In Islam, cleanliness is considered an essential component of life that not only prevents disease but also indicates a country's development level. Islam emphasizes the need to maintain personal and environmental cleanliness above all else. Cleanliness is among the most important of the core principles of Islam, along with faith, law, and morality.
The Islamic concept of hygiene, which refers to physical and spiritual cleanliness, is used in the Qur'an and Hadith. For example, Muslims perform ablution, or cleansing certain areas of the body, before praying. Apart from that, Islam also mandates cleanliness in all areas of life, including clothing, places of worship, and the surrounding environment. Several hadiths highlighting the value of cleanliness as a religious component also show cleanliness's relevance in Islam. The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ يُحِبُّ الطَّيِّبَ , نَظِيفٌ يُحِبُّ النَّظَافَةَ , كَرِيمٌ يُحِبُّ الْكَرَمَ , جَوَادٌ يُحِبُّ الْجُودَ , فَنَظِّفُوا أَفْنِيَتَكُمْ
“Sesungguhnya Allah SWT itu suci yang menyukai hal-hal yang suci, Dia Maha Bersih yang menyukai kebersihan, Dia Maha Mulia yang menyukai kemuliaan, Dia Maha Indah yang menyukai keindahan, karena itu bersihkanlah tempat-tempatmu." (HR. Tirmidzi).
Public awareness about the importance of cleanliness aspects in life
The hygiene aspect of Indonesian society still needs improvement. The influence of various factors determines the level of cleanliness and public concern for this aspect. Based on research from the Ministry of Health, around 20% of the public is concerned about the cleanliness and health conditions of the environment. It can be concluded that only 52 million Indonesian citizens understand the importance of environmental cleanliness and its negative impact on health.
Several factors lead to the need for more awareness among Indonesians regarding the importance of maintaining cleanliness in the surrounding environment. First, there needs to be more understanding of the negative consequences of behavior that does not support cleanliness. Many schools in Indonesia still need to provide education about maintaining cleanliness.
Also, support from the government for education for school students and the community in general regarding maintaining cleanliness, such as waste management or sanitation, still needs to be improved. Many programs related to waste management have been carried out. However, most people still do not care about this program, which could be due to a lack of knowledge about the importance of management and its impact on the environment.
Apart from the lack of public knowledge and awareness, ignorance towards cleanliness is also influenced by Indonesia's weak sanctions and law enforcement system. Government Regulation Number 46 of 2013 concerning the Management of Household Waste and Similar Types of Household Waste Regulates household waste management and waste similar to household waste. However, implementing these regulations needs to be improved in the field, and the reality can vary.
The lack of strict sanctions and consistent law enforcement for hygiene-related violations means people are not compelled to change their behavior. So bad habits such as throwing rubbish carelessly and not providing good sanitation facilities in each place become increasingly embedded. Strictly implementing sanctions such as fines or other demands is necessary to encourage awareness about protecting the environment.
Creating a clean and healthy Indonesian environment based on religious teachings
Islamic religion and teachings place very high attention on physical and spiritual cleanliness. Cleanliness is essential in life because Allah requires His servants to maintain the health and beauty of their environment. The lack of public attention to the environment is very familiar today. Most of them think in partial terms and only want to benefit themselves, such as problems with inappropriate waste disposal, factory waste disposal, air pollution, water pollution, etc. The Prophet ﷺ said:
تَنَظَّفُوْا بِكُلِّ مَا اِسْتَطَعْتُمْ فَاِنَ اللهَ تَعَالَي بَنَي الاِسْلاَمَ عَلَي النَظَافَةِ وَلَنْ يَدْخُلَ الْجَنَّةَ اِلاَ كُلُّ نَظِيْفٍ
"Bersihkanlah segala sesuatu semampu kamu. Sesungguhnya Allah ta'ala membangun Islam ini atas dasar kebersihan dan tidak akan masuk surga kecuali setiap yang bersih." (HR Ath-Thabrani).
