The superiority of the sunnah in furniture

There's many advantages to the sunnah in furniture, and with more people adopting foolish Western furniture and lifestyles all the time, it's important to remind ourselves of some of the benefits of simplicity.

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First, the spiritual effects of extravagant furniture could be severe. The Western tradition of furniture comes from imitation of European kings who were wasteful tyrants. Even if the intention is not raya' (showing off) it is following someone who was.

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Sitting on the floor is a position of humility. It means that those who can afford chairs and those who cannot sit on the same level, as slaves before Allah.

It also has many health benefits. Sitting on the floor makes you sit more upright, which improves posture with time.

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Improved posture places less stress on your joints and muscles, and can prevent injury. Poor posture can cause back pain and shoulder and neck issues. It can also have a negative effect on digestion, and has been linked to a high risk of cardiovascular problems.

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Because it is more work to get up and down, sitting on the floor builds core strength and increases flexibility.

The ability to get up off the floor unassisted from a sitting position has been linked to lower overall mortality.

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https://geriatrictoolkit.missouri.edu/srff/deBrito-Floor-Rise-Mortality-2012..pdf

Eating on the floor is linked to improved digestion and healthier weight. Sitting on the floor cross legged is known to improve circulation, which helps digestion. Leaning forward to eat works abdominal muscles, which helps digestion and results in feeling full with less.

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Western style furniture requires a lot of materials. It's expensive, and millions of Muslims have been forced to delay marriage due to expectations of buying furniture. Forests are being destroyed around the world to provide unnecessary furniture.

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Don't try to say that it is necessary in colder climates. Below is a picture of sitting/sleeping platforms in Tajikistan.

Maybe Europeans were not able to sit on the floor in the past due to poor hygiene and the presence of rats and dogs in their houses.

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The presence of furniture in itself makes cleaning much more difficult. Dust accumulates under heavy, difficult to move, furniture. Overall air quality of living spaces goes down.

Dust aggravates allergies, and can also carry viruses and transmit infections.

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Another effect of furniture is making houses more expensive. Houses have to get bigger to accommodate the furniture.

Bigger houses require more materials, and also removes habitat for animals by taking up ground space from plants and insects.

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Big furniture is also much more subject to fashion, so you find people changing their furniture every so often. With pillows on the floor, you can simply change the outer cover if it goes out of style.

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Considering the clear superiority of the sunnah, it's amazing that so many Muslims are struggling and saving to get Western style furniture and live the lifestyle that goes with it.

It's also amazing that Europeans had the arrogance and stupidity to export their...

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...lifestyle around the world, and actually try to claim that it is better.

Economically, it's a stroke of genius (perhaps in the sense of the origin of the word; jinn), because you trick people into thinking they need something they don't, and then buying it from you.

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And even today, the richest people around the world get their furniture imported from Europe, and then use it to let others know that they are lower status in the global food chain.

Even those who produce it themselves still usually buy European tools to build it.

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So I ask Allah to wake us up from this evil spell which has been cast upon us, and return us to the pure and beautiful sunnah which the Messenger of Allah, sal Allahu alaihi wa salam, left for us as an inheritance.

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