Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim
بِسْــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِ الرَّحْمَنِ اارَّحِيم
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ
In Islam, housing is a symbiosis of heavenly and terrestrial dimensions.
Both sides are extremely important, each fulfilling its respective role. They finely complement and supplement each other’s strength and operations.
Neglecting either of the two poles in Islamic housing inevitably leads to a serious damage in the latter’s fundamental nature, either at a conceptual or a practical plane.
The significance of a house in Islam can easily be discerned from the Arabic words used for it that are dar, bayt, manzil and maskan.
Dar
The term dar is derived from an Arabic verb dara which means, among other things, to circulate, to take place, to go on, to be held, and to centre on or around.
The house is called dar because it is the physical locus of the family institution and its manifold activities.
An Islamic house is seldom devoid of family activities which include promoting and upholding the family unit as well as worshipping Allah and preparing the individual members of the family for the challenges they will face when they leave the home for the outside world.
The author of an Arabic lexicon Lisan al-‘Arab (The Language of the Arabs), Ibn Manzur, stated that the word dar is drawn from the verb dara / yaduru (see the translations given above), because of the innumerable human activities that take place therein.
The Islamic home is a framework whose floorplan, spatial arrangement, and form facilitate and further encourage worship practices that are expected of its inhabitants.
The entire life of a believer is a form of total submission and service to ALLAH, the Creator and Lord of the Universe. As such, an Islamic home can also be described as a place of worship or mosque.
If a mosque serves as a community development centre, then the home is the family development centre. The individual develops social skills in the home that will enable him or her to be a productive member of the greater Islamic community whose nexus is the Mosque. The two (family/community; home/mosque) complement and support one another.
Due to the significance that Islam attaches to the social and educational role of a home, Muslims design and furnish an interesting and highly effective spatial distribution within their residence, concentrating on accommodating guests, visitors, children and adults (male and female).
An Islamic home should always have a designated space, irrespective of its form and size, to function as a mosque or musalla (a place where prayers are performed). In it the daily prayers, collective study of the Qur’an, meditation, religious discussions, study circles, and spirituality enhancement sessions should be conducted individually as well as among family members and with relatives and neighbours.
The Prophet (saw) is reported to have directed his Companions to have Musallas in their Mosques. (Recorded by Tirmidhi)
Also, he consented to the idea of his Companions earmarking spaces for worship in their private dwellings. He is said to have graced some dwellings by personally praying in them. (Recorded by Ibn Majah)
The Prophet (saw) encouraged his Companions to perform their voluntary prayers at home so as to reinforce the honourable role the latter plays in their religious development. He said that mosques are only for obligatory prayers. (Recorded by Muslim)
In one of his statements, the Prophet (saw) went so far as to say that the prayer which a man offers in his home is superior to that offered in the Prophet’s mosque, except the obligatory prayers. (Recorded by Abu Dawud)
For Muslim women, however, performing even mandatory prayers at home, along with the voluntary ones, is more auspicious. The enormity and significance of a woman’s role in enlivening and utilizing the house, as advocated by Islam, is illumined here because women also procure all the rewards which men obtain for performing collective prayers in mosques, but on account of their staying behind at home and attending to the matters they have been requested to.
According to a hadith of the Prophet (saw), while men are guardians of their families in general terms and are responsible for them, women are guardians of their husbands’ houses and children, and are responsible for them. (Recorded by Bukhari)
Indeed, women have a variety of roles to play both outside and inside the house; yet their role inside the house remains a paramount priority. If, for any reason, a woman’s household responsibilities are affected negatively due to her role outside the house, her duties at home take precedence.
In a hadith, the Prophet (saw) explicitly encouraged women to participate in good deeds as well as the religious gatherings/activities of the Muslims. (Recorded by Muslim)
This remains the case so long as the prescribed rules and regulations are observed and their fundamental roles as mothers, wives, and household and family guardians are not neglected.
The Prophet (saw) likewise stated that homes, where the inhabitants neither pray nor read the Qur’an [devoid of good deeds], are like graves and Satan loves to patronize them. (Recorded by Muslim)
Bayt
The term bayt is derived from an Arabic verb bata which means, among other things, to spend, pass the night, or to stay overnight. A house is called bayt because when the bustle of the day starts fading away with the arrival of the night, humans, just like most terrestrial creatures, hasten to withdraw to their sanctuary to take rest, enjoy tranquillity and seek refuge from the disadvantages, and even perils associated with the night.
In the Noble Qur’an, Allah (swt) refers to night as sakan (Qur’an 6: 96), which means rest and tranquillity; libas (Qur’an 25: 47), which means robe, and subat, which means repose and tranquillity.
In order to explicate the major natural laws that govern human existence, Allah refers to the day as nushur, which means resurrection.
The relationship between house, on the one hand, and night and sakan, or rest and tranquillity, on the other, becomes clearer if we recall that one of the Arabic expressions for the house is maskan, which is derived from sakan, as is explained later on.
