IslamoSophia - Food and Health

Health in Islam: Imam Ridha (as) – Timeless Advice for Staying Healthy Imam Ridha (as) emphasized the importance of caring for both the body and the mind, offering guidance that resonates even in modern times. According to him, good health is a blessing from God, and prevention is always better than cure. "Your mental and physical diseases are cured by prayers. Good health is God’s blessing. No medicine can match physical exercises in fresh & unpolluted air for good health. Remember! Prevention is better than cure. Do not drink wine, and be not like swine to prevent crime." He further advised moderation in diet and the importance of a balanced lifestyle: "Gluttony is an enemy of longevity. Light diet with empty stomach is good for studies before dawn, especially after sleeping well. Balanced food, pure water & sunshine are also necessary for good health. Thankfulness to God for all of His blessings increases His blessings bountifully. Overeating (gluttony)...

The Holy Prophet (saw) said: "Try to be clean as much as you are able to.  Verily, Allah has based the foundationof Islam on cleanliness; hence, never can a person enter Paradise but the clean ones." Kanzul-'Ummal, Tradition 26002 Here the word paradise if we look at it in the rewards that we get in this life can also be taken to mean peace and security.

Health in Islam: Wisdom on Eating, Sleeping, and Speaking The teachings of Islam offer timeless guidance on maintaining both physical and spiritual health. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized moderation in daily habits, highlighting the virtues of brief speech, short sleep, and moderate eating. "There are three traits which Allah loves (in people): briefness in speech, short (length) of sleep, and small (portion) of food; and there are three traits which He dislikes in them: loquaciousness, oversleeping, and over eating." – Ithna Ashariyyah, p. 92 Similarly, Imam Ali (as) warned about the consequences of overindulgence: "Over indulgence of food causes various kinds of diseases." – Qurar-ul-Hikam, p. 359 These sayings remind us that moderation is key to a healthy life. Limiting excessive talk nurtures the mind, regulating sleep strengthens the body, and controlling food portions protects against disease. By practicing these principles,...

How the Sunnah Shapes Healthy Habits for Physical and Spiritual Well-being Introduction Islam emphasizes personal hygiene in all aspects of life , considering it not only a matter of cleanliness but also a way to maintain health, prevent disease, and nurture spiritual well-being. From hairdressing to nail care, the teachings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ provide detailed guidance on caring for our bodies in a way that aligns with natural human health. The Five Matters of Fitrah The Prophet ﷺ said: “There are five matters that are within a sound nature. They are cutting of 'hairs of maturity', circumcision, trimming the mustache, removing underarm hairs, and clipping nails.” These five practices, part of fitrah (human nature), establish a foundation for cleanliness and health. Following them is not only a spiritual duty but also contributes to disease prevention. Nail Care and Hair Maintenance Islam provides guidance on: The ideal length for nails: Keeping nails short ...

Our Holy Prophet (saw) said: Do not sweep your floors at night because it causes poverty Firstly, our physical jobs are meant to be done in the day time when the body is strong and when natural light works in our favor.  Night time is the time for our rest, relaxation, prayers, family, spouses and extra study. Secondly, at night we sleep in the atmosphere where we have swept before the dust has settled so all night we are breathing in this dust while we are sleeping causing heavy duty to our lungs. These factors together help us to understand how poverty and weak health are related.  In addition to the obvious reasons the fact that we will have to spend large amounts of money to become healthy again and for the period we are sick we cannot work to increase our livelihoond emphasises this point. Although this is not a mandatory rule but only recommended, following it protects us as all the rules of Islam do.

There are 10 things that are considered by Islamic laws to be najis or impure. These are: Urine Faeces Semen Dead body Blood Dog Pig Kafir : One who covers up the truth with falsehood and does not accept a God. Alcolic liqors The sweat of an animal who persistently eats impure things Taken from: [Islamic laws according to the rules of Ali al-Husaini as-Seestani] These are things that if we come into contact with them and pray while they are on our bodies (including our clothes) will cause us some form of discomfort whether physical, mental or spiritual and render our prayers void.  They were the subject of the mention in our post on  clean clothes which cause clothes to be unclean. These laws have come about from the time of Prophet Adam gradually and being sealed and completed with the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw).  Today however, as we know more about quantum physics as well as the auras of human beings, it is not difficult to understand the importance...

