Preventive Medicine
the Prophet PBUH mentioned in so many hadiths what we call today “preventive medicine”, and as said the proverb says:“An ounce of prevention is better than pound of cure”, so the prophet PBUH said:
‘Surely there is in the body a small piece of flesh; if it is good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted, and that is surely the heart’.
[Related by Al-Bukhari through Nu’man Bin Basheer]
The heart is the size of the grasped fist size, this muscle starts pumping in your first month in your mother’s womb, and never stops working till the end of the life journey.
The doctor’s knowledge might tell
If people have time left before dying
But when the journey comes to an end
The doctor gets bewildered and his drugs fail
This heart starts pumping since the first month while you are in your mother’s womb, and its keeps working till the journey of life is over, till Allah ends this journey. That is death,
Outspread your fist then grasp it, 70 times in one minute, that will be the average rate of heart beats in one minute.
During any great effort, that rate might reach 140 beats per minute.
The heart is like an engine, but this engine is flexible, when its power needed it increases up to 70 horses, and when not needed it gets down to 4 horses, so the power of this heart is changeable.
Scientists said that the heart beats 100,000 times in one day, in 24 hours. It beats 3 million times on one month, and if man reaches his eighties, the average of his heart’s beats would be 2880 million beats as they counted.
It is amazing that this small heart is able to pump between 3000 and 5000 gallons per day, each pump equals half a cup of tea, so between 3000 and 5000 gallons of blood is pumped in one day.
The problem is that if any organ in the human body failed, that means a loss in man’s life privileges, but if the heart failed, then the life is over because it depends on that heart. That is why the prophet PBUH said:
((the stomach is the house of diseases and diet is the best of drugs))
It is not a weird coincidence that I read a scientific assay in which its writer said: The heart’s health, regularity, and long living depends on the amount of food that fills out the stomach, and the kind of that food.
That is why the prophet PBUH said:
((The worst thing that man can fill is his stomach))
[narrated by Mikdam Bin Maed Karb in Saheeh Bukharee]
And he said:
((We are people who do not eat until we are hungry, but when we eat we stop before we are satisfied (we eat moderately)))
If we want to put together everything about preventive medicine, and there is a university these days that is using a book of more than a thousand pages to teach preventive medicine, if we put together all these thousand pages and try to compress them in few words, then the result will be what the prophet said: “we are people who do not eat until we are hungry, but when we eat, we stop before we are satisfied”
If man gets hungry, his cells start to excrete large amounts of digestive secretions, this eases up digesting the food in addition to feeling the nice taste of food.
So if you eat while you are hungry, you will surely enjoy food, that is why the prophet PBUH said:
((Hunger is the best food flavor))
The most delicious food you eat is when you are hungry.
((The stomach is the house of diseases and diet is the best of drugs))
((The worst thing that man can fill is his stomach, a few,. It is suffiecient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), let him fill one third with food, one third with drink, and one third with air))
[Sunan Ibn Majah]
There is another thing worth mentioning, when the prophet PBUH said:
‘Surely there is in the body a small piece of flesh; if it is good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted, and that is surely the heart’.
[Saheeh Bukhari]
Interpretation and Hadith scholars interpreted this Hadith in a different way, they said that the soul has a heart, there is the body’s heart and there is the soul’s heart, so he whose heart is has no deceiving, envy, or bitter feelings.
(The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, But only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart)
[Surat Al Shu’araa, verses 88-89]
Some doctors say: there are too many things that wear out the heart among which is nervous tension, Allah – the Almighty said:
(So call not on any other god with Allah, or thou wilt be among those under the Penalty)
[Surat Al Shuaraa, verse 213]
Which means that polytheism causes heart’s diseases, while faith turns the heart into a healthy one.
(( How wonderful is case of the believer, there is good for him in everything, and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to God and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him”.))
[Related by Muslim]
Which means that believing, noble heart, pure soul, entrusting one's soul to Allah, and monotheism are reasons for a healthy heart.
So back to the doctor who said: when doctors dig for the reasons of heart’s diseases, they found out that the main reason was nervous tension, and nothing more than polytheism can cause nervous tension, of course beside overeating, greasy food, and lack of movement, as the prophet used to serve himself, he used to clean his cloths, broom his house, and he was at the disposal of his family needs.
So moving around and making effort, monotheism, moderateness in eating, and watching out for the kind of food are the four elements that can prevent any damage that might affect the heart.
Dear brothers, all the prophet’s sayings matches completely the recent scientific facts, because he didn’t say out of his own desire, it was rather a revelation sent to him
So if you want health, energy, power, and comfort, you should follow the prophet’s path PBUH, you should believe in one God only because if you do so, you won’t see this or that person, you will see only Allah.
This is truly the health of heart, entrusting one's soul to Allah, monotheism, depending on Allah, being submissive to Him, being on the straight path, and doinggood deeds. This heart which has no grudge, envy, hatred, bitter feelings, deceiving, or bad intentions this heart will be healthy because one of the most effective reasons for heart’s diseases is nervous tensionsand having a lot of food
((The worst thing that man can fill is his stomach))
[Saheeh Al-Bukhari]
((We are people who do not eat until we are hungry, but when we eat we eat moderately))
And the kind of food:
The prophet PBUH was picky about what he eats, he used to pick the healthy food.
Dear brothers, that was part of prophetic medicine.
Translation : Noura Sharabi
Edited by : Maha Sulieman