# Eating
and drinking # Exercise,
work and activity # Proper
sleep and rest #
Cleanliness and personal hygiene
Islam is the moderate or balanced way; prohibits you from neglecting your body or from harming it by over indulgence. Let us see two examples about it:
‘Your body has a right over you’, said the noble Prophet to one of his companions who was keen on observing long periods of fast.
‘No man fills a vessel which is worse than his stomach. Sufficient for the son of Adam are a few mouthful to keep his back straight’.
According to the Prophet, ’A strong believer is better than a weak one, but in each is good’. Islam requires you to keep a strong and healthy body by:
· Proper eating and drinking habits
· Exercise, work and activity
· Proper sleep and rest
· Cleanliness and personal hygiene
You are encouraged to eat of good and wholesome things which God provided, but the Prophet stressed that overeating and gluttony are harmful. Overeating and resulting obesity give rise to many diseases. If you are afflicted by this problem, fasting is recommended. The Prophet recommended natural foods like milk and honey, honey being at once a laxative and a treatment for diarrhea. Excessive abstinence from food is also discouraged since it leads to weakness and incapacity.
All harmful food and drink are prohibited. Among these are alcoholic drinks. In addition to consuming alcohol, you are forbidden to make, sell, buy, give or even transport the stuff. We know the harmful effect of alcohol consumption on the body and the mind, and its destructive impact on home and society. It has been said that when Islam prohibits alcohol it functions as a science, not as a religion as the term is often understand.
The abuse of drugs such as hashish and cocaine is also prohibited because of their harmful effects on the mind. Some scholars also regard smoking tobacco as haraam because it of its harmful effect on the lungs and on health generally and because it involves a waste of wealth or israaf which is condemned in the Qur’an.
The prohibition on the consumption of blood requires you, in preparing animals for food, to perform clinical slaughter or dhabh in a particular manner to allow for the maximum drainage of blood from meat tissue. Pork and pork product are also prohibited.
Other things which have been declared haraam in Islam, like marriage within the prohibited categories, all have a bearing on the health of the individual. (top)
The Qur’an commends
work and activity and frowns on inactivity and sluggishness. Those who strive
and exert themselves (mujaahiduun)
are better than those who remain idle or indolent. The Prophet himself prayed
for God’s protection against laziness and incompetence. He stressed regular
physical activity and exercise – horseriding,
swimming, archery, wrestling and running. He himself was a good rider and a
good wrestler. He even had races with his wife. When we look at his life and
consider the thousands of kilometers he traveled all over peninsular
Nonetheless, it is important to remember that physical fitness and strength is not an end in itself and the body is not venerated and worshipped, neither in life nor in art. ‘God does not look to your bodies and appearances but to your hearts and deeds’, said the noble Prophet.
It is important to point out that many of the devotions in Islam like Salaat and Hajj require a body that is physically fit. (top)
Sleep and what happens during sleep remain very much a mystery to human beings. What we do know is that adequate rest and sleep are of vital importance for reactivating and strengthening body functions and for mental and emotional stability.
Partly because of the unnatural life-style that many people now adopt, sleeplessness or insomnia has become a major problem. This often leads not only to physical incapacity but also to mental disorders. To deal with the problem of sleeplessness, some people have resort to sleeping tablets. The dependence on drugs and tranquilizers then becomes part of such persons’ lifestyle. A temporary cure then becomes a permanent problem.
Sleeplessness can also be caused by unusual or unhealthy sleeping hours. Many people now regularly go to bed very late at night because of such habits as late television viewing. They then remain asleep late into the day. This then has a further knock-on effect making it difficult to sleep early at night. The night according to the Qur’an is naturally made by God ‘as a clock’ and ‘for resting’ while the day is naturally made ‘for living’. However, it also describes the late hours of night (after some sleep has been taken) as well suited for contemplation and clarity of thought.
At the other extreme of insomnia is too much sleep which is also bad as it leads to sluggishness and inactivity.
To sleep well, a person should be able to relax. Relaxation comes from having a feeling of satisfaction and contentment and an attitude of equanimity in facing problems of life. All this can come from having true faith in God. The Prophet’s daughter, Fatimah, once requested him to provide her with a servant because both she and her husband were overworked. He replied by saying to her:
‘Shall I tell you of something that is better for you than a servant? When you go to bed, say SubhaanAllah (Glory of God) thirty three times; say Alhamdulillaah (All praise is due to God) thirty three times; and say Allahu Akbar (God is Most Great) thirty four times, at the time of going to your bed’.
