Islam is a religion that teaches us the ideal way of life. The bare basics of acquiring good health & the etiquettes of a standardised lifestyle have been incorporated into the Muslim world since centuries, long before the advent of modern medicine. What is followed today by billions in the name of medical ethics has been a part of the Islamic culture since the time of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

The revelations in the Quran that throw light on the core of medical science were preached to the people time and again by Prophet SAW. He used to say that your body has a right over you and he practically worked on the principle himself. His sayings and action were holistically imbibed and recorded as hadiths by his followers. Those pearls of wisdom called “prophetic medicine” are being acknowledged in the modern world by scientists and research experts, who have Alhamdulillah found that every lesson of Prophet SAW is invariably valuable and that following in his footsteps could help us lead a healthy life.

Personal hygiene has immense importance with a view to attain a healthy mind & body. The essential habit of punctually cleaning the exposed parts of the body is meticulously being attained by performing ablutions five times a day. What a beautiful & spiritual way of keeping diseases at bay! Yes, performing ablution regularly helps keep our limbs and face clean and germ-free as it removes dirt & sweat, thus protecting us from so many ailments.

Our Prophet SAW performed ablutions regularly and urged his companions to do the same. He also used miswak to clean his mouth. The concept of maintaining personal hygiene is deeply rooted in Islam since ever before, while on the other hand, the Europeans barely found acquaintance with the toothbrush during the 18th century. During the time of the Prophet SAW, Europeans who travelled to Arab countries used to be astonished at the fragrance that emanated from Arab men, even in crowds & hot weather.

They wondered and marvelled at the fact that their fragrance and cleanliness was as a result of performing ablution regularly, while the foreigners had to use lots of perfumes to ward off body odour. This is the magic of Islam, of its teachings. The followers of Islam derive immense benefits from doing such simple acts of obedience to Allah SWT.

[pullquote_right]The concept of maintaining personal hygiene is deeply rooted in Islam since ever before, while on the other hand, the Europeans barely found acquaintance with the toothbrush during the 18th century.[/pullquote_right] In Prophet SAW’s time, people used to make their journeys by walk. They worked for hours in the field and believed in hard work. The Prophet SAW used to walk the distance to mosques and always preferred to remain busy, also helping with household chores. This explains the need of physical activity in our life. Modern science has stated the importance of exercising for a fit and healthy body.

Earlier, the life of the people was structured in such a way as to provide enough exertion to the body. Unfortunately, today people seem to run out of time when it comes to exercising. The modern sedentary lifestyle has left people chair-bound, mounted over their PC’s, with no time left for any sort of physical activity, which in turn leads to severe disorders like diabetes, hypertension & heart diseases. To make it possible to work out their bodies, people today have to find time to hit the gym.

Exercising has become an extra activity, not a part & parcel of life, like it was at the time of Prophet SAW. We need to focus on what the Prophet SAW taught and try our best to follow in his steps if we really want to live healthy. As Prophet SAW is reported to have said, “For every disease there is a cure”, we must find relief in prophetic medicine as discussed in the Quran and Hadiths.

 

[pullquote_left]The Prophet SAW used to walk the distance to mosques and always preferred to remain busy, also helping with household chores.[/pullquote_left]

Overeating: A Modern Lifestyle Disorder

Another lifestyle disorder of the modern times is overeating. People stuff their bodies with excessive food, most of the time to get away with stress, which is absolutely wrong since it leads to an unhealthy body. Prophet SAW had once said that, “Overeating does not go with good health.”

Islam teaches us to follow the golden mean, to assimilate the three assets of modesty, contentment & moderation into every aspect of life, including our eating habits. Our Prophet SAW advised us to eat slowly and only to the point when we feel we have had just enough. It is not good to eat stomach-full, as it causes indigestion and obesity. That doesn’t mean you have to starve; just follow the middle path of eating moderately and try to avoid the extremes of overeating and starvation as well.

[pullquote_right]Prophet SAW had once said that, “Overeating does not go with good health.”[/pullquote_right] In a jest to find pleasure, people most often hurt their bodies. Overeating, smoking, drinking alcohol, filthiness, shabbiness, laziness, and many more habits like these are the devices of harming our physical well-being, which is considered wrong and unlawful in Islam. Prophet SAW taught us that every individual is important and unique in his own way to Allah SWT and we must respect the creation of our Lord. As good health is not something everybody is blessed with, it is a divine gift of Allah SWT bestowed upon us. We must protect it and ensure that it is properly being taken care of.

There are uncountable medically approved teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet SAW. The Laws of medicine and the medical ethics were practiced long ago by Muslims. The Bimartisan al-Mansuri Hospital in Cairo that dated back to the 13th century had a capacity of accommodating 8,000 patients at a time. This hospital is a standing evidence of the importance of healthcare in Islam since centuries ago, when the rest of the world was still sleeping in the darkness of ignorance.

 

Sumayya Memon

Sumayya has a bachelor’s degree in Professional English (with distinction). Currently, she is about to pursue Masters degree in High level English. Interests include reading novels, writing articles and social activities.