اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أعُوذُ بِكَ مِن خَليلٍ ماكِرٍ عَيْنَاهُ تَرَيَاني وقَلْبُهُ يَرْعَانِي، إن رأى حَسَنَةً دَفَنَها، وإن رأى سَيِّئَةً أذَاعَها. اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ البُؤْسِ والتَّبَاؤُسِ. اللَّهُمَّ لا يُدْرِكُني زَمَانٌ ولا يُدْرِكُوْا زَمَاناً لا يُتَّبَعُ فيهِ العِليمُ ولا يُسْتَحْيَى فيهِ مِنَ الحَليمِ قُلُوبُهُم قُلُوبُ الأعَاجِمِ وألسِنَتُهُمْ ألسِنَةُ العَرَبِ

Advices from old doctors

Ibn al-Qayyam wrote at the end of his book (on Tibb-e-Nabawi): Chapter on Precautions

I found it beneficial to conclude this section with a concise yet invaluable chapter on precautions and essential advice to enhance the usefulness of this book. I have chosen to include a passage by Ibn Masawayh from his book The Precautions, as he eloquently stated:

Whoever eats onions for forty days and experiences discomfort, let them blame no one but himself.

وَمَنِ افْتَصَدَ، فَأَكَلَ مَالِحًا فَأَصَابَهُ بَهَقٌ أَوْ جَرَبٌ، فَلَا يَلُومَنَّ إِلَّا نَفْسَهُ

Whoever undergoes FASAD (Fasad is not the Hijamah, it is the bloodletting from veins) and then consumes salty foods, and suffers from vitiligo or mange, let them blame no one but himself.

Whoever combines eggs and fish in his stomach and suffers from paralysis or Bell’s Palsy (Laqwah), let them blame no one but himself.

Whoever enters the bathhouse with a full stomach and experiences paralysis, let them blame no one but himself.

Whoever combines milk and fish in his stomach and develops leprosy, vitiligo, or gout, let them blame no one but himself.

Whoever combines milk and Nabeez in his stomach and suffers from vitiligo or gout, let them blame no one but himself.

Whoever consumes cold boiled eggs and fills his stomach with it, and suffers from asthma, let him blame no one but himself.

Whoever engages in intimacy and does not wait to complete it, and then suffers from stones (in the urinary bladder or kidneys), let them blame no one but himself.

Ibn Yakhtishou’ advised: Beware of combining eggs and fish, as this combination causes colic, hemorrhoids, and tooth pain.

Excessive consumption of eggs leads to facial blemishes. Eating salty foods, salted fish, or FASAD (bloodletting) after a bath causes vitiligo and mange.

Regularly consuming sheep kidneys harms the urinary bladder. Bathing in cold water after eating fresh fish induces paralysis.

Intimacy with a menstruating woman leads to leprosy; engaging in intimacy without completing the act leads to bladder stones. Prolonged sitting in the toilet causes chronic disease.

Reducing harmful things is better than overindulging in beneficial ones.

Maintain health by avoiding laziness and refraining from overfilling with food and drink.

Some wise doctors have said: Whoever desires good health should eat quality food, eat in a clean environment, drink only when truly thirsty, reduce their water intake, lie down to rest after lunch, take a walk after dinner, and avoid sleep until they have relieved themselves. They should avoid entering the bathhouse with a full stomach. Eating dried, salted meat at night hastens death.

Al-Harith ibn Kaldah said: Whoever wishes for long life – though no life is eternal – should eat breakfast early, have dinner early, wear light clothing, and limit intimacy.

He also said: Three things ruin the body: intimacy on a full stomach, entering the bathhouse when full, & eating dried meat.

When Al-Harith was on his deathbed, people gathered around him and asked, “Advise us on something we can adhere to after you.” He said: Eat fruit only when it is ripe; do not seek treatment unless your body can no longer bear the illness; and clean your stomach every month, as this dissolves phlegm, eliminates harmful humors, and encourages muscle growth. After eating, take a short nap, and after dinner, walk forty steps.

A king once said to his physician, “Perhaps you won’t remain with me forever, so give me advice I can follow.” The physician replied: Eat meat only when it’s fresh. Take medicine only when there’s an ailment. Eat fruit only when ripe, and chew your food thoroughly. If you eat during the day, it’s fine to nap, but if you eat at night, walk at least fifty steps before sleeping. Don’t eat until you’re hungry, don’t force intimacy, never hold your urine, and leave the bathhouse before it exhausts you. Don’t eat again if you still have food in your stomach. Avoid foods your teeth can’t chew, as your stomach may struggle to digest them. Each week, induce vomiting to cleanse your body. Blood is a precious reserve in your body; don’t let it until necessary. Visit the bathhouse, as it expels toxins unreachable by medicines.