Jurists unanimously have agreed upon the obligation of wearing clean clothes during prayers.  They have also ruled the invalidity of the prayers that are performed by those whose clothese are intentionally unclean. ['Clean clothes' in Islam does not only refer to apparent dirt being removed, but also blood, urrine, alcahol, or any 'impure' substances.  There are also specific instructions for the water required to be used and the standards for this cleansing by which the clothes are deemed acceptable for praying in] They rule that such prayers should be repeated with clean clothes.  It is quite acceptable that the cleanness of dresses plays a big role in the achievement  of individual and social physical soundness and protects against definite diseases. The educational system In Islam By: Baqir Sharif al-Qarahi Aside from the laws governing the cleanliness of clothes, we also know that the skin is the largest organ of the body.  Most of the detergents...

Islam has legislated cleaning after using the toilet.  This process stands for cleaning the urinal organ twice or, preferably, three times with water.  For the fecal organ, it is optional to clean with water or with a material that removes the feces thoroughly. The first way, however, is preferable, as jurists confirm.  This notable enactment creates body cleanness and protects against the microbes and the dirt of the urine and the feces.

 Islam has recommended using the toothbrushes.  The Prophet (saw) said, "If it was not that I did not want to fatugue my people, I would order them to use the toothbrush." Toothbrushes in the early era of Islam were the miswaks.  They are branches of a tree that includes  small fibers used for cleaning the teeth. Dr. Hamid al-Badri refers to some of the hygenic advantages of these fibers.  He says, "This plant is chemically composed of cellulosic fibers and some volatile oils.  They have aromatic rating and mineral salts such as Sodium chloride, which is the normal salt, and potassium chloride and gypsum oxide. Thus, these sticks are natural toothbrushes that are supplied with mineral salts and aromatic materials that help in cleaning the teeth. The Prophet (saw) and his companions used these matural toothbrushes many centuries ago, while the other toothbrushes were first used in 1800. It is worth mentioning that any negligence of the tee...

Ablution is obligatory befor the five daily prayers in addition to other obligatory prayers except the funeral prayer.  It is obligatory to wash the face and the two arms, and pass the hand over, for shias, the head and the feet. Similarly, it is recommendable, in the ritual ablution, to wash the hands and rinse the mouth and the nose in addition to the other actions. The specialist physicians mention important advantages for the ablution as follows: Water that is shed on the face and the hands helps in activating the dermal capillaries.  This increases thehart vivacity, activates the body respoiratory processes, and helps in inhalation and exhalation.  Consequently, the perceptive motivated nerves are stimulated.  Then, the stimulation moves to the whole cardiac, gastric and pulmonic nerves, as well as all of the organs and glands. Eyes are protected against opthalmia because they are washed with water several times a day. The nasal channels ar cleaned f...

Islam has directed both man and woman to wash all over the body, with waer soon after 'physical intimacy' between a husband and a wife or other 'release' of fluids. Allah (swt) says: And if you are under an obligation to perform a total ablution, then wash yourselves. Modern science has proven that the human body loses a part of its vitality and activity after each "intimate relationship', and will not return by any action other than washing all of the body with water.  It is also obligatory upon women to wash their bodies and remove the dirt after their monthly cycles.  This washing recovers the woman's vitality and activity.  Muslim jurists refer to other obligatory and recommended baths that make Muslims clean, in most cases, and away from dirt and filth. From the book: The Educational system in Islam. (Mentioned in the post A discussion on health in Islam) P173

Cleanliness is one of the most important elements of the composition and prosperity of the physical life since it protects from the lethal and epidemic diseases.  Islam has adopted positively and involved some rulings and obligations to cleanliness.  God praises and adds cleanliness to the qualifications of the favorable. He says: Surely, Allah loves the returners and loves those who purify themselves.  Certainly, a mosque founded on piety from the ver first day is more deserving that you should stand in it.  In it are men who love that they should be purified.  And Allah loves those who purify themselves. Many reports of the Prophet and the Imams dealwith the adherence to cleanness, considering it as a principal rule of the individual and social lives. "Cleanness is a part of faithful believing." "The religion is based upon cleanness" "Allah is good and loves the good,  He is clean and loves those who are clean." "Purity is half of th...

