Ibn al-Qayyim: Patience Preserves the Health of Hearts and Bodies

Ibn al-Qayyim said in The Prophetic medicineregarding patience:

 

Patience is half of faith; for this is a quality composed of patience and gratitude (shukr). As one of the ancestors (salaf) has said: Faith is in two halves: one half patience, one half gratitude. And the Most High said: Indeed in that there are signs for each one who is patiently persevering and truly grateful[Surah Ibrahim: 5].Patience in relation to faith is like the head in relation to the body. It is of three types:

 

• (1) patience concerning the obligations (fard) laid down by Allah, that one should not neglect them;
• (2) patience in abstaining from actions forbidden by Him, that one should not commit them;
• (3) patience concerning His judgments (qada’) and decrees (qadar), that one should not resent them.

Whoever perfectly fulfills these three degrees has perfected patience. For the pleasure of this world and the next, their blessings, and victory and conquest can only be reached over the bridge of patience, just as no-one reaches Paradise except by crossing over the Path. ‘Umar b. al-Khattab said: We attained the best of life through patience.

If you reflect on the degrees of perfection acquired in the world, you will see that they are all dependent on patience. And if you reflect on imperfection, which one is blamed for possessing, you will see it all stemming from lack of patience. Thus courage and purity, goodness and love of others, all this is the patience of an hour.

Most sicknesses of the body and heart arise simply from lack of patience. And there is naught like patience for preserving the health of hearts, bodies and spirits. For it is the great remedy, the mighty tiryaq, even if it were to contain only the company of Allah “for Allah is with the patient” [Surah Al-Baqarah:153], and His affection for them for indeed “Allah loves those who are patient“[Surah Al-Imran:146], and His giving victory to His people ‘for victory comes with patience’; and that it is a good for the people of patience, “And if you show patience, that is indeed the best course for those who are patient” [Surah An-Nahl: 126], and that it is the cause of prosperity, “O you who believe! Persevere in patience, vie in perseverance, be ever vigilant, and fear Allah, that perchance you may prosper” [Surah Al-Imran:200].

Source : http://www.healthymuslim.com/articles/gangs-ibn-al-qayyim-patience-preserves-the-health-of-hearts-and-bodies.cfm

 

Its’ the Thought that counts

 

“An hour of effective, precise, hard, disciplined and integrated thinking can be worth a month of hard work. Thinking is the very essence of, and the most difficult thing to do in, business and life. Empire builders spend hour-after-hour on mental work… while others party. If you’re not consciously aware of putting forth the effort to exert self-guided integrated thinking… if you don’t act beyond your feelings and you take the path of least resistance, then you’re giving in to laziness and no longer control your life.”   – David Kekich

What a brilliant Quote. The crazy lives that we lead these days leaves us so little time to think. Do you have thinking time marked out in your calendar? But even if you have taken your time out, what do you think about? Should you let your mind go racing behind whatever mental rabbit trail that it comes across or should you have a structured format through which you should apply your mind to? Here are some tips in random order to help you Think More and Think Effectively:

1. Take a Walk. Every once in a while, stroll alone. Be it the Mall, a Park. or just the High Street. Have no agenda, no friends, no nothing. Just you, yourself and 40 minutes of just allowing your mind to wander where ever it wants to.

2. The Write way to Think. Visit a cafe alone. It’s one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercise you can do during a stressful day. Don’t take a book with you. And for Heaven’s sake don’t lug that laptop. However do take a notebook (once again not the laptop kind, but the old fashioned one with paper in them) with you. And liberally list out, whatever thought occurs to you. It might be something that you need to do today. It might be some strong hostility that you are feeling towards someone, whatever it is just keep that pen scratching that paper. While you are scribbling stuff out, build the thoughts already put on paper. So for example if you have put down the anger you feel towards somebody, think, why is it that you feel this anger? Put that answer down. Next you may consider, what is it that you can do about the situation, well then put down your options. The Rule here is not to write all this out neatly in calligraphic style but more about the quality of the answer as well as the speed in getting those thoughts down real fast. Keep at it, and an hour later of this thinking and you will emerge a much more focused, confident, stronger You.

 

Prophet Muhammad’s (S) first sermon in Madinah

Assalamu-Alaikum and Greetings  !   In the past, we posted an article that covered the last sermon of the prophet (S) that he delivered in Makkah. Today, you can read the first sermon that the prophet (S) delivered after he had arrived in Quba / Al-Madinah from Makkah but before he built his mosque in Al-Madinah. You can read the sermon both in Arabic and English in the article that is posted below. Although the sermon is not that long, to ensure that you get the most of it, read it multiple times and note the prophet’s (S) important messages that are equally valid and applicable today. Also, if you are not regularly following IqraSense.com’s daily updates on FaceBook, you can click on a link below to read them. You will be able to see the many Duas and other messages from the Quran and hadith. As a number of them are in image format, you can save those images on your computer and E-mail them to others if you like to share them with others.

 

How Caesar examined the Prophet

The Prophet wrote to the Caesar of the Byzantine Empire, inviting him to Islam, sending a letter to him with Dihya al-Kalbi. The Prophet directed him to present the letter to the governor of Busra, who would forward it to Caesar.

When God had relieved him of the Persian armies, Caesar walked from Emesa [in central Syria] to Jerusalem, out of gratitude to God for having inured him to trial. So when the letter of the Prophet reached him, Caesar read it and said, “Look for someone from his people around here, so that I may ask about this Messenger of God.”

Now, it happened that Abu Sufyan was then in Syria with some men from the Quraish tribe who had come on business during the truce that then existed between the Prophet and the disbelievers of the Quraish.

Click  HERE to read more.

by mail from IslamiCity Bulletin

 

Allaah Has Combined All of Medicine (at-Tibb) in Half a Verse of the Qur’aan

All praise is due to Allaah and may the prayers and salutations be upon His Messenger, to proceed:

Allaah the Most High said, “…And eat and drink and be not excessive (therein)…” (al-A’raaf 7:31)

Ibn Katheer commented upon this verse:

 

One of the Salaf said: Allaah has combined the entirety of medicine (at-tibb) in half a verse, “And eat and drink and be not excessive…”

Al-Qurtubi commented upon this verse, after mentioning that excessive eating is makrooh (disliked), he mentions the benefits of eating little:

 

… In eating little there are many benefits. From them that a man becomes of sounder body, of better memory, purer in understanding, (requiring) less sleep, and lighter in (his) soul…

Then he mentioned the harms of eating excessively:

 

… and in eating much there is the overstuffing of the stomach and putrefaction of undigested food, and from this the variety of diseases are produced, and thus he requires treatment more than what the one who eats little requires. Some of the physicians said, “The greatest treatment (dawaa’) is (appropriate) estimation of (one’s) food (intake).” And the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has explained this meaning sufficiently and completely which does away with the speech of the physicians, so he said, “The son of Aadam does not fill a container worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Aadam to take enough morsels of food to keep his back straight (keep him able-bodied). And if it is necessary, then a third for his food, a third for his drink, and a third for his breath.”…

Then a little later al-Qurtubi says:

 

And it is mentioned that (the caliph) ar-Rasheed used to have a shrewd Christian physician who said to Alee bin Hasan, “There is not in your Book (the Qur’aan) anything of the knowledge of medicine, and knowledge of is of two types, knowledge of the religions and knowledge of the bodies.” So he said to him, “Allaah has combined all of medicine in half a verse in our Book.” So he said, “What is it?” He said, “The saying of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic: And eat and drink and be not excessive.”…

And Imaam ad-Dhahabi in his book “at-Tibb an-Nabawi” (p. 34-35) says:

 

The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “The son of Aadam does not fill a container worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Aadam to take enough morsels of food to keep his back straight (keep him able-bodied). And if it is necessary, then a third for his food, a third for his drink, and a third for his breath.” This was reported by an-Nasaa’ee and at-Tirmidhee, who said, “Hasan Saheeh” … and this is one from the aspects of preserving health.Alee bin Hasan said: “And Allah, the Sublime and Exalted has combined the whole of medicine in (just) half a verse, so He, the Most High said, “And eat and drink and be not excessive…”

He is Alee bin al-Hasan bin Shaqeeq bin Muhammad bin Deenar bin Mush’ab, Abu Abdur-Rahman al-’Eedee al-Marwazi (d. 215H), the Imaam, the Haafidh, the Shaykh of Khurasaan, he came to Baghdad and narrated from the likes of Ibrahim bin Tahman, Abdullaah Ibn al-Mubaarak, Sufyaan bin Uyainah and others, and Ahmad bin Hanbal, Yahya bin Ma’een and others narrated from him, and his ahaadeeth are in the Six Books. He was a haafidh of a great amount of knowledge, and a haafidh of many books, including the Tawraat and Injeel and he debated the Jews and Christians. His biography can be found in all the major books of Rijaal.

And you can refer to an earlier article on the same subject, from the words of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, as well as this article from the speech of Ibn al-Qayyim.

Source : http://www.healthymuslim.com/articles/fnkaf-allaah-has-combined-all-of-medicine-at-tibb-in-half-a-verse-of-the-quraan.cfm

 

The greatest of prophets, Islam was his only goal

Amid the confusion, the chaos and the pain
A man emerged and Muhammad was his name
And walking with nothing but Allah as his aid
And the mark of a prophet between his shoulder blades
In a cave in mount hira, the revelation came
Read o Muhammad, read in Allah’s name
May the blessings of Allah be on al-mustafaa (the selected one)
None besides him could have been al-mujtabaa (the chosen one)

Muhammad, peace be upon his soul
The greatest of prophets, Islam was his only goal
Muhammad, salla Allahu ‘ alayhi wa sallam
From among all the prophets, Muhammad was the last
As his was a mission of the greatest task
There was only moral degeneration
People clung to idol adoration
For all nations, he was al-mukhtaar (the preferred one)
So was he praised by Allah, al-ghaffaar
The bearer of glad tidings, al-basheer
Leading into light, as-seeraj-al-muneer (lamp of Radiance)

In handling the wicked, he had the best of skill
He pacified with tolerance and goodwill
The best of morals he aimed to attain
All he accomplished through suffering and pain
Reviving imaan as almuthakkir (the reminder)
He is known in the qur’aan as al-mud-dath-thir (covered up)
Only he was given the honour of miraaj
Unique was this glory to Muhammad asseeraj (the lamp)

He was ad daee ill Allah hil azheem
All hadi elaa seerauteem mustakeem
His mission complete, his held in great esteem
Allah praised him as bil-khuluqil azeem
May the blessings of Allah be on mustafaa
None besides him could have been al-mujtabaa
So perfect were his morals, so justly did he rule
Darkness had vanished and the word was full of noor

Balagha lula bikamalihi
Kashafa dduja bijamalihi
Hasunat jami u khisalihi
Sallu alayhi wa alihi

Muhammad, peace be upon his soul,
The greatest of Prophets, Islam was his only goal.

 

Parent’s Wish

 

Muslims Have Got Talent!

By: Sajid Iqbal

 Now what makes the likes of Einstein, Aristotle, Socrates and Plato special? Why does history remember Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Gandhi? What was so great about Muhammad Ali, Pele, Maradona and Imran Khan?

It was down to one thing. TALENT.

It’s talent that makes you a great thinker and philosopher. It’s talent that makes you a revolutionary leader and great orator. It’s talent that makes you the greatest footballer or boxer that every youngster looks up to.

Talent is what improves the world, changes the world, entertains the world, amazes the world… and you know what, we all have it. We won’t all be courageous and charismatic Muslim individuals remembered the world over, but we all do have something that we’re good at, that we’re gifted in, better than others at.

So what we should all do is make the best of what Allah (swt) has blessed us with, we should have hope, dreams, be ambitious and then work hard to achieve them. It’s up to us. Allah (swt) has blessed us with the tools, now it’s up to us how we use them and what we make with them.’

What’s stopping me or you from being the next Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali or Einstein? What’s stopping me or you from being the next big thinker, leader, writer, footballer or great orator? Why can’t you be the next councillor or MP? Why can’t you be the next scientist or lawyer? Why can’t you be the next premier league footballer? If you have a passion for teaching, have always wanted to be a writer then why can’t you go ahead and fulfil those ambitions?

Don’t let anything stop you. If it’s halal then go for it! Make something of yourself.

If you have the talent and ambition, and are prepared to work very hard then the world is your oyster. All you need to do is recognise your talent, believe in yourself, put in loads of commitment and effort and you can perfect your talent. Whether you’re 15 or in your mid 20’s or 30’s. Whether it’s Maths, English or Science. Writing or speaking. Organising or leading. Politics or sport. Youth work or social care. Religious sciences or poetry. Fashion or graphic design… TALENT IS TALENT.

Use your talent to make a name for yourself. Make a difference. Use your talent to bring success in your life. Use your talent to make changes in your community. Use your talent to create role models in your community. Use your talent to break taboos in your community. Use your talent to give others hope. Use your talent to give a good image and representation of Islam. Use your talent to tackle the real issues facing the Muslim community.

 

12 Favorite foods of Prophet Muhammad (saw) and Their advantages.

1. Barley:
Good in fever, while use in a soup form.

 

2. Dates:
The Prophet (SAW) said that a house without dates has no food. It should also be eaten at the time of childbirth.

 

3. Figs:
It is a fruit from paradise and a cure for piles.

 

4. Grapes:
The Prophet (SAW) was very fond of grapes – it purifies the blood, provides vigour and health, strengthens the kidneys and clears the bowels.

 

Advice to Husbands, From a Husband – By: Sherif Mohammed

We live in societies where there is an overload of “what a woman must do for her husband”. The information in itself is Islamc but it turns harmful when it is not balanced with information about what a husband must and can do for his wife – men forget, society lets them and society consists of both men and women. Such lingo and talk need a more important and prominent place in our daily lives.