However, the significance of the word bayt must be viewed from a much wider perspective. Bayt does not just refer to a place where one takes refuge overnight. Rather, it implies a place where, whenever necessary, one takes refuge from all the hazards of the outside world. The word ‘night’ in the connotation of ‘bayt’ is rather symbolic. A home can be seen as a retreat or a safe haven that offers total and endless warmth, privacy, refuge, security and protection at all times. It is a sanctuary where one can live and enjoy without being affected by a great many rules and regulations, except for those set by its inhabitants.
Since it is a refuge from the discomfort of life outside of it, an Islamic home with its plan, design and form, lays great emphasis on a definite separation between the inner and outer realms.
So important is such a separation in Islam that the same has been buttressed even with the power of law. As a result, an Islamic home, by and large, appears to be an inward-looking structure with minimum openings in the walls which divide the private and public domains. Likewise, beautifying houses, in Islamic domestic architecture, focuses on the enclosed interior space as opposed to the general exterior of a building.
By its blank facade and minimal openings, an Islamic house signals to the outsiders that unless invited or given permission, they are subtly dissuaded from attempting to enter it. They have no business to be even in close proximity to it, let alone inside it. Furthermore, curious strangers and passers-by are thus discouraged from stopping, gazing and exploring the home. This way, accidental intrusion is easily warded off and unnecessary security concerns are mitigated. Hence in its outward appearance, an Islamic home signals the unwillingness of its occupants to interact freely with the life outside.
The interior of an Islamic home is designed according to Islamic values and principles. It is planned and designed to give the utmost required attention and hospitality to all its guests and visitors. This is, in fact, a religious requirement derived from several of the Prophet’s traditions. (Recorded by Bukhari)
It is for this reason that the guest room, in many Islamic homes, is highly decorated as compared to other rooms and is typically located adjacent to the entrance lobby, away from the main sitting area to make it directly accessible. This is, of course, only possible where there is a separate guest room in a home; however, if a household is unable to afford one, then the men’s sitting room, study or grandparent’s room (in certain cultures parents live with their son and his family after his marriage) likewise located near the entrance, is chosen to serve the same purpose. Most of the time, the guest room has a separate lavatory either en suite or immediately outside it.
Taking into account a host’s privacy, a guest would not be at liberty to wander around the house unaccompanied. Guests and visitors are thus bidden, so to speak, to enjoy without undue reservation all the attention and kindness given to them by the host, and at the same time, to exercise maximum self-restraint, thoughtfulness, politeness and timidity if they have to deal with the rest of the house interior.
Entrances to an Islamic home serve as a transit point between the private and public realms. Therefore, a full view of the home from the main door is purposely restricted. This type of entrance is called a ‘side entrance.’ Quite often, the entrance door does not give immediate access to the domestic spaces.
Another option is to have a small entrance into the house constricting view of the interior, or, a large main entrance, and then a small entrance leading into the main part of the house.
Leaving the comfort zone of one’s house can be stressful as the world within and that outside it is very different. Hence, having a transit point between the two worlds in the form of distinct entrances helps the occupants to prepare for what lies beyond. Furthermore, the Prophet (saw) taught a supplication to recite while entering or leaving a house that helps in facing the awaiting changes and challenges.
In the Name of Allah we enter, in the Name of Allah we leave, and upon our Lord we depend [then say As-Salaamu ‘Alaykum to those present].
بِسْمِ اللهِ وَلَجْنَا، وَ بِسْمِ اللهِ خَرَجْنَا، وَعَلَى رَبِّنَا تَوَكَّلْنَا
Bismillaahi walajnaa, wa bismillaahi kharajnaa, wa ‘alaa Rabbanaa tawakkalnaa
The same rationale underlines the existence of having few windows and balconies that are fitted with lattice screens called mashrabiyah made of small wooden bars. Mashrabiyah offers effective lighting, ventilation, shading and visual privacy. It symbolizes a reluctant and intensely monitored interaction between the private and public spheres in Islam.
Since an Islamic house is a sanctuary, it is obligatory to seek permission from its inhabitants three times before entering, as taught by the Prophet Muhammad (saw). If, after the third time, permission is not granted, the visitor should leave, even if he knows that the occupants are inside. Allah (Sut) mentions:
{O you, who have believed, do not enter houses other than your own houses until you are sure you are welcome. That is best for you; perhaps you will be reminded. ۞ And if you do not find anyone therein, do not enter them until permission has been given you. And if it is said to you: Go back, then go back; it is purer for you. And Allah is Knowing of what you do.} (Qur’an 24: 27-28)
The Holy Qur’an also teaches us that it is best to enter houses from the FRONT door and to exit from the FRONT door. This is purer for us also.
https://medinanet.org/2014/08/the-house-dar-bayt-manzil-and-maskan/
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