Your Health Matters
Jummah Mubarak, sis! Remember Ibn Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death.” On Sunday we’re hosting a virtual Womb Wellness Workshop so you can directly hear from experts about taking charge of your health. Quite often Women are overlooked in regards to health or us ourselves ignore or put things off for later. Not anymore sis! We’re taking it head on insha’Allah!
Source: Shu’ab al-Imān lil-Bayhaqī 10250
Surah Al-A’raf | 7:31
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍۢ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ
“O children of Adam, take your adornment [i.e., wear your clothing] at every masjid,1 and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.”
The Arabs of Jahiliyyah believed that performing Tawaf around the Ka'bah naked was a legitimate form of worship and a way of showing reverence to the House of Allah. Alongside this, they had another custom during the days of Hajj: abstaining from eating and drinking more than what was necessary to survive. They particularly avoided foods like butter, milk, and other wholesome items. (Ibn Jarir)
This ayah was revealed to challenge this misguided practice. It commanded them to abandon such actions, as performing Tawaf while naked was both indecent and disrespectful. Similarly, refraining from good, lawful food provided by Allah without a valid reason had no basis in religion. In fact, forbidding what Allah had made permissible was an act of excess and presumption in worship, something displeasing to Allah. Therefore, the verse encourages eating and drinking during the days of Hajj, but without extravagance. Completely avoiding lawful foods is also considered a form of extravagance. On the other hand, focusing solely on eating and drinking while neglecting the true purpose of Hajj and the remembrance of Allah also falls under extravagance.
The final part of the verse, "وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا" (do not be extravagant), makes it clear that while eating and drinking are not only permissible but encouraged, excess in doing so is forbidden. The term 'Israf' means exceeding the proper limits, and this can occur in various ways. One form is crossing the boundaries of what is lawful (Halal) and consuming what is prohibited (Haram), which is obviously forbidden.
Another form of Israf is when someone treats what Allah has made lawful (Halal) as though it were prohibited (Haram), without any valid reason according to Islamic law. Just as it is sinful to consume what is Haram, it is equally sinful to unjustly declare Halal things as Haram. This is considered a defiance of Divine Law and a serious offense. (Ibn Kathir, Mazhari, Ruh al-Ma'ani)
Similarly, extravagance also includes eating and drinking beyond what is needed to satisfy hunger. This is why Muslim jurists (fuqaha) have written that eating more than necessary is not permissible (Ahkam al-Qur'an and others). On the other hand, consuming far less than required, despite having the means, to the point of weakening oneself and becoming unable to fulfill religious duties, also falls under the prohibition of Israf or extravagance.
Health & Islam
We found the article on Vedic inspiration in patient-centered care and education interesting. In the same way, Islam emphasizes the importance of health and encourages practices that support well-being. The Quran and Hadith contain many references to healthy living.