Imam Al-Shafi'i said: Four things strengthen the body: eating meat, smelling pleasant fragrances, frequent washing (without intimacy), and wearing linen.

Four things weaken the body: excessive intimacy, excessive worry, drinking too much water on an empty stomach, and excessive consumption of sour foods.

Four things strengthen vision: watching the Ka’bah, applying Kohl before sleep, looking at greenery, and keeping one’s environment clean.

Four things weaken vision: looking at filth, observing the crucified, looking at wife’s private parts, and sitting with one’s back to the Qiblah.

Four things increase sexual vitality: eating small birds, الْإِطْرِيفِلِ ~ (a medicinal preparation), Pistachios, and Carob.

Four things enhance intellect (wisdom): avoiding unnecessary speech, using a Miswak (tooth-cleaning stick), spending time with the righteous, and associating with scholars.

Four things wear down the body and may even lead to death: poverty, separation from loved ones, rejecting advice of the righteous, and ignorant people laughing at the wise.

The physician of Caliph Al-Mamoon advised: If a person observes the following practices, they are likely to remain healthy except for the inevitable ailment of death: Do not eat if you still have food in your stomach, avoid foods that are too tough for your teeth to chew, refrain from excessive intimacy as it dims the light of life, avoid bloodletting unless absolutely necessary, and vomit occasionally in the summer to cleanse the body.

Four things harm the body: excessive talking, excessive sleeping, excessive eating, and excessive intimacy. Excessive talking diminishes the brain’s substance, weakens it, and accelerates the onset of gray hair. Excessive sleeping pales the complexion, numbs the heart, irritates the eyes, induces laziness, and increases bodily moisture. Excessive eating harms the stomach lining, weakens the body, creates thick vapors and difficult ailments. Excessive intimacy weakens the body, drains strength, dries the body’s fluids, loosens the nerves, causes blockages, and broadly harms the entire body. Its specific harm to the brain is notable because of the loss of the psychic spirit, weakening the body more than any other form of depletion, as it draws substantially from the essence of the soul.

The most beneficial intimacy is when it aligns with a true desire, with a beautiful, youthful, lawful partner, during the prime of youth, with a warm and moist temperament, after a significant interval, with a mind free of distractions. This should not occur with an overfull or empty stomach, nor following exertion, extreme heat, or cold. Observing these factors can yield great benefits; any neglect can lead to harm accordingly.

Excessive abstinence from food is like carelessness in illness; moderate abstinence is beneficial. Avoid three things and adopt four, and you will not need a doctor. Avoid dust, smoke, and foul odors; instead, embrace fat (nourishing foods), pleasant fragrances, sweets, and the bathhouse.

Anyone with a cold should avoid sleeping on their back, and anyone suffering from sadness should avoid sour foods.

Do not walk quickly after FASAD (bloodletting), as it is life-threatening, and do not vomit if you have eye pain. Avoid excessive meat consumption in the summer, and those with cold fevers should avoid sleeping in the sun.

Do not consume aged and seeded eggplants.

Drinking a cup of hot water each day in winter helps prevent ailments.

Rubbing the body in the bathhouse with pomegranate peels protects against mange and itching.

Eating five lily flowers (Sausan) with a bit of Mastagi Roomi (mastic gum), raw oud, and musk will maintain a strong and healthy stomach throughout one’s life.

Eating watermelon seeds with Honey cleanses kidney stones and relieves burning during urination.

Four things wear down the body: worry, sadness, hunger, and sleeplessness.

Four things bring joy: looking at greenery, observing flowing water, seeing a loved one, and enjoying fruits.

Four things weaken eyesight: walking barefoot, frequently seeing unpleasant or heavy-hearted people, excessive crying, and prolonged focus on fine print (small sized text / fonts that can be difficult to read)

Four things strengthen the body: wearing soft clothing, entering a moderate bathhouse, eating sweet and rich foods, and smelling pleasant fragrances.

Four things dry out the face, draining its vitality and beauty: lying, shamelessness, asking excessive questions without knowledge, and frequent immoral behavior.

Four things increase the glow and radiance of the face: honor, loyalty, generosity, and piety.