Islam has adopted positively the principals of the general health to concentrate in the legislative fields.  All of the precepts and laws of Islam yield the best fruits that preserve the physical health and guard against many diseases.  Some Western physicians, after they had been acquanted with the Arab and Islamic medicine, accepted Islam. Dr Georgeo Dar Blanto says. "All of the Islamic precepts, rituals, and recommended practices have a good relation to health.  They always intend to achieve two goals at the same time; religion and physical." Dr Ronan confirms the same fact. Dr Rondsandge says, "The Islamic instructions represent health since they call to contentment and moderation in food and drink, cleaning, and washing with pure water five times a day before every ritual prayer.  In addition, the ritual prayer is a set of physical activities.  Islam has also decreed to confine those who are defected by infectious diseases.  The Islamic sci...

Imam Ali (as) told Imam Hassan (as): Shall I teach you four traits by which you will be in no need of any medical treatment?" "Yes," Imam Hassan answered.  Then Ali (as) said: 1. Do not sit for good (in order to eat) unless you are hungry: and 2. Do not leave the table of food but you still have an appetite for it; 3. Chew (your food in your mouth) well; 4. And, when you want to go to bed, (primarily) go to the wash room to ease nature. If you take these in action, you will be in no need of any medical treatment." Wasa'il ush-Shia vol 24 p45 A bundle of flowers  Compiled by Ayatullah Sayyid Kamal Faghih Imani Translated by Mr Sayyid Abbas Sadr-umeli Editor Celeste Smile  Published by The scientific and Religious Research Center Esfahan

Hunger is better than the humiliation of subjugation. Keeping oneself hungry is the most beneficial cure, where as eating to one's fill increases maladies. Hunger is better than subjugation. Complement your food with hunger and discipline yourself with contentment. The best condiment is hunger. How good an assistant of piety hunger is. How good an assistant in cutting down the [desires of the carnal] self and breaking its [bad] habitys hunger is!

External beauty lies [in possessing] good looks. Internal beauty lies [in possessing] a good heart. The beauty of a man is his clemency. The beauty of a man is dignity. The purity of beauty is [in] chastity.

Grooming oneself is an apparen [form of] magnanimity. Self-grooming is a characteristic of the believers.

Physical health is one of the most wholsome bounties. How can one be deceived by the health of a body that is prone to malady?

Ali b. al-Khalil narrated from 'Abd al-Aziz b. Hassan from Hammad b. 'Isa from Hariz b. 'Abd Allah al-Sijistani from Abu 'Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who said to his childrens teacher: If any of my children are affected with a cold, inform me."t The teacher would inform him, but he said nothing in response.  So the teacher said: You instructed me to infom you of this.  I have informed you.  But you did not answer me with anything.'  He replied: "It [the cold] is not from anything but a strain of leprosy in him.  When it stirs up, Allah repels it with a cold.'

Abu Bakr Muhammad b. al-Huraysh narrated from Muhammad b. 'Isa from 'Ali b. Musayyib from al-Abd al-Salih [Musa al-Kazim], peace be upon him, that he said: "Eat turnips (al-saljam, for there is not one who has a strain of leprosy (irq al-min al-judham) but that the eating of turnips (al-saljam) dissolves it." He ['Ali b. Mussayyib] asked: "Raw or cooked?" He replied: "Both" From Abu Ja'far, peace be upon him, that he said: "There is no creature who has in him a strain of leprosy but that it is dissolved by [eating] turnips (al-saljam).'

