As I flipped the calendar today, I realized that February is ending pretty soon. Another not-so-pleasant epiphany I had was that I’ve been quite sickly since the start of the new year!
Perhaps it was the handling of two jobs, the late nights and the commute between work & home. Whatever it was, my body clearly wanted to let me know that I needed my rest, and soon! But for most working adults, sometimes ‘rest’ can only be found on weekends, and even then, we are swamped with wedding invitations and familial obligations, stretching us even more for weeks on end. Don’t even get me started on exercising. I can’t even squeeze time to reply to that long-awaited email to a friend, where would I find time to exercise? The only exercise I do these days is running after the bus or taking the stairs because the lift was taking too long.
Of course, I do admit that perhaps I just needed to plan my time better. But no matter how well I plan my days, having spontaneous parents who make plans for the rest of the family at the drop of a hat kind of spoils things a bit. I adore my parents, and I appreciate them planning spontaneous dinners or suppers, but when I’m struggling to keep awake at work the next day, I do visualize strangling them lovingly too.
I started reading Amira Ayad’s “Healing Body & Soul” some time ago even though I’ve had it for much longer. It was a gift by a friend and since I was fit as a fiddle then, I didn’t quite think I needed to read anything about health. (I conveniently dismissed the ‘soul’ part.) That friend always did say I was much too proud and this time, I concur.
Only a few pages into the book and its already been a pleasant read. For one, I especially loved how health is viewed through the Islamic lens. Contrary to how Western medicine narrowed health to the physical body and provided cures to symptoms, Prophetic medicine places great stress on cleanliness, oral hygiene and the moral, emotional and spiritual aspects of human life. A Western-trained doctor may prescribe some drugs for you, but it wouldn’t be considered strange to have a Muslim physician tell you to avoid sins to get better.
In her book, she mentions Ar-Razi, one of the most famous Muslim physicians in history. “He stressed the importance of the will or the desire of the patient to get well. He listed certain principles for the preservation of health which included moderation and balance in one’s food, drink, physical activity and rest, improvement of the surrounding environmental conditions, adopting an active, healthy lifestyle, avoiding sins and evil acts, and balancing one’s ambitions with one’s will-power and ability.”
Several days ago, I finally downed the last capsule from the vitamins I usually take. Instead of letting my mum know and having her include that in the grocery list, I wondered if I should find an alternative instead (since the vitamins have obviously not helped the lethargy).
Prophet Muhammad SAW had said: “The black seed (habbatus sauda) is a cure for every disease except death.”
He SAW also said: “Honey is a remedy for every illness and the Qur’an is a remedy for all illness of the mind, therefore I recommend to you both remedies, the Qur’an and honey.”
While I have tried honey and hijamah (cupping), the latter turned out to be a more pleasant experience than the former. After cupping, I always feel refreshed and energized. With honey however, because of my lack of physician advice, I eat 2 spoonfuls a day (and they’re really yummy. I got the honey from Yemen) and it causes my body to heat up and I start coughing within a week. Its not the fault of the honey of course, it is more the case of using the tool wrongly.
InsyaAllah I will take responsibility for my emotional & spiritual health, but what are your advice when it comes to taking black seed (habbatus sauda), honey and other sunnah cures? How much, when, and what brands do you use? Any recommendations and health-related stories to share?
