When the idea of a home comes to mind,a warm cozy environment the , a place full of warmth and love are pictured. A home is a place where everybody feels safe and secure. It Is a place where after a strenuous day, all members return to relax and enjoy themselves. It is a place of making unforgettable memories. It is a place of cherishing every moment.Here are a few ideas to make a home a safe and friendly environment for all.
1.Cleanliness :
Cleanliness plays an important role in the healthy environment of home. A basket full of laundry, a sink full of unclean utensils, a living room full of toys and bedrooms with mess around increase stress level to the peak.
A person coming home after a few hours for relaxation can go to an increased level of stress after watching a whole episode of clutter. He or she may feel the oppsite of relaxed and happy. Our Prophet Muhammadﷺ laid importance on cleanliness. He himself cleaned the house and helped in house chores. If we clean our house by following the Sunnah of our Prophetﷺ other than gaining peace of mind, we will get reward. The clutter that is no longer in use should be disposed of. Items like old clothes should be given as a donation to someone. Organization of drawers
and cupboards on a weekly basis should be done to avoid messiness in future. Children should be kept in charge of their belongings. This will bring a sense of maturity in them.
Hence, cleanliness plays an important role in life of any person especially Muslim. In a hadith we learn, our beloved Prophet ﷺ has said:
الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الإِيمَان
Cleanliness is half of faith
(Sahih Muslim)
There is a ayat on cleanliness in Surah Baqarah:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
Indeed,Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves).
[Surah Al-Baqara:222]
2. Simple Living
Our religion Islam emphasized the importance of simple living. Our Prophet Muhammadﷺ himself led a simple life. Living a simple life and having contentment leads to a more satisfied life. It instills the habit of gratitude in a family. The want for a more worldly and materialistic life, will lead to nowhere except asking for more and more. Everybody in the household should know that as a Muslim we are living here to please Allah(عَزَّوَجَلَّ). This world is not a permanent place to live. It is like a passenger lounge where all are waiting for their turn to leave for a permanent place which is Akhirah.
In terms of Home management, there are three types of living:
- Basic lifestyle: Where every basic need and necessity is met. It is a right of every person to fulfil their basic needs to live a peaceful life.
Comfortable lifestyle: Which comes after the basic lifestyle where some wants are included to live a comfortable living. These wants should be limited.These should not lead to luxuries and have some boundaries.
- Lavish lifestyle: where everybody wants to get everything. They flaunt and try to impress others with their belongings. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) does not like this materialistic living. Islam focusses on living a comfortable life.
3.Roles should be defined
Everybody in the home should play their roles in making a home a happy place. Parents should play their role of nurturing their kids in the best way possible. The childrens’ emotional and physical needs should be met according to their age.
Good parenting involves children so they can be a part of daily house chores and management of house. It’s best to put a list of ‘to do’ chores in a common room weekly for everybody to see. Parents should make sure that everybody plays their roles to avoid any chaos at home.
4. Respect for each other
The other name of home is place of peace and serenity.It is only possible when there is a rule of respect.Every person in home should respect all other persons in home. It is not as easy as saying. To teach respect, elders should show behavior of respect.They should respect each other’s point of view without judging anyone.There are situations with differences of opinions.These situations should be handled carefully. Arguments should be healthy to resolve conflict rather than elongation and criticism for other people.Elders should respect younger people and the same expectation goes for younger ones towards elders.
In Jami At Tirmidhi, Chapter: Righteousness and Maintaining Good Relations With Relatives, Hadees No. 1919, Allah’s Rasool (ﷺ) has been reported as saying that the one who does not have mercy on our young and does not respect our elders is not one of us.
5. A Healthy Bonding.
Everybody in a home needs to connect with each other in order to have a healthy bonding. A safe, secure and trustworthy connection with each other is the key to face ups and downs together.For that, outings can be planned weekly, parents and children should pray together daily,have a story session time or, play and travel.Importance of team work can be inculcated through stories of Prophet companionsﷺ that how they achieved more through teamwork.
To conclude, a home can be a beautiful place with beautiful rules of love and respect and by adhering to a simple lifestyle. This is what Islam invits us to act upon. May Allah (SWT give us the tawfique to make our homes a happy place for all.Ameen
