people to clean themselves with," said Uncle Hamid: "Water is a
great blessing and is a reason for us to be thankful to Allah. Among
the most important things we do are washing our hands and face
when we get up in the morning and taking a shower to begin the
day totally clean. The Qur'an tells us that Allah sent water down from
heaven for human beings to clean themselves with: '[He] sent you
down water from heaven to purify you and remove the taint of Satan
from you, and to fortify your hearts and make your feet firm.' (Surat
al-Anfal: 11)"
"In this verse," Uncle Hamid went on: "Allah warns human beings
that Satan makes dirtiness look pleasant and tries to prevent them
from cleaning themselves. Satan tries to take people away from the
way of Allah and continually whispers suggestions into their minds
about cleanliness. For example, he tries to make us put off brushing
our teeth after a meal or taking regular showers by making it seem
like too much trouble, so that later on we completely forget about it.
Even if such occasional slips do not bring serious consequences, over
time they may be damaging to a person's health and appearance.
And this is exactly what Satan wants. He resents human beings and
tries to drag them to Hell, and he really wants to see them living in
filth, their appearance ruined by damaged skin and rotten teeth. But
a person who practices the morality of the Qur'an is alert to these
suggestions and careful not to be taken in by them. He does not
show the slightest carelessness when it comes to cleanliness. He is
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