Taken from www.inter-islam.org
The
Greatest Gift - The Human Body
Diet plays a very important role in the daily life of
a believer. There are many verses in the Noble Qur’ân which draw
man's attention towards his self and which invite him to carefully study
his body and soul and the nature of their mutual relationship. By doing
so, one will firstly find in it strong evidence of the existence of Allah
and that Allah has not created mankind and all other beings of this world
without any purpose as mentioned in the Noble Qur’ân:
“Our Lord! You have not created
(all) this without purpose.”
(3:191)
The
Importance of Healthiness
It is therefore necessary to ensure that the physical
body is kept healthy so that the soul and spirit may also remain healthy
thus in turn aiding the believer in the service of both his spiritual and
material attainment. Diet therefore, plays an important role for this purpose.
For this reason Islam has prohibited certain foods due to their ill effects
and permitted all other pure, good and clean food products. Allah Ta’ala
says in the Noble Qur’ân:
“O’ Believers! Eat of the
good and pure (lawful) that We have provided you with and be grateful to
Allah, if you truly worship Him.”
(2:172)
Muslims in general are advised to eat good and pure things
and not to indulge in impure, bad and harmful things thus following their
open enemy Shaitaan:
“O People! Eat of what is
lawful and good on the Earth and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitaan,
for he is your open enemy.”
(2:168)
In the verses previously mentioned the general principle
with regard to permissible foods has been stated. The Noble Qur’ân
further goes on to specify the types of food prohibited in the following
verse:
“He (Allah) has only forbidden
you (from eating) dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that (animal)
over which the name of other than Allah has been invoked.”
(2:173, 16:115)
The four items that have been mentioned in the above verse
are absolutely forbidden in Islam for reasons best known to Allah. However,
through research, some of them such as carrion, blood and swine flesh have
proved to be injurious to human health. Whilst swine flesh is harmful to
moral health and food over which the name of any other than Allah has been
invoked is harmful to spiritual health.
Other prohibited items have also been mentioned in different
chapters of the Holy Qur’ân. In Surah al-Ma’idah the following have
also been mentioned along with the four previously mentioned. There are
those animals which have been killed by strangling, or a violent blow,
a headlong fall, being gored to death and those which have been partially
eaten by a wild animal and not slaughtered before death, also those which
have been sacrificed on the name of idols.
A
Balanced Diet - Prescribed in the Qur’ân
The Qur’ân has not restricted itself in merely mentioning
the permissible and impermissible foods but goes to the extent of giving
useful tips regarding a balanced diet, a diet which contains most if not
all the useful ingredients required for the growth, strengthening and repairing
of the human body. These ingredients include animal protein, fat, calcium,
iron, salts, etc. The most balanced diets consist of meat, fish, fresh
milk, cheese and fruit. Both direct and indirect references have been made
regarding the afore mentioned.
The reference regarding the importance of meat protein
in the human diet is given in the following verse:
“And the cattle, He has created
them for you, in them there is warmth (clothing) and numerous benefits,
and of them you eat.”
(16:5)
In this verse special reference has been given to the
importance of eating despite having said, “…numerous benefits…”.
Reference
regarding other types of meat has also been given such as the meat of fowls
in the following verse:
“And the flesh of fowls that
they desire.”
(56:21)
Fish has always been considered as a food of very high
protein and is very important for human consumption. Allah says:
“And from them both (fresh
and salt water) you eat fresh tender meat (fish).”
(35:12)
The usefulness of fresh milk is stressed in these words:
“And verily in the cattle
there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of that which is in their
bellies, from between excretion and blood, pure milk, palatable to the
drinkers.”
(16:66)
The benefits of fruits as good nourishment can be understood
from this verse:
“And from the fruits of date
palms and grapes, you desire strong drink and a goodly provision.”
(16:67)
Similarly there are verses which cover the whole range
of fruits, salads, and vegetables which also play an important role in
a nutritious, balanced diet:
“It is He who sends down rain
from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds, and out
of it We bring forth thick clustered grain. And out of the date palm and
its spate come clusters of dates hanging low and near, and gardens of grapes,
olives and pomegranates each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety
and taste). Look at their fruits when then begin to bear, and the ripeness
thereof.”
(6:99)
Islam, being a complete religion, also teaches and advises
the believer as to what the best method of eating is. The believers are
advised to be moderate in every aspect of life. Direct reference has been
made in the Noble Qur’ân regarding moderation in eating and drinking.
“And eat and drink, but waste
not in extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not those who waste in
extravagance.”
(7:31)
Moderation
- The Teachings of the Prophet
The Best of Teachers and the Mercy of the Worlds
is reported to have clarified the meaning and limit of moderation in a
tradition in which he is reported to have said that one’s worst weakness
is one’s belly. If you must eat make sure you fill one third of your stomach
with food, one third with water and leave one third for air i.e. leave
it empty.
In another narration, the reason for moderation has been
clearly stated. The Prophet
is reported to have said:
“The stomach is the tank of
the body and the veins go down to it. When the stomach is healthy the veins
come back in a healthy condition, but when it is in a bad condition, they
return diseased.”
In short, believers are advised to always take care of
their stomachs and refrain from foods and practices that might pollute
the stomach with various diseases. In order to do so the Prophet
is reported to have advised believers to always stop eating before their
stomachs are completely full i.e. stop eating when the urge to eat more
is still present.
Conclusion
- The Etiquette's of Eating and Drinking
Islam teaches us many other etiquette's of eating and
drinking. The Prophet
made a point of developing remarkably clean and healthy eating habits among
his followers. He asked the companions to wash their hands before and after,
to start eating with the praise of Allah, to eat using the right hand,
not to eat until they really felt hungry, not to eat and drink excessively.
Finally, by praising and thanking Allah for the food and drink, for making
it easy to swallow and for producing an exit for it.
From all that has been mentioned, the importance of healthy
eating, a balanced diet and hygiene can be understood in the light of the
Qur’ân and Sunnah. Islam has stressed on the importance of these
things right from the start unlike health authorities etc., which have
just recently begun to stress its importance. This could be counted as
just another gem that manifests the perfection of Islam.
