Fruitful Living
Sanitation, Hygiene, and the Morality of Public Space: Reclaiming Ghana’s Civic Virtue Through Faith and Policy (Part III)
C. The Hypocrisy of Private Purity
A peculiar Ghanaian paradox persists: homes may gleam while streets fester in waste. This dual morality—private cleanliness coexisting with public neglect—reveals a fractured civic conscience. The Prophet (peace be upon him) condemned hypocrisy in all forms:
“The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays the trust.” (Sahih Bukhari, 33)
To claim faith while ignoring public hygiene is a moral contradiction. True purity must be seamless within and without—private and public.
IV. Policy, Governance, and the Enforcement Gap
While faith and moral education are foundational, institutional frameworks remain crucial. Ghana’s repeated sanitation failures reflect systemic governance lapses. The Qur’an advocates justice and order in leadership:
“Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice.” (Qur’an 4:58)
The implementation gap between policy and practice reveals both administrative weakness and civic apathy.
A. The Limitations of Top-Down Policy
Policies such as the National Sanitation Day were driven by political symbolism rather than sustained behavioral change. As Gyimah-Boadi and Asare (2021) argue, Ghana’s governance often suffers from a lack of local ownership and citizen participation.
True transformation must stem from maslahah ʿāmmah (public good)—a key principle of Islamic governance. Policies succeed when communities perceive them as moral imperatives, not bureaucratic orders. The Qur’an calls for mutual cooperation:
“And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.” (Qur’an 5:2)
Government, civil society, and religious institutions must therefore collaborate in nurturing civic virtue and environmental discipline.
B. The Failure of Local Enforcement
Local assemblies (MMDAs) are entrusted with enforcing sanitation by-laws, yet their power is often undermined by corruption, selective enforcement, and political interference. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you will be asked about his flock.” (Sahih Bukhari, 893)
Leaders, therefore, bear direct accountability for environmental decay in their jurisdictions. The absence of consistent enforcement erodes moral will. Public trust will only return when the law is applied with fairness, free from political favoritism.
C. The Deficit of Civic Education
Sanitation education must move beyond posters and slogans to become part of moral formation. The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and Ministry of Education should embed sanitation ethics in curricula from primary to tertiary levels, linking hygiene to spirituality and civic responsibility.
As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“The seeking of knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.” (Ibn Majah, Hadith 224)
Thus, sanitation knowledge, understood as protection of life and community, is itself a religious duty. Children must grow up seeing cleanliness as both ʿibādah and patriotism, nurturing a generation for whom civic morality is instinctive.
V. A Call to Action: Reclaiming Our Civic Virtue
The Qur’an commands believers to:
“Enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.” (Qur’an 3:104)
This is not limited to theological debate but extends to practical morality: keeping streets clean, protecting rivers, and preventing public harm. The path to a clean Ghana lies in reviving civic virtue through faith-based leadership and community action.
By Imam Alhaji Saeed
Abdulai, the Author
Wonderful counsellor
This coming king – Jesus, is exceptional because He is the Son of God and Son of man. He gives the right advice because He is intimately acquainted with the counsels of God from eternity. In fact John, one of His apostles describes Him as ‘one who was with God in the beginning’ – John 1:1-2. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God He was with God in the beginning.”(NIV) This Wonderful Counselloris the wisdom of God our Father who has made Him our wisdom. We can rely on Him for wisdom to handle our everyday situations and solve seemingly intractable problems. He is our wisdom because He enables us to move beyond our selfishness, greed, unholiness and self-will and submit to God’s direction without feeling that our peers would consider us foolish.
Mighty God
The coming King is a Divine Warrior because He has supernatural skill and strength in battle. Because He is God Himself, Jesus is able to fight and overcome every scheme of the devil concerning the lives of His redeemed. But even more, His divine skills in battle are transferred to us through the armour He has provided us which include the belt of truth; the breastplate of righteousness the gospel of peace; the shield of faith; the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit as we read in Ephesians 6:13-17. “Therefore, put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. – (NIV) Through God’s might we are able to overcome one of our greatest enemies – the SELF; the I in us which insists on having its own way even if that way is against God and humanity. The might of God, given us through the coming King, Jesus Christ, gives us power to resist the world’s seductive attractions.
Everlasting Father
This coming King is timeless; He is God our Father or better put Father for ever, meaning that the King will look after His people as a father looks after His children. Jesus’ own promise to the disciples (and to us) is that no one can snatch us from His hands because we have been given to Him by His Father, God: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I am the Father are one”- John 10:27-30 (NIV).
Prince of peace
As a King, He preserves commands and creates peace in His Kingdom. He Himself is Peace and, therefore, brings prosperity and well-being to His people. He does this by governing with justice, righteousness and equity. In Isaiah 11:1-9 gives further detail about what constitutes the rule of the Prince of Peace as follows:
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from the roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord – and He will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what He sees with his eyes or decide by what He hears with His ears, but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice He will give decisions for poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist. The wolf will be with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, and their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra and the young child put his hand into the vipers nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” – (NIV)
Getting ready for the King
During this period until soon after Christmas, we should all be meditating on the message of Christmas. It is the message of God coming down to our level so that we will be raised to His level. It is a message of salvation from sin, the breaking of the bonds of slavery to Satan. It is a message of God lovingly binding broken hearts and healing diseases. But most of all, it is a message of restoration – God restoring us to the original relationship He created us to have with Him.
By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee
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Emotional intelligence, as described by Mayer and Salovey (1997), is the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions wisely. In leadership, it enables calm decision-making, empathy, and resilience.
A teacher, imam, or entrepreneur with high emotional intelligence inspires trust and cooperation, even in adversity. Spiritual intelligence, defined by Emmons (2000) and King (2008), is the ability to apply spiritual values to daily life — to find purpose, act with compassion, and remain morally anchored in challenging situations. It helps young men connect personal ambition with divine accountability.
Together, emotional and spiritual intelligence cultivate ethical leadership — the kind that prioritises service over status, integrity over image, and community welfare over personal gain.
Such leadership is what Ghana, and the world, needs: men who lead with conscience, competence, and compassion — embodying responsibility in every sphere of life.
As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “True education must correspond to the surrounding circumstances or it is not a healthy growth.” For Ghanaian youth, education must therefore include mentorship, entrepreneurship, and service.
A responsible man takes charge of his learning, his career, and his growth. He invests in his future with diligence, honesty, and a commitment to contribute positively to his society.
4. Responsibility in marriage and family life
Family is the bedrock of any society. Strong nations are built on strong families — and strong families depend on responsible men. The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“The best of you are those who are best to their wives.” (Tirmidhi, Hadith 1162).
In Islam, leadership in the home is not domination; it is service. The husband is a caretaker (qawwam), entrusted to love, protect, and guide with mercy. Responsibility in marriage means emotional intelligence, financial prudence, and spiritual leadership.
Sociologist Anthony Giddens (2013) in Sociology notes that modern family life requires emotional participation, not just financial provision. Men must be present not only as breadwinners but as role models, listeners, and teachers.
In today’s Ghana, we see families crumbling due to absentee fatherhood, domestic violence, and lack of communication. True masculinity is not measured by authority, but by empathy and responsibility. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم demonstrated this balance helping with housework, caring for his family, and treating all with gentleness.
When men lead with compassion and discipline, families thrive and when families thrive, nations prosper.
By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai
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