Regarding His (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) Guidance in Preserving Health

So He   instructed them to put in their bodies the food and drink which would sustain them, rather than eating and drinking excessively which is just excreted, and that the amount and the quality of it be should sufficient to benefit the body, so preservation of health is enshrined within these two words (i.e. quantity and quality). And because health and wellbeing are among the greatest of blessings - indeed general wellbeing is without exception the greatest of blessings - it is only fitting that you should preserve it.


This is why the Prophet   said:


"There are two blessings which many people lose: Health and free time (for doing good deeds) ." [2]



And it is reported by At-Tirmidhi and others in a Marfu' form:

"Whoever enjoyed good health in his body and safety among his people and had enough food for the day, it is as if he had gained possession of the whole world" [3]


Also narrated by At-Tirmidhi in a Marfu' form is the Hadeeth:

"The first blessing about which the slave will be asked on the Day of Resurrection is that it will be said to him: "Did We not give you a healthy body? And did We not give you cold water to drink?" [4]


Due to this, some of the Salaf said regarding the Words of Allah:


That it (the delight) refers to health.

And Ahmad has narrated in a Marfu' form:


"Ask Allah for certainty and well-being, for no one is given anything better after certainty than well-being." [6]


So he   has combined well-being in the Religion with wellbeing in worldly matters.

And in 'Sunan An-Nasa'i', it is reported in a Marfu' form:

Ask Allah for forgiveness, health and well-being, for no one is given anything after certainty better than well-being." [7]

These three things include removal of past evils by forgiveness, present evils by health and future evils by maintaining well-being.

It was not the custom of the Prophet  to restrict himself to one type of food, because that is harmful, even if it is the best of food. Instead, he used to eat what was customary among the people of his land.

Anas   said: liThe Messenger of Allah   never disparaged any food. If it appealed to him, he would eat it and if it did not, he would leave it."[8] Whenever a person eats a food which he does not like, it is more harmful than beneficial to him.

He   used to love meat (i.e. mutton) and his favourite part was the leg and the front portion of the sheep, because that is lighter and more quickly digested.

He also used to like sweets and honey; and meat, sweets and honey are among the most beneficial foods.

He would eat all of the fruits available in his land whenever they arrived and that is one of the ways of maintaining good health, because Allah, Most Glorified, in His Wisdom has placed fruits in every land which are a means of preserving the health of its people. And in most cases, when a person avoids eating fruit due to fear of illness, one finds that he is the sickest of people in body.






[1] Surah Al-A'raf 7:31
[2] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Ahmad.
[3] Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, on the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn Mihsan Al-Ansari, it contains in its Sanad 'Amr Ibn Malik, who is declared weak by a number of scholars, including Abu Hatim Ar-Razi, Ibn 'Adi and others. It also contains one Salamah Ibn 'Ubaidillah, who is unknown, according to Imam Ahmad.
[4] Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, on the authority of Abu Hurairah   
[5] Surah At-Takathur 102:8
[6] Narrated by Imam Ahmad, on the authority of Abu Bakr   
[7] Narrated by An-Nasa'i, in "Amal Al-Yawmi Wal-Lailah'.
[8] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud and Ahmad, on the authority of Abu Hurairah    not Anas   as the author says.


To continue Insha Allah

And it has been authentically reported from him   that he said:

"I do not eat while leaning." [1]


And he    said:

"I sit only as the slave sits, and I eat as the slave eats." [2]

Leaning or supporting one's weight (Ittika') has been explained as meaning to sit cross-legged and it has been explained as meaning to lean on something and it has been explained as meaning to lean on one side. All three of these are considered Ittika'.

He used to eat with three fingers and that is the most beneficial way to eat. He used to drink honey mixed with cold water.

And it has been authentically reported from him that he prohibited drinking in a standing position and it has been authentically reported from him that he commanded one who did so to vomit it out. [3] And it has been authentically reported from him that he drank while standing [4]and so it was said that the prohibition was abrogated and it was said that this made it clear that the prohibition was not one of Tahreem [5] and it was said that he drank standing out of necessity.

He used to take three breaths when drinking and he said:

"It is more thirst-quenching, healthier and more wholesome."

