Islam is the religion of all times and places. It is a perfect system of temporal values. By practising its laws Muslims all over the world not only attain spirituality but the pinnacle of all other glories and gain the wealth of health. There is a great inter-relationship between modern medicine and some of our Islamic teachings. The Quran is a solution to the problems of the heart, thus reading, listening and understanding of Quran helps better the emotional health of a person. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“O mankind! There has come to you a piece of good advice from your Lord (i.e. the Quran), and healing for that which is in your hearts.” (Surah Yunus 10:57)
The common notion about Islam is that it is a religion that commands its followers to be a servant to God only and live a worldly life in a way that elevates the spirit of the person and helps gain religious benefits. Although this notion is a part of Islam but not the whole of Islam, the whole of Islam is complete in every sense and has instructions regarding each aspect of life. Allah says:
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ
“And when proclaimed your Lord, “If you are thankful, surely I will increase you; but if you are ungrateful indeed, My punishment (is) surely severe.” (Surah Ibrahim 14:7)
In Islam, our bodies and health are considered important gifts of Allah. Islam gives a complete and thorough framework of life, by following which a person can live life in the best way possible both from a worldly and religious perspective. About general health, Islam takes a holistic approach and provides remedies and instructions regarding spiritual, emotional and physical health.
The lines below give the perspective of Islam on general health:
- Intermittent fasting shows numerous benefits to the body
- Paralysis, Coronary Heart Disease & Premature Senility
- Regarding the forbidden foods besides the intoxicants
- All the physical afflictions sent by God help shed sins
- Muslims to eat whatever they want to eat in this world
- Positive emotions bread a righteous and virtuous life
- “Miswak” is a twig of a tree used for brushing teeth
- Eating slowly to help with the digestion process
- Prevention of Infection prevention of infection
- Participate in Sports to Strengthen Your Body
- Do prayers help in healing a sick person
- Spiritual health is important in Islam
- Islam addresses emotional health
- Forbidden Articles of Food
- Eat-In Moderation
- Sleep and Salat (prayer)
- Foster a strong community
- Eat and drink, but avoid excess
- Eat and drink healthy and be not prodigal
- Refrain from obesity and becoming overweight
- Islam encourages the exercise part of physical health
- Decreasing the Usage of Oily and Greasy Food in Old Age
- Prayers are great to help in maintaining our physical health
- Islam addresses both the diet and exercise aspects of health
- Heart patients should offer the five obligatory prayers regularly
- Fasting is obligatory for all healthy adult Muslims during Ramadan
- A Muslim who believes that all the eases and hardship is from Allah
- Cleanliness prevent infection from entering the citadel of a human body
- Islam does not prohibit Muslim physicians from caring for AIDS patients
- Avoiding stress: slow down; look at the present and enjoy it before you lose it
Islam is the religion of every time and place. It is the ideal system for the time value. Prayer is a senior aide in maintaining our physical health to keep our body is active, and help digestion and save us from diseases through balanced practice. It helps blood circulation and also mitigates the impact of bad cholesterol. Play as a prayer plays a vital role in the work as a preventive measure against heart attacks, paralysis, premature ageing, dementia, diabetes, etc. Allah says:
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
“Those who believed and find satisfaction their hearts in the remembrance (of) Allah. No doubt, in the remembrance of Allah find satisfaction the hearts.” (Surah Ar-Ra`d 13:28)
The life of this world is not stable. Every person goes through stages and phases; happiness is followed by sadness and then relief or joy, ones’ faith is strong and unconquerable, and seemingly, for no reason it plummets, next, by the will of God it slowly rises again. Periods of great fitness and health are followed by injury or, sickness, but with each twinge of pain or suffering a true believer feels some of his sins fall away.
Tips for Healthy Life from Islamic Teachings
Below mentioned are some tips from Islamic teachings that can greatly benefit your health:
- Offer five times obligatory prayers regularly on time. The real purpose of prayers is to worship Allah Almighty, but there are additional benefits also.
- Daily Quran recitation has a healing effect on the body, mind, and heart.
- The forbidden food to us by Allah is dead meat, blood, and flesh of swine.
- Allah (SWT) is pure and likes purity. He is clean and likes cleanliness.
- Alcohol is Haram in religion Islam.
- Religion Islam refrains us from eating pork.
- Islam teaches us to be moderate in our diet.
- Religion Islam refrains us from consuming blood in any case.
- Allah Almighty loves His creations so much that He is concerned even with what we eat and put in our bodies.
- Islamic teachings insist that black seeds (kalonji) should be a part of our daily diet. Black seeds (kalonji) can reduce obesity, aid digestion, treat several digestive disorders.
- In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty mentions honey as a source of “healing for mankind”, for good reason. Honey offers incredible antiseptic, antioxidant and immune-boosting properties for our body and health.
Allah Almighty says about the importance of Health in The Quran:
- “Eat and drink, but do not be extravagant.” (Quran 7:31)
- “Eat of what is lawful and wholesome on the earth.” (Quran 2:168)
- “Eat of the good things which We have provided for you.” (Quran 2:173)
- “It is He who subdued the seas, from which you eat fresh fish.” (Quran 16:l4)
- “He created cattle that give you warmth, benefits, and food to eat.” (Quran l6:5)
- “…and from it (the earth) we produced grain for their sustenance.” (Quran 36:33)
- “And I (God) created not the jinn and humankind, except to worship Me (Alone).” (Quran 51:56)
- “There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colours, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought. .” (Quran 16:69)
- “O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” (Quran 2:168)
- “And when your Lord proclaimed, “If you give thanks, I will give you more; but if you are thankless, lo! My punishment is dire.” (Quran 14:7)
- “It is He who sends down water from the sky with which He brings up corn, olives, dates and grapes and other fruit.” (Quran 16:11)
- “And We send down from the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe…” (Quran 17:82)
True believers need healthy bodies and minds to worship God perfectly. To maintain a sound mind, a pure heart and a healthy body special attention must be paid to health. The heart and the mind are nourished by the remembrance of God, worship is performed lawfully, and the body is nourished by partaking of the good and lawful food God has provided. Attention to diet and nutrition is a part of the holistic health system inherent in Islam. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“O mankind! There has come to you a piece of good advice from your Lord (i.e. the Quran) and a healing for that which is in your hearts.” (Quran 10:57)
A physically strong believer is better than a weak believer. It is in this sense that our body is considered to be the trust given to us by Allah. And we have to safeguard and protect this trust. Islam like its completeness and comprehensiveness addresses all the matters of life on a complete and comprehensive level. For Islam, spiritual, emotional, and physical health all are important and the presence of all makes a healthy believer and Muslim.