Thus, an attitude of mind which is characterized by contentment and satisfaction in God’s wisdom and grace; a life-style that is not motivated by the desire to possess more and more material things and which appreciates the wisdom of the Prophet’s saying that ‘the little but sufficient is better than the abundant but alluring’; a life-style that is free from the burdens of debt and unnatural behaviour like lying and deceit; life-style that generally uses the day for earning a living and the night for resting – this is the type of life-style that is likely to ensure peace of mind, reduce agitation and worry and make for restful sleep and happiness.
The noble Prophet has given directions on how to prepare for sleep. He recommended recitations from the Qur’an (like the Aayat al-Kursi, 2: 255) and certain supplications on going to bed and on waking up which all serve to make us conscious of our Creator, of the purpose of life and of the reality of death. He recommended sleeping on the right side and this is now known to help in the processes of proper respiration and digestion. He also recommended performing wuduu before going to sleep. All this adds up t a general condition of cleanliness, relaxation and awareness of reality. (top)
Cleanliness and personal hygiene
There is no doubt that cleanliness and personal hygiene from a major part of bodily health. ‘Purity is half of the faith’, and ‘Cleanliness is part of the faith’, declared the noble Prophet and stressed the importance of regular baths, ablutions and the use of the toothbrush. This is all the more remarkable in an environment where water was at a premium.
Cleanliness and personal hygiene are maintained as part of religions devotion and as part of a natural daily routine. A Muslim is required to wash his private parts after going to the toilet. He is required to be in a state of wuduu, for wuduu is a condition for Salaat and Salaat is performed five times a day. Wuduu cleans parts of the body which are not normally cleaned such as the nostrils and behind the ears. Ghusl is a particular method of having a bath. It involves first of all pereneal toilet or washing the private parts, which confirms the clinical principle of washing the dirty parts first and then the cleaner. This is then followed by wuduu and then the washing of the entire body from head to toe. Ghusl is compulsory on every Muslim, male and female on attaining puberty; it is also compulsory after sexual contact between spouses, after menstruation and after the emission of semen. It is recommended before the congregational prayer on Friday and at least once in seven days by the Prophet.
Cleanliness remains the chief factor inhibiting the spread of disease. Wherever you live and no matter how poor you are, Islam requires of you to remain clean and develop habits of cleanliness.
All that has been mentioned concerning eating habits, physical exercise, rest and sleep, fasting, and personal hygiene point to a sophisticated system of balance and an emphasis on preventive medicine. For major ailments and infectious diseases, the search for curative medicines is encouraged. The noble Prophet is reported to have said: ‘For every disease there is a cure’, thus providing motivation and optimism for medical researchers.
One of the major problems of our age is sexually transmitted diseases. These can have a disastrous effect on bodily health. The regulation of sexual behaviour in Islam – its firm stand against adultery and fornication, homosexuality, prostitution and promiscuity – works against the spread of such diseases.
Mental health also affects bodily health. Worry, anxiety, loneliness and despair are mental states which not only affect mental health but may give rise to physical disorders like migraine, high blood pressure and digestive disorders. Illnesses in which disturbance of the mind causes physical changes in the body are referred to as psychosomatic diseases.
Mental illnesses and disorders in themselves are among the most disturbing and perplexing of illnesses and often elude treatment. There is no doubt, however, that belief in God, in His knowledge, wisdom and grace should serve to reduce worry and anxiety. Optimism, reflected in a cheerful and smiling face, is part of the normal outlook of the believer who knows that life is not vain and futile. Even when confronted with difficulties and ordeals, the believer does not abandon God but finds strength in the quality of sabr or patience and steadfastness which He recommends:
‘And bear with patient constancy whatever an existence has to offer are all part of the meaning of Islam or submission. These should serve to banish despair and frustration’.
‘Despair not and grieve not, for you are bound to rise high of indeed you are believers’, says the Qur’an (3: 139).
‘There is no fear on them and neither do they grieve’, is how the Qur’an often describes believers. (top)