Issue No: 194
28th March 2014
26th Jamadi ul Awwal 1435 A.H.
Salamun alaykum,
Shaking the house:
A cultural tradition among the Iranian community is practice of “khooneh tekouni” which literally means "shaking the house". This is undertaken just before the Persian new year. The Iranian community and others commence the year with Nowroz -the first day of spring- celebrated on 21st March when the spring vernal equinox takes place.
How is the house shaken?
Shaking the house does not really involve movements to make the house physically tremble or shiver. One can imagine the state of ruin that would result were this to be carried out as such in our dwellings!
What “khooneh tekouni” means is that everything in the house is thoroughly cleaned, from the drapes to the furniture. It is an act of cleaning a whole house from top to bottom.
Spring cleaning:
In regions that experience climates of cold winter the thorough cleaning of a house is undertaken in the first warm days of the year. This would typically be with the commencement of spring. Thus this yearly activity has come to be familiarly known as spring cleaning.
In our everyday conversations the term spring cleaning has come to be synonymous with any kind of heavy duty cleaning or organizing ones affairs. Likewise a person who gets their affairs in order before an audit or inspection could also be said to be doing some spring cleaning.
Audit and Inspection:
One is too familiar with the processes of audit and inspection. One encounters them in the formal setting of work or daily occupation. Even in the home setting these processes do occur, albeit in an informal manner. Remember the chores you need to complete!
All along the efforts are to work towards a successful outcome so as to gain a standard of compliance in the audit or inspection exercise. One would not leave any stone unturned in preparing for this activity.
In other words spring cleaning is undertaken so as to attain outstanding outcomes in this exercise.
Failing to be successful in this procedure would result into consequences.
The grand audit:
All humans will undergo an audit. It will be an audit that is far beyond the imagination of all the compliance /inspection agencies of this physical world. This audit is of a different realm. It is an audit of the journey of life by man on this earth which is to be undertaken by Allah SWT on the day of judgment.
“So, by your Lord, We would most certainly question them all, As to what they did.” (Sura Al Hijr 15:92/93)
Are you ready for the Divine audit?
Have you prepared, put your affairs in order and ready for the Divine inspection?
Now that we are in the spring season and undertaking the spring cleaning is it not time to likewise consider giving one’s nafs-self- a thorough spring cleaning?
Will you undertake “khooneh tekouni” -shaking the house- for your nafs?
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah
Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat