Thursday, June 11, 2015

Eating Less – The Solution To Many Problems !!!

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Abu Juhayfah said: “A man burped in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and he said: “Keep your burps away from us, for the one who eats his fill the most in this world will be hungry for the longest time on the Day of Resurrection.” [at-Tabaraani – Saheeh]
After hearing that Abu Juhayfah did not eat his fill until he departed from this world; if he ate breakfast he would not eat dinner and if he ate dinner he would not eat breakfast, and he said: “I have not filled my stomach for thirty years.”

Yet, we force our kids to eat, to finish their plate or just simply stuff themselves until they are full. And we do the same ourselves. What we don’t realize is that, not only is this bad for health, and against the wise teachings of our beloved Prophet (saws), but it is this excessive eating that is keeping us away from the sincere and focused worship of Allah that we are searching for… that Khushoo’… that Sakeena, the peace that should be there in all our Ibadaat. This is because eating one’s fill makes the body heavy, which leads to yawning and laziness in worship and work.

The Prophet (saws) said, “A believer eats in one intestine, and a kafir (unbeliever) or a hypocrite eats in seven intestines." [Bukhari]
That means; a believer is satisfied with a little food, while an unbeliever or a hypocrite eats too much to satisfy himself.

The Prophet (saws) also said: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few morsels to keep him alive. If he must fill it, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink, and one-third for air.” [at-Tirmidhi – Saheeh by al-Albaani]

Eating too much also makes the heart hard and heedless of Allah. And that is why the Prophet (saws) and his companions used to go hungry quite frequently, even in the presence of abundant food.

Some people argue that as long as what they are eating is Halaal, they can eat whatever they want, whenever they want and in whatever quantity they want. But Allah condemns everyone who is extravagant, even in things that are permissible.

Umar said: By Allah, if I wanted I could wear the finest clothes among you, and eat the best food, and have the most luxurious life. But I heard that Allah will condemn people for some of their actions and said: “You received your good things in the life of the world, and you took your pleasure therein. Now this Day you shall be recompensed with a torment of humiliation, because you were arrogant in the land without a right, and because you used to rebel against Allah’s Command (disobey Allah)” [al-Ahqaaf 46:20]

Ibrahim ibn Adham said: “Any one who controls his stomach is in control of his Deen, and anyone who controls his hunger is in control of good behavior... Disobedience towards Allah is nearest to a person who is satiated with a full stomach, and furthest away from a person who is hungry.”

The Ulama enumerate multiple benefits of eating in moderation. Eating less keeps the body healthy and light, keeps the heart soft, increases memory, weakens desires, and disciplines the soul while excessive eating brings about the opposite of these praiseworthy qualities.

The best and most perfect diet is to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws). For, indeed, it is only his way that is the best and his guidance that is perfect.

Aa’ishah said: “The first calamity for this Ummah after the death of its Prophet (saws) will be satiety, for when people’s stomachs are full, their bodies will grow fat, and their hearts will become weakened and their desires will grow wild.” [Bukhari]

May Allah protect us all from over eating - Ameen Ya Rabb!!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Barak Allaahu feek

however - quick note regarding the last hadith
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http://islamqa.info/en/102374

‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The first calamity for this ummah after the death of its Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will be satiety, for when people’s stomachs are full, their bodies will grow fat, and their hearts will become weakened and their desires will grow wild.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-Du’afa’ – as attributed to him by al-Dhahabi in Meezaan al-I’tidaal (3/335). Also narrated by Ibn Abi’l-Dunya in al-Joo’ (no. 22).

Narrated via Ghassaan ibn ‘Ubayd al-Azdi al-Mawsili, who said: Hamzah al-Basri told us, from Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah, from his father, from ‘Aa’ishah.

I say: This isnaad is da’eef jiddan (very weak) because of Ghassaan ibn ‘Ubayd, in whose biography in Lisaan al-Mizaan (4/418) it says: Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: We wrote from him, then he came to us here then I burned what I wrote from him. Ibn ‘Adiyy said: The weakness in his hadeeth is obvious. According to a report from Yahya ibn Ma’een, it is da’eef. … Then he counted the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah that we have as being munkar. End quote.

Hence Shaykh al-Albaani said in Da’eef al-Targheeb (1239): It is munkar mawqoof. End quote.

Note: In the question this hadeeth is attributed to al-Bukhaari, and this is a serious mistake, because saying that a report “was narrated by al-Bukhaari” usually means that it is from his Saheeh, but al-Bukhaari wrote many other books, in which he narrated ahaadeeth with their isnaads, but they are not necessarily saheeh, such as his book al-Du’afa’ al-Sagheer, which has been printed, and al-Du’afa’ al-Kabeer, which was mentioned by Ibn al-Nadeem and Brockelmann in Tareekh al-Adab (p. 65), and which still exists in the library of Patna in India. If it so happened that al-Bukhaari narrated a hadeeth in any of his books apart from al-Saheeh, which is the greatest book written by a scholar in Islam, then it should be stated when quoting the hadeeth: “narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-Taareekh” or “in al-Du’afa’” or “in al-Adab al-Mufrad” for example, then one should research the isnaad of the hadeeth: is it saheeh or not, as is done in other books.

This hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah may be in al-Du’afa’ al-Kabeer. We have looked for it in al-Sagheer but I could not find it. al-Du’afa’ al-Sagheer rarely mentions ahaadeeth and isnaads. And Allaah knows best.
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TheGhurabah said...

Jazak Allah khair wa BarakAllahu feek for the correction indeed... Alhumdulillah.
Bi'idhnillah the readers will take note of your blessed comment.

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