Three Kinds of Outer Cleanliness

Outer cleanliness itself has three components. The first is cleansing oneself, when this is needed, in order to pray — that is, from any form of ḥadath, minor or major. Where wuḍūʾ is needed, wuḍūʾ is made: a washing, a spiritual cleansing, a ritual cleanliness. Where ghusl is needed, ghusl is made. This is farḍ, and there is no difficulty in it.

The second concerns cleanliness from physical filth on the body itself, and physical filth has its own components in turn — wuḍūʾ and ghusl already mentioned, or tayammum where it is required; and beyond that, the filth that must leave no trace at all upon a person, without which ṣalāh is simply not accepted, barring the case of a genuinely excused person. Any form of urine, any form of faeces, any pus or blood, on the body or on the clothing; any intoxicant — wine or spirits, beer, alcohol — on the clothing or on the body: none of this may be carried into prayer, and it is najis, without qualification. And anything upon the body that is a pig product falls under the same rule: a jacket made of pig suede cannot be prayed in, nor can shoes with a pig lining be worn or prayed in at all — it is unlawful even to wear them.

The third component of physical cleanliness, an area neglected today by the majority of Muslims, is a sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), very strongly, very firmly commanded by him: the removal of the hair of the underarms and of the private area. There are rules and regulations attached to this, which must be followed; it too is a form of physical cleanliness that has to be observed.