Sanitation, Hygiene, and the Morality of Public Space: Reclaiming Ghana’s Civic Virtue through Faith and Policy (Part 2)

Classical scholars like Al-Qaradawi (1990) emphasized that tahārah extends beyond the body and home to include the collective environment. Polluting rivers or littering public spaces constitutes a moral transgression against Allah’s creation.

The Qur’an warns:

“Do not cause corruption on the earth after it has been set in order.” (Qur’an 7:56)

Environmental neglect is a form of fasād (corruption), and every citizen who litters or dumps waste unlawfully becomes a participant in social and spiritual corruption. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prohibited urinating in stagnant water (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 236), he set a timeless precedent for environmental hygiene and ecological awareness.

Faith and sanitation are thus inseparable. Islam’s concept of ʿibādah (worship) encompasses every act done in obedience to Allah and for public benefit. Sweeping one’s compound, cleaning a drain, or preserving public water sources can be acts of worship if done with sincerity. The believer’s environment is a reflection of their inner purity, for as the Prophet said:

“Allah is beautiful and loves beauty.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 91)

Clean surroundings, therefore, are an aesthetic expression of divine beauty and an essential pillar of social morality.

III. The Erosion of Shared Responsibility: The Moral Decay of the Commons

Public space in African societies once symbolized collective dignity. The village compound, the communal well, and the shared road reflected moral unity. Today, however, Ghana’s public spaces have become neglected, reflecting an erosion of shared moral responsibility.

This decline is rooted in what Garrett Hardin (1968) called the “Tragedy of the Commons”—when individuals act for personal convenience while imposing costs on the community.

A. Violation of Huqūq al-Jīrān (Rights of Neighbours) – Best Environmental Practices

Islam places extraordinary emphasis on the rights of neighbours. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Gabriel kept advising me concerning the neighbour until I thought he would make him my heir.” (Sahih Bukhari, 6014)

When a person dumps refuse near a neighbour’s home or blocks drainage systems, they violate this sacred right. Such acts not only spread disease but represent injustice (zulm), which the Qur’an unequivocally forbids:

“And do not wrong one another.” (Qur’an 2:279)

By harming others through unhygienic practices, one sins against both humanity and Allah. Cleanliness thus becomes a moral expression of ihsān (excellence) toward neighbours and society.

B. The Deficit of Amanah (Trust and Stewardship)

The Qur’an teaches that stewardship of the earth is a divine trust:

“Indeed, we offered the trust (amanah) to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they declined to bear it… yet man undertook it.” (Qur’an 33:72)

To pollute air, soil, and water is to betray this amanah. As custodians of Allah’s creation, humans are accountable for how they treat the environment. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“The world is sweet and green, and verily Allah is going to install you as vicegerents in it to see how you act.” (Sahih Muslim, 2742)

Each overflowing gutter or choked waterway is thus evidence of collective betrayal of that sacred trust. As Ofori-Atta (2019) notes, environmental ethics in Africa are inherently communal and intergenerational—pollution today mortgages the moral and physical health of tomorrow’s generation.

By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai, the Author