Four things invite hatred and resentment: arrogance, envy, lying, and gossiping.

What Brings and Prevents Sustenance

Four things bring sustenance: praying at night, frequently seeking forgiveness in the early dawn, giving charity regularly, and remembering Allah at the beginning and end of the day.

Four things prevent sustenance: sleeping through the early morning, neglecting prayer, laziness, and betrayal.

Effects on Understanding and Memory

Four things harm understanding and memory: excessive consumption of sour foods and sour fruits, sleeping on one’s back, worry, and sorrow.

Four things improve understanding: a calm mind, moderate food and drink intake, well-balanced meals with sweet and nourishing foods, and regularly removing bodily wastes that burden the body.

Factors Affecting Mental Sharpness

Things that harm the mind: frequently eating onions, broad beans, olives, and eggplants; excessive intimacy; solitude; constant worrying; intoxication; excessive laughter; and distress.

A wise person said: “I performed poorly in three different assemblies, and I found no cause for this other than that, on each of those days, I had eaten too much eggplant on one, too many olives on another, and too many broad beans on the third.”

Last words written in the book of Ibn al-Qayyam:

We have presented a summary of both scientific and practical aspects of medicine that are rarely found in one book, along with insights on how they relate closely to religious teachings. The relationship of prophetic medicine to natural medicine is much like the relationship between the medicine of the wise to that of the common people.

The reality surpasses what we have described here, yet the points mentioned offer a glimpse of the wisdom beyond. For those whom Allah has not granted insight into these details, let them recognize the distinction between the divinely supported knowledge granted to the prophets; knowledge that comes through WAHEE (revelation); and the understanding and perception granted uniquely to them, compared to what others possess.

Someone might ask, “What connection does the guidance of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ has to this field, to the mention of the properties of medicines, principles of treatment, and matters of health management?”

Such a question reveals a lack of understanding on the part of the questioner regarding what the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ brought. Indeed, this guidance and far beyond it, many times over, is part of understanding what our beloved Prophet conveyed. His guidance, his indications, and his clear understanding from Allah and His angel (Jibreel) are gifts that Allah bestows upon whomever He wills among His servants.

Chapter

We have shown you that the foundations of medicine are present in the Qur’an. How can one deny that the guidance brought by the Messenger—intended for the betterment of both this world and the Hereafter; also includes guidance on maintaining bodily health, just as it includes guidance on the health of the heart? The teachings guide towards preserving health and preventing illnesses through general principles, leaving the details to sound intellect and natural intuition, using analogies, hints, and allusions—just as is done in many branches of Islamic jurisprudence. Do not be of those who reject something simply because they do not understand it. If a person was granted deep knowledge of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and a full understanding of the texts and their implications, he would find within it all he needs and could derive all true sciences from it.

All sciences revolve around knowledge of Allah, His commandments, and His creation, and this knowledge has been entrusted to the Prophets, peace be upon them. They are the most knowledgeable of Allah’s creation about Him, His commandments, His creation, and the wisdom of His creation and commands.

The medicine practiced by their followers is more accurate and beneficial than that of others. And the medicine of the followers of their seal and master, Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, is the most complete, accurate, and beneficial. Only someone who knows the medicine of others and then compares it will recognize the difference. His followers are the most sound in intellect, nature, and knowledge, and closest to truth in all matters because they are God’s chosen people among nations, just as their Messenger is His chosen one among Prophets. The knowledge, patience, and wisdom God granted them is unmatched by any other people.

وَقَدْ رَوَى الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ فِي مُسْنَدِهِ : مِنْ حَدِيثِ بَهْزِ بْنِ حَكِيمٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَنْتُمْ تُوفُونَ سَبْعِينَ أُمَّةً أَنْتُمْ خَيْرُهَا وَأَكْرَمُهَا عَلَى اللَّهِ

Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad, from the hadith of Bahz ibn Hakim, from his father, from his grandfather (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said, "You complete [the line of] seventy nations; you are the best of them and the most honored in the sight of Allah."

This divine honor has manifested in the knowledge, intellect, patience, and natural disposition of this nation. They were presented with the knowledge, intellect, actions, and ranks of the nations before them, which only increased them in wisdom, patience, and intelligence, in addition to what Allah, the Most High, had already granted them from His own knowledge and wisdom. These are subtle truths and realities whose depth is known only to those with sound understanding, refined intellect, extensive knowledge, and an awareness of what others possess. And with Allah lies all success.