Article Archive: The Sunnah and Health

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Excerpt:

In Islam, health is actually not seen to be of the body, but rather the
state of the heart. There is a hadith in which the Prophet, peace be
upon him, said, “There is a lump of flesh in the body, if it is sound
the whole body is sound. Is it indeed the heart.” He was not talking
primarily of the physical body or the physical heart but of the
spiritual body and the spiritual heart. A man can be suffering from a
terrible disease and considered to be in excellent health in Islam,
while another can be in perfect bodily health but determined to be sick
according to the Qur’an. In fact, a hallmark of hypocrites is the
excellent appearance of their bodies, “Their outward forms are pleasing
to you.” But the Qur’an says of them, “In their hearts is a disease.”
True health is the state of one’s heart with God. The heart is healthy
when it is filled with trust, love, charity, compassion, lack of
material desire, patience, hope, awe of God, and most importantly,
gratitude.

It is diseased when filled with suspicion, envy, hatred, anger,
pride, anxiety, hopelessness, and ingratitude. But the health of the
body is also important and Islam prohibits its neglect for many
reasons, the least of which is one does not function well in the world
when handicapped by ill health.

- Hamza Yusuf Hanson

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