It started with a single cup of water.
I was just a boy sweeping dust from the steps outside my father’s bakery when I saw the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) companion, Abu Hurairah, walk by. You may have heard of him—he's one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who narrated many hadiths, or sayings of the Prophet. That day, he stopped by our well to make wudu, the ritual washing Muslims perform before prayer. I watched him carefully rinse his hands, wash his face and arms, and wipe over his head before finishing with his feet.
I had seen people perform wudu before, but something about Abu Hurairah’s care caught my attention. Each movement was slow and full of purpose—like it wasn’t just washing, but something greater. When he smiled and greeted me politely, I ran back into the bakery and tugged on my father’s sleeve.
“Why do they clean so much?” I asked.
My father placed a tray of warm bread on the counter and looked at me. “Did you not hear what the Prophet ﷺ said?” he asked. “Al-Tahuru shatru al-iman—Cleanliness is half of faith.”
I had heard the phrase, but I didn’t think much of it before. That evening, I tried to copy what I saw. I washed before prayer more carefully. I scrubbed the corners of my nails and folded my clothes instead of throwing them in the corner.
Soon, I began to notice how the Prophet ﷺ—and those around him—always stayed clean and tidy, even when traveling or working. Even their hearts seemed cleaner than the rest of us. They didn’t use foul words or behave badly. Somehow, their cleanliness on the outside seemed to shine from within, too.
One morning, I spilled flour all over the prayer rug at the bakery. It was time for Fajr, the early morning prayer, and I panicked. My father had always told me the prayer area should stay clean, because the angels don’t stay where there is filth. I glanced around, sure my father would scold me—but instead, he bent down and helped me clean it.
“Faith,” he said, as he swept up the flour, “is not just what you believe—it's how you live. If you care about something in your heart, you will take care of it with your hands.”
That stuck with me even more than the hadith did.
Years later, I found myself teaching my own young children how to rinse their mouths before prayer, how to clip their nails regularly, and how to keep their clothes clean. One of them asked, “Is this really part of Islam?”
I smiled and repeated what had been told to me: “Yes. The Prophet ﷺ said cleanliness is half of our faith.”
And I believed it with my whole heart—because I had felt how it changed me.
—
Story Note: This story was inspired by the hadith narrated in Sahih Muslim (223) and Jami' at-Tirmidhi (2799), in which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Cleanliness is half of faith.”
It started with a single cup of water.
I was just a boy sweeping dust from the steps outside my father’s bakery when I saw the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) companion, Abu Hurairah, walk by. You may have heard of him—he's one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who narrated many hadiths, or sayings of the Prophet. That day, he stopped by our well to make wudu, the ritual washing Muslims perform before prayer. I watched him carefully rinse his hands, wash his face and arms, and wipe over his head before finishing with his feet.
I had seen people perform wudu before, but something about Abu Hurairah’s care caught my attention. Each movement was slow and full of purpose—like it wasn’t just washing, but something greater. When he smiled and greeted me politely, I ran back into the bakery and tugged on my father’s sleeve.
“Why do they clean so much?” I asked.
My father placed a tray of warm bread on the counter and looked at me. “Did you not hear what the Prophet ﷺ said?” he asked. “Al-Tahuru shatru al-iman—Cleanliness is half of faith.”
I had heard the phrase, but I didn’t think much of it before. That evening, I tried to copy what I saw. I washed before prayer more carefully. I scrubbed the corners of my nails and folded my clothes instead of throwing them in the corner.
Soon, I began to notice how the Prophet ﷺ—and those around him—always stayed clean and tidy, even when traveling or working. Even their hearts seemed cleaner than the rest of us. They didn’t use foul words or behave badly. Somehow, their cleanliness on the outside seemed to shine from within, too.
One morning, I spilled flour all over the prayer rug at the bakery. It was time for Fajr, the early morning prayer, and I panicked. My father had always told me the prayer area should stay clean, because the angels don’t stay where there is filth. I glanced around, sure my father would scold me—but instead, he bent down and helped me clean it.
“Faith,” he said, as he swept up the flour, “is not just what you believe—it's how you live. If you care about something in your heart, you will take care of it with your hands.”
That stuck with me even more than the hadith did.
Years later, I found myself teaching my own young children how to rinse their mouths before prayer, how to clip their nails regularly, and how to keep their clothes clean. One of them asked, “Is this really part of Islam?”
I smiled and repeated what had been told to me: “Yes. The Prophet ﷺ said cleanliness is half of our faith.”
And I believed it with my whole heart—because I had felt how it changed me.
—
Story Note: This story was inspired by the hadith narrated in Sahih Muslim (223) and Jami' at-Tirmidhi (2799), in which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Cleanliness is half of faith.”
