A home is a place where the family dwells and settles down, and where they find the comfort and refuge they seek from the labor and stress of life. So, it is preferred to choose our homes with certain criteria, if possible, to attain tranquillity, calmness, comfort, and stability.

Choosing a home with certain criteria nowadays is a major social problem in many Muslim societies. Several factors are interwoven and lead to this problem; among them are economic factors such as the husband having a low income. Moreover, there are other social, psychological, taste-oriented, and general factors.

A Muslim home should have certain characteristics in order for it to be an ideal and comfortable environment for its inhabitants. However, this should be done without exaggeration or extravagance and within the available resources, along with feeling content with what Allah The Exalted has granted us. The following are some of the characteristics that a Muslim home should have:

Good social environment:

The first thing that the family should take into consideration while choosing their home is the environment; it has a significant and major influence in the conduct of the people who will inhabit it. There is a proverb that says, “Choose your companion before choosing your way, and choose your neighbor before choosing your home.” Therefore, your home should not be located in an area that is notorious for certain evil practices such as drug dealing or immorality so as to shield your children from such bad influences.

It is said, “The price of a home rises depending on the neighbors.” It was narrated that a man who lived near Imaam Abu Haneefah wanted to sell his home, and when a buyer came to him he told him, “I will sell you my home for a price and the neighborhood of Abu Haneefah for another price.”

If the neighbors are Muslims who know the rights of neighbors, and love for their neighbors what they love for themselves, they will not harm anyone. They will not throw their rubbish at their neighbor’s doorstep, they will not make noise, and they will not do anything that might hurt the feelings of others. Instead, they will abandon pettiness and rise above meanness to live up to their Islam and Eemaan (faith).

Moreover, a Muslim household should respect their neighbors, fulfil their due rights, sensitively try knowing their needs, preserve their honor, and help and advise them due to the great right that the neighbor is entitled to. ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet said: “Jibreel (Gabriel) continued to recommend me about treating the neighbors kindly and politely so much so that I thought he would order me to make them as my heirs.” [Al-Bukhari]

A Muslim household should fulfil the neighbors’ due rights just as the Prophet clarified in the Hadeeth (narration) that says: "Do you know what the rights of the neighbor are? Help him if he asks for your help, lend him if he needs a loan , show him concern if he is distressed , visit him when he is ill , attend his funeral when he dies, congratulate him if he meets any good, sympathize with him if any calamity befalls him, do not block his air by raising your building high without his permission, give him a share when you buy fruit, and if you do not give to him, then bring what you buy quietly and do not let your children take them out to excite the jealousy of his children, and do not bother him with your cooking smells unless you give him a share of the food." The Prophet kept impressing upon them (kind treatment) towards the neighbor (so much) that they thought that he would confer upon him the (right) of inheritance.” “[At-Tabaraani [Dha‘eef as Marfoo` (i.e. traced to the Prophet) and sound as Mawqoof (i.e. traced to a companion)]

Location:

One of the features that render the home ideal is its location, and there are some favourable characteristics that should be found in the home‘s location, such as:

o Availability of services and requirements of living, if (at all) possible, like electricity, sanitation, and healthy water.
o It is better if the home is near the husband’s workplace, the children’s schools, and markets that offer various services; this would render your life easy and save time and effort.
o The home should be in a quiet neighbourhood, away from main streets and public squares, if (at all) possible, in order for its inhabitants to enjoy a quiet and comfortable residence.

Health factors:

This can be fulfilled by the availability of enough light and fresh air within the home. Moreover, the home should be far away from swamps and ponds, and garbage dumps. In some special cases, certain issues must be taken into consideration like choosing a home on the ground or lower floors if there is a family member with a heart disease or someone suffers from poliomyelitis -- especially if there is no elevator in the building. It is recommended for the home to be far away from industrial areas that are contaminated with dust and smoke.

The Area:

Regardless of the area the home is in, a wise wife can use it skilfully to give comfort and tranquillity to her family. A wide yet untidy home does not have any sense of comfort, whereas a small and tidy home is full of comfort and tranquillity, if its facilities are properly used. Undoubtedly, everyone wants to live in a spacious home; it makes the family happy and grants them peace of mind and sound health. The Prophet used to recite this Du‘aa’ (supplication) that says: “Allahumma ighfir li thanbi wa wassi‘ li fi daari wa baarik li fi rizqi.” [which means: O, Allah forgive my sins, widen my home for me, and bless my provision. ] [Ibn Abi Shaybah: Saheeh]

The spaciousness of a place makes it easier to tidy up, and arrange its furniture in a better way since the wife can always rearrange the furniture in the room or move some of the furniture into another room. Such changes helps get rid of dull routine and boredom that might overwhelm one from time to time.

Moreover, the spaciousness of the home, if possible, enables the family to make a separate reception room; and this would grant both guests and inhabitants comfort, and would enable them to honour their guests properly. Moreover, it would facilitate allocating children a separate room where they can study, play, and enjoy themselves.

Having a spacious home enables the family to attach a garden to the home where children can play and have the opportunity to take care of plants and coordinate them.

Also, if the home is located in a wide clean street, it is more likely to provide fresh air and good lighting. Besides, the proper distance between it and the neighbouring homes would help veil the ‘Awrahs (parts that must be concealed).

Perhaps circumstances and financial constraints may not allow a person to have a spacious home, but lack of space is not an excuse for not having a comfortable and neat home. Arranging the home enables us to overcome the problem of its smallness; a wide yet untidy and unclean home would seem narrow and disturbing. There are countless ways to help you feel that your home is spacious and you can overcome the lack of space:

• Having high walls.
• If the ceiling is low, you can paint it and the walls with a light color.
• You can use some natural scenes to decorate the walls such as seascapes or landscapes. You can also use mirrors in the hall to reflect a sense of spaciousness.
• If the room is small, use horizontally-lined wallpaper, whereas, if the ceiling of the room is low, use vertically-lined wallpaper.
• Use less fixed barriers like walls and instead use movable barriers like curtains and wooden barriers that are easy to move when necessary or when having a large number of guests.
• Use some multi-purpose furniture.
• Use appropriate furniture that fits the size of the home, and do not cram many pieces of furniture into a small home.

Airing:

Good airing is one of the most important ways of having a healthy home. Good airing can be achieved by opening a suitable number of windows in the home on a daily basis; this helps get rid of germs, insects, and foul odors. Therefore, the windows of the home should be opened at a proper time. For example, if the home is located in an industrial area, windows should not be opened during the time when the factory is operating in order to avoid the hazardous smoke that causes health problems. The kitchen is the part of the home that needs permanent airing because of stoves, smoke and cooking odors. The smoke might taint the clean walls and alter the overall smell of the home. However, this can be avoided by using electric ventilation fans. Furthermore, bathrooms should be aired too to get rid of foul odors and microbes.

Sunshine:

There is a wise saying that goes, “The home which the sun enters, the doctor never enters it.” Sunshine sterilizes the home and provides it with the necessary warmth in winter. Therefore, the home should be exposed to the sun at proper times of the day. For example, if the home is located in a hot desert environment, it should not be exposed to the sun constantly, especially if the sun is overhead so as not to make it uncomfortably hot. If the home is in a cold coastal environment, it should be exposed to the sun for as much time as possible to warm it up.