will feel in a freshly cleaned house while you enjoy your favorite thing. Routine has a lot to do with the mind as well as the physical aspect of doing everyday things. :) I hope I helped and if not, don’t hesitate to question me.
Salaam Aleikom Rahmatullahi wa barakatu
Because we are human, we can always expect those days when we don’t have a lot of energy or focus, and that is OK as long as it is not all of the time and as long as it does not affect things like Salaah as you mentioned. What I can say to you is what the Prophet (saw) has told us about making sure to not stick with one routine for too long. Humans in their nature become very depressed and uninspired when we have the same routine to expect every single day, and it adds to the feeling of having no energy. Changing our “routine” means both mentally and physically. For example with Salaah, you might change the room you pray in for a couple of weeks, or change the clothing that you pray in. Changing the Salaah environment helps a lot with motivation and focus, I love to pray outside in a secluded area whenever I have the chance, or simply in another area of the house, it is all about doing something different than the usual. When it comes to cleaning the house, it is something that can be hard to change the routine physically since it is something that MUST be done and maybe needs to always be done in the same order for one reason or another, so here is what I suggest, while you are cleaning, play some halal nasheeds or an entertaining lighthearted lecture. Either in an ipod or out loud from the computer. Here is the trick, when you are keeping your mind focused on listening to something carefully or deeply, the “everyday chores” suddenly become easy and fast going. If you listen to soemthing while you are cleaning, before you know it, everything is finished (and sometimes we just NEED everything to seem like it is done with the speed of light). Also, reward yourself after the chores are finished (you deserve it!) Anything that makes you happy, whether it is tea, or a dessert, after the house is finished imagine yourself sitting in a nicely fixed home enjoying something for yourself. Thinking this way will inspire you to want that peaceful moment to yourself when everything is accomplished. I hope that I aimed at your question in a way that satisfies you, and if not, tell me :)
Salaam Aleikom rahmatullai wa barakatu.
-Kara Regan
-Kara Regan
Great article….Inshallah more to come !