Islam and Health

By: DR. M. IQBAL SIDDIQUI
"Islam is a complete religion (way of life) and complete package for healthy life," said Dr. Anwarulhaq Jabarkhail, president of Ibne Sina, a reputed organisation based in Afghanistan. He was in Jaipur recently to deliver a lecture on "Islam and Health," organised by Rajasthan National Forum.
Health, according to the World Health Organisation, is a state of wellbeing - physically, mentally and socially. He was of the opinion that in order to be healthy, one has to believe in One God. According to him, this belief leads to a stress-free life, which is the key to health.
He said everything that is harmful to health is haram (prohibited) in Islam, and whatever is beneficial for health is halal (lawful), and in fact, everything that Allah has created is exactly for health. Before creating us, Allah made all the preparations suitable for our life, he said. He created the sun, the moon, the earth and so on to make life possible for us, he added.
He was surprised that we eat and drink every time and every day but no educational curriculum includes nutrition as a subject. He insisted on teaching nutrition as a subject in all schools so that we could nurture a healthy generation.
Dr. Jabarkhail laid stress on reading the Qur'ān to become a good doctor as every verse of the Holy Qur'ān is committed to health. He said Allah made 5-time Salat (Islamic way of praying) obligatory on us exactly for our health, as we wash our hands, face and feet every time we prepare for Salat; this makes us healthy. When we recite the verses of Qur'ān, we feel ourselves closer to Allah; it makes us stress-free and fearless, that leads to mental health. Allah doesn't need us to pray. It is only for our health. Similarly, he said, zakat purifies our economy and again, it ensures peace of mind.
He said there are some basic questions that arise in the mind of every human being as, who is he? Who has created him and for what purpose? What is the meaning of life? What kind of strategy he has to pursue in his life so that he can be a very successful and very healthy human being? What is going to happen to this world? And what will happen to him when he leaves this world? And many other questions as well. One can find answers to all these queries in the Holy Qur'ān. A doctor studies for a long time in an institution, then how come he smokes and consumes alcohol? he asked. It is Islam that prohibits smoking and orders a Muslim to abandon alcohol, he said. He was sure that if one is unable to maintain his health in this world, it is not possible for him to be healthy in the hereafter.
"Only the Creator can give a complete manual to His creation, as He alone knows how it works well and what harms it," said Engineer Muhammad Saleem, Rajasthan state president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. Islam teaches a very clear concept of health, hence it is impossible for a person to be a Muslim and go around dirty at the same time, he said. He said Islam promotes healthy living; the traditions of the Holy Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) teach us that we should eat only when we really need to and never eat more than the requirement of the body. He quoted the Hadīth: "Eat in one third of your stomach and leave one third for water and another for air."
He said that alcohol is strictly prohibited in Islam as it destroys our physical, mental, social and economic health. Blood and a dead animal are also prohibited, as consumption of blood is injurious to health and we all know that when an animal dies it soon begins to decompose and no longer remains safe for a human being.
Mr. Saleem said the sense of being responsible and accountable before the Creator is assurance to good health as it induces a state of happiness and fearlessness. He said that when we know where to go and the path is clear before us, there is no blurring of vision; we can proceed without any fear. On the other hand, if we don't know where to go and the way is not clear before us, we will hesitate on every turn, as which direction to go. Similarly, if we know that we are destined to go to the other world after we die, appear before our Creator and be accounted for our deeds, we become sure about what to do and what not to. This makes us brave and gives us a vision of successful life.
He said that suicide is haram in Islam; that is why committing suicide is rare among the Muslims. One can ponder over the fact, that if Islam prohibits taking one's own life, how it can allow killing of innocent people. One of the basic concepts of Islam is Taqdeer -destiny - therefore a true believer, after making whatever efforts he can, leaves the outcome to Allah; this keeps him or her free from tensions. Belief in one God can change for the better even the biggest of shocks in life, he said.
source:Radiance Viewsweekly