Eat the pomegranate with its pulp, for it is an abdomenic (dibagh). Every grain of it which settles in the abdomen is life for the heart (al-qalb) and illumination for the soul, and the temptations of Satan are quelled for forty mornings.  The pomegranate is among the fuits of Paradise. Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq (as) (reported from his grandfather Imam Ali (as) Allah, the mighty and exalted, has said; Therein fruits, and palm trees, and pomegranates 955;680." Whoever eats pomegranate before sleeping is secure in himself until morning." Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq (as) From Al-Harith b. al-Mughira, that he said: "I complained to Abu 'Abd allah, peace be upon him, of a heaviness (thiqal) I felt in my heart (as-fu'ad), and of much indigestion after eating. He said: "Take of this sweet pomegranate and eat it with its pulp, for it is good for the abdomen and will cure the indigestion and digest your food."

Flesh produces flesh and increases the intellect.  Whoever gives up eating it for some days, his intellect will be impaired. Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq (as) In another report, from him (as), "Whoever gives up eating flesh for forty days will become ill-natured and his intellect will be impaired.  Whoever becomes ill-natured, call to him in his ear with the iqama.' (call to prayer)

Abu Ghiyas 'Abd Allah b. Bistam narrated from 'Abd Allah b. Ibrahim from Mohammad b Al-Jahm from Ibrahim b. al-Hasan al-Ja'fari from Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who said to his companions: "Tell me, with what do your physicians instruct you to eat citron (al-utrujj)?' He replied: "O son of the Messenger of Allah, they instruct us to eat it before meals." He said: "There is nothing more beneficial than it after a meal.  Eat its preserves (al-murabba), for its pit has a fragrance like the fragrance of musk." He, peace be upon him, said in another report: "It is good before means but even better after meals." Then he said: "It causes harm before the meal and is beneficial after the meal.  Dry cheese digests citron."

Eating quince increases a man's strength and removes his weakness. Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq (as) narrated from Amir Al Muminin Imam Ali (as) Imam Hussain (as) said: In Quince there is a quality not found in other fruits, I said " And what is that?" He said: It emboldens the coward from the knowledge of the prophets, blessings be upon all of them Al-Ash'ath b. 'Abd Allah b. alAsh'ath [narrated] from Ibn Mohammad al-Ash'ath b. Qays al-Kindi from Ibrahim b. al-Mukhtar from Ibn al-mukhtar b. Abu 'Ubayda from Muhammad b. Sinan from Talhad b. Zayd, who said: "I asked Abu Abd Allah peace be upon him about cupping on a Saturday: It causes weakness." I said: My illness is from weakness and lack of strength" He said: "Then eat quince with its seed, for it strengthens the weakness and makes fragrant and purifies the abdomen."

Eat pears (al-kamathra), for they burnish the heart (al-qalb) Imam Mohammad Al-Baqir (as) narrated from Amir al-Muminin, Imam Ali (as) Imam Hussain (as) said to a man who complained of a pain he felt in his heart: "Eat pears."

Imam Hussain (as) said: If people knew what there was in apples, they would treat their sick only with it.  Surely it is the quickest thing to benefit the heart, particularly its exudation (al-nudah). When you wish to eat apples, sniff them and then eat them, for if you do that every illness and danger will be expelled from your body and everything caused by winds will subside. From Abu Basir who narrated from Imam Al-Baqir [the splitter of knowledges](peace be uon him)

Whoever eats twenty-one red raisins at the beginning of the day, Allah will repel from him every disease and illness. Mohammad b. Ja'far al-Bursi narrated from Muhammad b. Yahya al-Armani from Mohammad b. Sinan al-sinani from al-mufaddal b. Ummar al-ju'fi from Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq (as) from his forefathers narrated from Imam Ali (as).

Eat endive, for there is not a morning when the drops of heaven do not fall on it Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq (as) From Mohammad B Abu Nasr from his father from Abu Abd Allah, peace be upon him, that he [the father] said: I complained to him of a disturbance in my head and my teeth and a throbbing in my eye, so that my face was swollen from it.  He, peace be upon him, said: 'Take this endive and extract its juice.  Take the juice and pour over it a lot of lump sugar.  It will relieve it and drive away its harm." He [the father] said: "I went to my house and treated it that night before I slept.  I drank it and slept, and in the morning I was cured of it, praise be to Allah."

