Harmful Foods

Foods can generally be termed as those edibles which nourish the body. There are, however, certain foods that adversely affect the body. These can be termed as “harmful foods”. Harmful foods can be divided into two categories: 1. Foods that are not beneficial to anybody. 2. Foods that do not agree with certain people. 1.  Foods that are not beneficial to anybody. The foods that are not beneficial to anybody are those foods which have a very low or no nutritional value at all. Examples of these foods are almost all ‘junk foods’ such as certain sweets which comprise of mainly citric and tartaric acid, etc. Many excessively refined foods also fall into this category, as these foods are refined to such an extent that the natural minerals and vitamins are destroyed. Thereafter, these minerals and vitamins are artificially replaced, as is common in many cereals. Sometimes, these foods are not only non-beneficial but are downright harmful, and this is due to the way they affect the metabolism or block the different pathways of the body, ultimately leading to illness, e.g. oil which was excessively used for frying is extremely harmful. Genetically modifying the natural foods given to us by Allah Ta‘ala also causes harm to the health. 2. Foods that do not agree with certain people. These foods are of two types: 1. An allergic reaction to certain foods. This happens when the immune system regards a particular food as harmful to the body and thus triggers a reaction to the food as soon as it is consumed. The most common allergies are the allergies to nuts and fish. Normally, allergies are found from birth, and there is no known treatment for allergies besides abstention. 2. An adverse reaction through consuming certain foods due to an imbalance in temperament. This happens when the body becomes ill due to an imbalance in either the temperament or humours of the body, and this illness is then further aggravated by eating foods of a similar temperament. Some examples of this are sweet foods affecting a diabetic person and acidic foods affecting a person suffering from gout. The conditions caused by the second category can be remedied by under-going treatment for the ailment. A Hakeem would have to be consulted after which a diet and medication will be prescribed. Once the ailment is cured, these foods are not harmful, especially when consumed in limited amounts. Adapted and summarized from “Your Health” by Moulana Hakeem Jalil Muhammad Pandor (An Nasihah vol. 104)

Making Amends

Toothbrush? Check! Charger? Here! Hairbrush? Packed! Clothing? In the bag! Visa? Oh no, we haven’t got that! Before embarking on any trip, especially to a foreign country, every traveller makes certain preparations. Although packing the appropriate provisions and essentials forms an important part of the preparation, perhaps the most important part is for one to ensure that their travel documents are in order. When one arrives in a foreign land, the very first thing examined is the passport and visa. If they are in order, one will be granted entry and the remainder of the trip will be ‘smooth sailing’. However, if there is a problem with the passport or visa, then since the very first requirement has not been met, packing all the essentials and converting all the currency will be of little avail and assistance. Similarly, whether we are rich or poor, well-travelled or house-bound, there is one particular journey that each and every one of us will have to make. Furthermore, none of us knows the date of departure, and so it is vital for us to constantly remain in a state of preparedness. This is the once-in-a-after-lifetime-journey to the Aakhirah (Hereafter). Just as the first requirement on landing in a foreign country is the passport and visa, on landing in the Aakhirah, there will also be a first requirement. Meeting this requirement will ensure that the remainder of the checkpoints will go smoothly, while failing to meet this requirement will put us on the rocky road to further misery and difficulty. In this regard, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has forewarned us that the very first thing which we will be required to present on the Day of Qiyaamah will be our salaah. If our salaah meets the grade, then Allah Ta‘ala willing – the rest will be smooth sailing. However, if we fail to meet the very first requirement, we can well imagine the difficulty that will thereafter ensue. It is thus absolutely necessary that we get our salaah in order. Firstly, we should ensure that we perform our five daily salaah on time, and secondly, we should perform the qadhaa for any salaah that we have outstanding. If we fail to make amends for our salaah before our eyes close, we will regret, suffer and lament after our eyes close. At that time, it will be too late for us to make any amends. We thus need to perform all our salaah before our salaah (janaazah) is performed. In this regard, a few important masaa-il and guidelines of performing qadhaa (missed) salaah will Insha-Allah be posted next week. May Allah Ta‘ala bless us all with the courage and determination to make amends for our salaah, Aameen.

Missing Ingredient to living your life?

Like a lot of folks these days, I’ve been groomed to push myself toward achievement in most areas of my life. It seems that, in the current culture, it’s no longer cleanliness that we deem closest to Godliness; it’s busy-ness. If our Google calendars aren’t a veritable rainbow of appointments and meetings, if we’re not constantly exhausted and worn down, we must be lazy or falling behind somewhere.

Not only is this constant push toward over-doing affecting adults, it’s clearly being transmitted to the next generation. When kids aren’t at school, they’re at a sport’s practice, a tutoring session, a club meeting, a study group gathering…Something

Of course, none of these things are negative on their own, but when they’re all taken together, it raises the question: where is the time to unwind? I’ve lost count of how many I work with who have wearily told me their pages-long weekly schedule. I once let my young one lay down for because she had a fever, but still had to get to a swimming lesson afterwards.

Savasana (or “rest,” or “that part where we lay down”) needs to be their favorite aspect. Yes, there are certainly members of the business crowd who tiptoe out when the lights go dim, but I’ve come to understand that for the lion’s share of working, savasana reigns supreme. And rightly so! I often joke, “When else does someone let you to lay down for 10 minutes?”