That is, it is better to quench the thirst, healthier in that it frees one from thirst and more nourishing for the body when it enters it, and it mixes with it easily and is tastier and more beneficial, as in Allah's Words:

فَكُلُوهُ هَنِيئًا مَّرِيئًا

"Take it, and enjoy it without fear of any harm (as Allah has made it lawful)."[6]

That is, delight in the result of it and enjoy the taste of it.

And At-Tirmidhi has narrated from the Prophet :saws:that he said:

Do no not drink in one breath as the camel does, but drink in two or three breaths and mention Allah's Name when you drink and praise and thank Him when you finish. "[7]

And it is authentically reported from the Prophet :saws:that he said:

"Cover the drinking vessels and tie the waterskins, for there is a night in the year when a pestilence descends and it does not pass over any vessel without a cover or any waterskin which is not tied except that some of that disease goes into it." [8]

Al-Laith Ibn Sa'd, one of the narrators said: "The non-Arabs in our community protect themselves against that night in Kanun Al-Awwal." [9]

And it has been authentically reported from him :saws:that he ordered vessels to be covered even if it be only with a stick. [10]

And it has been authentically reported from him   that he ordered his Companions (Radhi Allahu Anhum) to mention Allah's Name when covering vessels and tying waterskins and he prohibited them from drinking from the mouth of the waterskin [11] and from breathing and blowing into the water vessel and from drinking from cracked or chipped cups.[12]

He   would not refuse perfume [13]and he said:

"Whoever is offered Raihan, he should not refuse it, because it is light to carry and it has a pleasant odour."[14]

And in Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i' s version:

"Whoever is offered perfume.''


In Al-Bazzar's 'Musnad', it is reported from him   that he said:

"Verily, Allah is Good and He loves that which is good and He is Clean and He loves cleanliness and He is Kind and He loves kindness and He is Generous and He loves generosity, so clean your doorways and your courtyards and do not imitate the Jews whoever collect their rubbish in their houses."[15]

And regarding perfume, one special characteristic of it is that the angels like it and the devils flee from it and good souls love good souls and evil souls love evil souls, so:

الْخَبِيثَاتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ وَالْخَبِيثُونَ لِلْخَبِيثَاتِ ۖ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ وَالطَّيِّبُونَ لِلطَّيِّبَاتِ

"Bad statements are for bad people (or bad women for bad men} and bad people for bad statements (or bad men for bad women). Good statements are for good people (or good women for good men) and good people for good statements (or good men for good women)." [16]

And although this may refer to men and women, it also includes deeds and words, foods and drinks, clothing and odours, either based upon the generality of its wording or by the generality of its meaning.








[1] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud, Ahmad and Ad-Darimi, on the authority of Abu Juhaifah  
[2] Narrated by Abu Ash-Shaikh, on the authority of ' A'ishah   it contains in its Sanad one 'Ubaidullah Ibn Al-Waleed Al-Wassafi, who is weak, according to Imam Ahmad, Yahya Ibn Ma'een and others.
[3] Narrated by Muslim and Ad-Darimi.
[4] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, An-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Ahmad.
[5] Tahreem: Strict forbiddance.
[6] Surah An-Nisa' 4:4
[7] Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas :radiyallahuanhit contains in its Sanad one Yazeed Ibn Sinan Al-Jazari, who is described as weak by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and Yahya Ibn Ma' een.
[8] Narrated by Muslim and Ibn Majah, on the authority of Jabir Ibn 'Abdillah  
[9] Kanun Al-Awwal: December.
[10] Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Jabir Ibn 'Abdillah  
[11]Narrated by Al-Bukhari, on the authority of Abu Hurairah  
[12] Narrated by Abu Dawud on the authority of Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri   it contains in its chain of narrators one Qurrah Ibn 'Abdir-Rahman, who is described as weak by Yahya Ibn Ma' een, Ibn Hibban, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and others.
[13] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik  
[14] Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawu, An-Nasa'i and Ahmad, on the authority of Abu Hurairah  
[15] Also narrated by At-Tirmidhi, on the authority of Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas , it contains in its Sanad one Khalid Ibn Ilyas, who is abandoned in Hadeeth, according to scholars.
[16] Surah An-Nur 24:26

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