Eat eggplant (aubergines).  It is a cure for every illness Eggplant is good for the black bile and is not harmful for the yellow bile Give us eggplant, for it is hot in the cold and cool in the heat, it is suitable at all times, and good in every condition. Imam Ridha (peace be upon him) Islamic Medical Wisdom (The Tibb al-A'imma)

Eatocracy - food fusion and self-identity As I completed my second post this morning, my mind stayed busy.  I began thinking of how to bring the careful food preparation and skilled play of flavors of Korea into Iranian food in order to perhaps develop a favorite Iranian dish - Gormeh Sabzi. Gormeh Sabzi is a stew made with lamb, kidney beans (variation of beans are often used), various herbs (such as fenugreek, green onions and coriander).  The  flavors come from the pierced, dried Omani limes, fried onions and garlic, fried herbs and after the stewing of those herbs with the meat and beans. I started thinking about "stir fry slicing" the meat and then marinating that meat in lemon or lime mixture overnight to enhance the flavors of the lemony meat (perhaps resulting in a venison flavor) and then changing the initial preparation of the herbs to something that keeps the integrity of the herbs rather than cooking away their nutrition in the initial frying process ...

Korean tea to enhance your chi It's almost time for morning prayer here in Iran in the Holy month of Ramadhan.  After writing my previous post on far eastern food my mind went into a mode of pondering over the difference of habits of a mug of freshly brewed coffee vs a small but delicately flavored korean tea with the tastes of the season.   I began trying to see what I could find when googling Korean tea and found an interesting article about taking in the chi of the season.  I have added a link to this article but would just like to point out the respect the Koreans have for the time of year, the necessity for different energies at different times of the year and the experience of enjoying a small cup of a combination of natural herbal, nutty or fruity flavors as opposed to the sometimes large amounts of coffee that I personally am often known to consume. The article mentions, in addition to pine nuts, apples and jojoba flavors and a variety of other fruits of t...

Image from http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_981/node_989/node_994/node_1024/2010/11/01/128859593081739.shtml With everything in life that we flood our energies and thoughts into, we notice that the knowledge with which we started off with begins to not only expand but diversifies into new dimensions of appreciation.  So the story is proved true with my discoveries in the health and culinary field. Recently, my questions have been how to incorporate variety and flavors into my kitchen and table experiences and due to a rediscovered appreciation I have recently redeveloped of the far eastern people; their culture, attention to detail, variety, color, rich and various flavors and philosophies of food, I have made a natural shift (if not just temporary) from Indian and Iranian cuisine where I tried to bring in as much whole grains, pulses and beans into my families diet to the delicate, artistic and variety methods the far east (particularly China and Korea) use to brin...

Spicy Carrot Pickle: A Nostalgic Family Favorite When I was younger, my mother used to make grilled sandwiches with spicy carrot pickle . I loved them—but when I tried making the pickle myself, I didn’t do it often. Cutting carrots into finger-like strips was such a chore! That all changed when my mother bought me a grater. It’s not the original German brand, but it works wonders. Thickly slicing carrots now takes a fraction of the time it once did. Honestly… why did I ever do it by hand? This pickle has become a staple in our household. We eat it with almost everything: alongside salads, as a quick side when a fresh salad hasn’t been made, or even rolled into flatbreads. It’s an effortless way to get carrots into the kids’ diet—they love it! The heat level is entirely flexible, so you can turn it up or down to your taste. Ingredients 2 lb thickly grated carrots (optional: soaked in salt overnight; my mother swears by this to prevent digestion issues, but I’ve never had proble...

