Jimmy

It’s sunnah to eat these favorite food items of our Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) – a sunnah to be shared with friends and family. to be thankful for everything it eats from them. The Prophetic Diet: The Perfect New Year’s Resolution The study of life of the Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬of Allah shows that although He lived most of His time in austerity, yet He always remained thankful to God for all. He used to eat everything He was presented with and never complained about it. Qur'anic Perspective on Food: A llah SWT has bestowed many blessings on humans on this planet earth. Among them, there are many necessities of life food, water, shelter and other natural gifts of God. Food is the utmost physiological requirement of every living being in this world. Such favors from the Almighty Lord require one Allah touches on two extremely important points in the Qur'an when it comes to food consumption: quantity and quality. As to food quantity, He states: Eat and drink, but not to excess. As to food quality, He states: O people of faith, eat from the pure provisions we have given you. These verses are the golden rules of food consumption. Both the quantity and quality of food we eat have a direct impact on our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Excessive food consumption and poor food choices can lead to obesity. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, a staggering 35.7 percent of U.S. adults suffer from obesity and 17 percent of adolescents aged from 2-19 are obese. Americans on average currently consume 31 percent more calories than we did forty years ago. Obesity can lead to countless health problems, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, anxiety and depression. So what is the solution to this growing problem? It begins with changing our approach to food. The Messenger and Food Quantity “The worst vessel the son (or daughter) of Adam ever fills in his (or her) stomach. It is enough for the son of Adam to eat a few morsels that will maintain his back’s uprightness. But if he must add more to his stomach, then let it be one third for food, one third for water, and one third for air." The statement is a stark warning and profound advice from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). He is not advocating starvation here, but drawing our attention to the dangers (both physical and spiritual) of overeating and how little food we really need to live. The way most of us approach food and its consumption is fundamentally flawed. We eat for sport, not survival. eat. When we see food, we eat. When we watch Food Network, we eat. It is very rare we eat when we are hungry and when we do eat we overeat. So what is the correct way of approaching food consumption? One Prophetic answer to this is fasting. Fasting was a regular part of the Messenger's life. He would fast every Monday and Thursday. He would also fast the 13th, 14th and 15th of each month. Once you add them up you get eleven days, or roughly one-third of the month in which the Messenger would fast. When the Messenger was not fasting, he was "intermittently fasting", eating only once a day. If he ate in the morning, he would not eat again until the next morning. If he ate at night, he would not eat until the next night. He once stated, “A believer eats with one stomach while a nonbeliever eats with seven stomachs." The profound import of this Prophetic statement points to the importance of rooting even our food consumption in faith and the Sacred. It is interesting to note that even ascetics of other religions (such as Buddhist monks) eat one meal a day. This prophetic advice of fasting and intermittent fasting has even recently been championed by some contemporary fitness gurus today. Now we are all aware of some of the great spiritual rewards of fasting, but I want to share with you and emphasize some of the physical results of regular fasting as well. Many Muslims do not realize that when the Qur'an states that the purpose of fasting is to increase taqwa (God-Awareness), this "taqwa" attained through fasting should also manifest itself on a physical level. These physical results of fasting may have some of the following benefits: The Messenger and Food Quality The Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was a careful and healthy eater. His diet was simple, but packed with nutrients. Among the food he would regularly eat: 1. Dates Dates are free from cholesterol and contain very low fat. They are rich in vitamins and minerals and are a good source of dietary fibre, tannins, vitamin-A, iron, Potassium, calcium, manganese, copper and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). 2. Meat (on occasion) Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) called Meat the king of foods. It is rich in protein, iron, zinc, selenium. Meat is good for bones, teeth, strengthening the immune system, body tissues and many more. The prophet (pbuh) was particularly fond of lamb, and it is now known that mutton it is much healthier compared to beef. 3. Figs Figs are low in calories and good for bones. They are also known as one of the fruits of Jannah and offer various health benefits, nutrients and anti-oxidants. 4. Grapes The Prophet (PBUH) was very fond of grapes. They are useful in purifying the blood, provide vigour and health, strengthen the kidneys and clear the bowels due to their high fiber content. 5. Milk It strengthens the back, renews vision and improves memory apart from providing calcium for teeth and bones. 6. Honey Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said. “Honey is the cure of every stomach disease”. He use to drink honey + water in the morning. In fact honey is considered the best remedy for diarrhea when mixed in hot water. It is the food of foods, drink of drinks and drug of drugs. It is used for improving appetite, strengthening the stomach, eliminating phlegm; as a meat preservative, hair conditioner, eye soother and mouthwash. 7. Olive & Olive Oil This food is mentioned in Quran. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Eat the olive oil and apply it (locally), since there is cure for seventy diseases in it, one of them is Leprosy”. Olives are said to be the food of Prophets. Olive oil is excellent treatment for skin and hair, delays old age, and treats inflammation of the stomach, not to mention its low calorie cooking benefits. 8. Water The Prophet (PBUH) said: “fever is (like) vapour of hell. So cool it with cold water”. And “the best drink in this world is water, when you are thirsty drink it by sips and not gulps”. 9. Melon The Prophet (PBUH) said: “None of your women who are pregnant and eat of water melon will fail to produce off spring that is good in countenance”. Melons also have very high water content and are great for hot summers. 10. Squash or Pumpkin It was Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s favourite vegetable. It is good for the Lungs and protects against birth defects. It is also good in asthma, colon cancer, pain, blood pressure and heart disease to name a few. 11. Vinegar Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) called Vinegar the best curry. It is healthy and makes for great salad dressings. As a matter of fact, vinegar also helps fatigued muscles recover after strenuous physical activity. 12. Barley Barley is recommended for curing fever and should be taken like a soup for the best results. 13. Black Caraway Last, but definitely not the least, is Black Caraway, which according to the prophet (pbuh), is a cure for all diseases except death. Black Caraway includes natural antibiotics along with essential nutrients and vitamins likes Vitamin A, phosphates and iron apart from other compounds. It is important to note that the Messenger’s diet did not center on meat. It is well known in the modern context as well as through most of the world's wisdom-traditions that excessive consumption of meat can lead to serious physical and spiritual aliments. There is currently a push in America to make every Monday “Meatless”, and this is something I think all of us should join. The proponents of this initiative cite evidence that keeping your red meat consumption at bay can limit your cancer risk, reduce heart disease, fight diabetes and curb obesity. The Messenger and Exercise By all accounts, the Messenger of Allah was what could be described today as a "power walker". Abu Hurairah once said, “I did not see anyone walk faster than him, as if the earth folded for him. A few moments ago he would be here, and then there. We found it difficult to keep pace when we walked with him and he walked at his normal pace.” When another companion complained to the Messenger about being overweight, the Prophet advised him to walk fast, or in other words, power walk! The health benefits of walking are too many to numerate, but here are a few: Low Impact Exercise – Many of my friends complain of bad knees and joints. Walking can help improve those issues. Build Aerobic Fitness – A strenuous walk can help build up your maximal oxygen consumption. Burn Fat – Power walking, for 4-plus hours a week, has been proven to burn fat. Stress Relief and Means of Meditation (Fikr) – A brisk walk is a great time to collect your thoughts and reflect on Allah's signs (ayaat) in the world and our life. Our New Year Resolutions should not be to go on just another diet. Instead let us try and align our health habits to some degree to what could be called the "Prophetic Diet"! If you start to add fasting, better food choices with whole and pure foods in lesser quantity, and power walking into your weekly mix you will, God willing, see a renewed sense of spiritual and physical well-being. Better yet, you will be reviving three habits of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).