The thing is, if we let ourselves, we could do this at any time (okay, maybe not during a meeting or in the produce department). I think the key word here is “let.” When your teacher stands before you and tells you it’s time to rest, you have just been given permission to do so. You’re allowed. You are told that it is okay, in that moment, to simply be.

As my personal practice has evolved with study, experience, and age, I’ve come to fully embrace the extraordinary importance of giving myself that kind of permission. This brings me to the point of this piece: I want to empower everyone who reads this to grant themselves the time and space to step back, unwind, and let themselves be.

I want all of us to welcome the radical idea that living a full life and loving oneself means allowing that time to chill. Give yourself permission to stop taking calls and emails after work hours so you can sit outside and chat with family. Allow yourself to take time to rest after meals. Grant yourself the mental space to put aside a stressful situation and deal with it when you have the time and energy to process. You are allowed to skip the gym after a long day. It’s okay to say “no” to a project or a social engagement solely on the basis of not feeling like it. 

Forgo a utilitarian shower in the morning for a leisurely bath in the evening. Accept that, every once in awhile, you can let someone else do the cooking. Embrace the relaxed feeling of sitting to read or making tea first thing in the morning, before gazing into the light of your phone. Take a bike ride without anywhere to go. Unplug for an entire weekend so you can read a book cover to cover. Leave space in your agenda for doing nothing, and don’t feel guilty about it. We have such precious few moments on this earth, ask yourself if all of this time consuming chatter is serving your self or your purpose here.

If nothing else, I implore you to ask yourself: what is this lifestyle teaching your children, our children? From where I sit, it seems the lesson is that our value as people is directly tied to your obligations. Grace, humility, presence of mind—none of these matter if you’re not running yourself ragged. This notion has become so ingrained that we don’t even realize it’s happening.

Ask yourself, when is the last time you (or your child) had an entire weekend without commitments? When is the last time you took a nap, or a bath? These are important activities for nurturing the body, the mind, the spirit. It’s no secret how deeply healing mindfulness is. But is it even possible to be mindful when you’re living in a never-ending whirlwind of commitment?

So please dear reader, give yourself—and your children—permission to rest J

Not sure of the origin of this, however it was sent via e-mail from a very dear friend - AC 

A Unique Nikaah (Pious Woman) ~ Part Four

Devotion to Deen (Sayyidah Ummu Habeebah radhiyallahu ‘anha– Part Four) Abu Sufyaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), the father of Ummu Habeebah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), had accepted Islam on the occasion of the conquest of Makkah. He passed away many years later, during the khilaafat of ‘Uthmaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). Three days after the news of Abu Sufyaan’s (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) demise was broken to Ummu Habeebah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), she took perfume and applied it to herself saying, “I have no need to apply perfume. (However, I am doing so because) I heard Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mention, ‘It is not permissible for any woman who believes in Allah Ta‘ala and the last day to mourn for more than three days, except upon her husband, as (in the case where her husband passes away,) she will mourn over him for four months and ten days.’” (Saheeh Muslim #3725) ‘Amr bin Aws (rahimahullah) narrates: When ‘Ambasah bin Abi Sufyaan (rahimahullah) (the brother of Ummu Habeebah [radhiyallahu ‘anha]) was in his final illness, he narrated to me the following hadeeth which would bring him great happiness. He said, “I heard Ummu Habeebah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) say that she heard Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mention, ‘Whoever performs twelve rakaats of salaah (i.e. the sunnah-e-muakkadah salaah before and after the various fardh salaahs which equal twelve rakaats in total) during the day and night, then on account of performing these twelve rakaats, a home will be built for him in Jannah.’ After narrating this hadeeth, Ummu Habeebah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) said, ‘I never left (performing) these twelve rakaats since I heard them from Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).’” When narrating this hadeeth to me, ‘Ambasah (rahimahullah) similarly mentioned, “I never left (performing) these twelve rakaats since I heard them from Ummu Habeebah (radhiyallahu ‘anha).” (Saheeh Muslim #1694 Lessons: 1. Sharee‘ah has allowed a person to mourn over the demise of their near and dear ones. However, when the deceased is not one’s husband, then it is not permissible to mourn for more than three days. Hence, although Ummu Habeebah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was greatly grieved over the demise of her beloved father (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), as soon as the three day mourning-period terminated, she immediately applied perfume to make it clear that she was no longer in mourning. This highlights the manner in which the lives of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) completely conformed to the laws of sharee‘ah in all aspects. Furthermore, as they were responsible for conveying Deen to the Ummah, they ensured that they clearly showed us the boundaries of Deen. 2. Today if a message makes its rounds on social media saying that there is a special on plane tickets, so many people will flock to the site that in many cases, the server crashes and the site goes offline. Ironically, many of these people had no intention to travel until they became aware that tickets were going cheap. Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), on the other hand, were not motivated by holidays, touring, shopping and entertainment. Rather, their motivation was Jannah. Hence, when they heard of the immense reward for punctually performing the Sunnah salaah – or any other good deed – they immediately brought it into practice and remained steadfast upon it until their demise.