I wanted to let everyone know that although I met great challenges fasting last year with what became an irregular eating schedule and a neglect in my own food habits rather than those of my children ( I would actually forget to eat sometimes as long as the children were fed although our food was still natural and home cooked.  Needless to say I was fearing the long 17 and a half hour days this year.  To my great surprise, my fasting has gotten back to what it used to be years ago thanks to what I know is our greater intake of grains (lentils, Barley, Bulgur, semolina etc). I can now face the long extremely hot days (today was 53 degrees here in Qom) and still go out and do my things in the heat and yet not even face any weakness in my health.  I realized that it could only be due to our great strength that we have gained from putting grains first. I have found that quite a number of people around me are facing anaemia and immediately turn to meat to solve their probl...

Hi everyone, I've been in a very busy time with the children off on Summer holidays at home, work (teaching and  writing) and keeping these stomachs full and satisfied.   With the Holy month of Ramadhan on our horizons and my need to remain practical and creative I've been making my fair share of deserts. A week ago we were invited to a friends house for a swimming lunch where the children were quite content to swim for 4-5 hours straight even while I left them in the pool and went to my class and returned to 3 very satisfied children as we sat down to have a piece of beautiful, dark (my family's favorite chocolate color) and not to mention very chocolatty (is that even a real word - it should be) which was one of my contributions to this feast (before Ramadhan). We all love this cake but my friend's family (3 more children not counting the little baby) from Melborne also seemed to love it equally.  They called it the mud pie because they said it was so moist that...

It's been less than two weeks of building the health of our family from the grains up.  It seems that every where I look I see evidences why grains are the most essential part of our diet. I want to share something with you all that has been a concern for me for about a year now.  That is hair health.  In our family, we've always had very thick, shiny and very fast growing hair, in the past year, that began to change for me and I knew that I had to look inside the body for the answer rather than look for topical treatments that, while they do help to complement a healthy diet and lifestyle and add the finishing touches to good health, are not the foundation of any health improvements.  So I began researching and asking questions. I went to health food stores here in Iran with my unsophisticated farsi, I asked friends, I looked online but my problem remained.  Then a few months ago a friend of the family gave us a big container of wheat paste that they make...

Ever since I was a child, our family have been eating semolina pudding with cinnamon and sugar or honey.  Now that my own family have switched to grains as the center of our diet, I started looking for more ideas to make semolina pudding and I found this very nice recipe from Scandi Home  I liked the freshness of this semolina pudding and the idea of the vanilla so I thought I would share it since we are focusing on grains right now. Don't worry, we will still have the regular semolina post for our series also some great effects that we have been experienceing and discoveries we've made (you all may already know them) but we'll be sharing them soon in a post so have your Semolina pudding and check back. More wheat to you!

Bulgur  (also  bulghur ,  burghul  or  bulgar ) is a cereal food made from the groats of several different wheat species, most often from durum Wheat. It is most common in European, Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisine. The word  bulgur  is of Turkish origin. (From Wikipedia) Burghul, is made by parboiling the wheat, drying it, then coarsely grinding it. At that point, the outer layers of the bran are removed — traditionally by hand — after which, the grains are cracked. It is generally available in three textures, fine, medium and coarse, and you can sometimes find organic burghul. After cracking, it is ready for steaming or boiling. The distinctive nutty taste, is the result of the inner layers of bran that are retained.  ochef . Energy: 2003 kJ (479 kcal) Dietary fiber: 25.6 g Protein: 17.21 g Carbohydrate: 69 g whereof 0.8 g sugars Fat: 1.86 g whereof 0.2 g saturated fat Potassium: 574 mg Iron...

In an effort to analyze the foods that we are recommended to build our health on, I have decided to post a series of posts on the nutritional information on various grains with recipes to get you started on increasing the amount of grains in your diet (and my own) and to eventually make whole grains the heart and foundation of our diet. Following this I will be analyzing the benefits of the individual vitamins and minerals on our health. Complete information will help us to build a healthy menu and lifestyle or to put it another way: to build a menu based on nutrition rather than on the recipes we are used to preparing hoping that somewhere in there is everything our body needs. In addition, I will also be posting on individual areas of our health and body, cross-referencing the foods that help that area of health or perhaps health issue. Check out the link to the " Food for hair " link and see how important grains are for the shine, thickness and length of yo...