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The Islamic Bulletin
Issue 2
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The Islamic Bulletin
Issue 2
T
reatment
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) also occasionally suggested various
kinds of treatments to his companions when they fell ill.
There is a long list of medicines and treatments which the Proph-
et (S.A.W.) suggested from time to time to his companions. Some
of the important medicines and treatments are given below.
O
ral
M
edicine
Honey
The Prophet (pbuh) recommended the use of honey for a great
many illnesses.
Ibn Abbas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “There is a
remedy in three things and one of them is honey.”
Abu Hurairah reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone
licks honey three mornings every month, he will not be afflicted
with any serious trouble.”
Abdullah bin Masud reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Make
use of the two remedies - honey and the Qur’an.”
Abu Said Al-Khudri said that a man came to the Prophet (pbuh)
and told him that his brothers’ bowels were loose, so God’s
Messenger told him to give him honey.
He did so and came back and said, “I gave it to him but it has
only made his bowels more loose.”
This he said three times, and when he came a fourth time and
was told to give him honey he said, “I have done so, but it has
only increased the looseness.”
God’s Messenger replied, “God has spoken the truth and your
brother’s bowels have lied.” He then gave him honey and he
recovered.
Recent research has shown that honey is useful to cure many
diseases. It is especially effective for heart disease patients and
for common colds. It also helps in blood and skin diseases and
is very useful for the eyes. It can help in digestion.
Its ingredients show that it is a very useful medicine and can be
useful in three ways: (a) as good nourishment; (b) as a preventive
measure and (c) as a medicine for various kinds of diseases.
Its ingredients are: calcium, sulphur, phosphorous, iron, carbon,
magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorine and iodine.
Abu Hurairah reported God’s Messenger (pbuh) as saying, “Ni-
gella seed is a remedy for every disease but As-Sam (i.e. death).”
Salama said that God’s Messenger (pbuh) never had a wound or
bleeding foot without ordering her to put henna on it.”
S’ad told of hearing God’s Messenger (pbuh) say, “He Who has
a morning meal of seven ajwa dates (good quality Medinah
dates) will not suffer harm that day through poison or magic.”
A’isha reported God’s Messenger (pbuh) as saying, “The ajwa
dates of Al-Aliya (a village near Medinah) contain healing, and
they are an antidote taken first thing in the morning.”
Siyam is one of the main pillars of Islam. It is mentioned in the Holy
Qur’an,
“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you, as it was
prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint.”
(Quran 2:183)
Based upon theQur’an, it has been the consensus of Muslims through-
out history that a Muslim who rejects the legitimacy of Siyam rejects
Islam as well. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said about the sig-
nificance of the month of Ramadan: “A great month, a blessed month,
containing a night which is better than a thousandmonths. The Almighty
has appointed the observance of fasting during it as an obligatory duty,
and the passing of its nights in prayer as voluntary practice. If someone
draws near to The Almighty during it with some good act, he will be like
onewho fulfills an obligatory duty in another month, and hewho fulfills
an obligatory duty in it will be like one who fulfills seventy obligatory
duties in another month.”
A quote from another Hadith states: “The month of Ramadan is the
month of endurance and the reward for endurance is paradise. It is
a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness and
whose end is freedom from hell.”
Significance of Ramadan
Like any other injunctions of Islam, the benefits of the Ramadan are
not limited purely to either “spiritual” or “temporal” elements of life.
In Islam, the spiritual, social, economic, political, and psychological all
intermingle in a consistent and cohesive whole. For convenience of
presentation, however, the significance of Siyam (fasting) is discussed
under four sub-headings: social, physical, spiritual and psychological.
Social Elements
1) Fasting promotes the spirit of unity and belonging within the Muslim
Ummah (Nation). Millions of Muslims all over the world fast during the
same month following the same rules and observances.
2) Fasting promotes the spirit of human equality before The Almighty. All
Muslimsmale and female, rich and poor, fromall ethnic backgrounds go
through the same experience of deprivation with no special privileges
for any group or class.
3) Fasting promotes the spirit of charity and sympathy towards the poor
and needy. A rich person may be able to “imagine” the suffering of the
poor or “think” about hunger. This may explain, in part, why Ramadan
is also known as the month of charity and generosity.
4) Fasting also promotes the Islamic form of sociability. Muslims are
urged to invite others to break the fast with them at sunset, to gather for
the Qur’anic study, prayer and visitations. This provides spiritual atmo-
sphere and better chance for socialization in a brotherly and spiritual
atmosphere. Hazrat Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani (R.A.A.) relates that the
Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Anybody who offers meal for the breaking
of the fast of another person earns the same merit as the one who was
observing the fast without diminishing in any way the recompense of
the fasting person. (Tirmizi and said this is sound and good). Hazrat
Umm ‘Ammarah Al-Ansaria (R.A.A.) relates that once the Holy Prophet
(S.A.W.) visited her when she placed some food before him. He (S.A.W.)
asked her to eat also. Thereupon she said: I am fasting today. This He
(S.A.W.) remarkedwhen non-fasting persons eat before a fasting person
the angels call for Allah’s mercies upon him till they have finished or he
said, till they have eaten to their satisfaction. (Tirmizi reported this and
said it good). Hazrat AbuHurairah (R.A.A.) relates that theHoly Prophet
(S.A.W.) said: ‘When any of you is asked to join in a meal, he should
accept the invitation. And if he is fasting, he should pray for the host,
and if he is not fasting he should join the host.’ (Muslim)
Medical and Health Aspects
A great deal has been written about the medical and health benefits
of fasting, both by Muslim and non-Muslim scientists. These benefits
include the elimination of harmful fatty substances from the blood
stream, helping cure certain types of intestinal and stomach ailments and
the removal of body tissues. Needless to say that some ailments may
be aggravated by the fasting, in which case, the individual is exempted
from fasting. For those who may be engaged in islamically (medically)
undesirable habits such as overeating or smoking, the self control and
discipline exercised in Ramadan provide an excellent beginning to
“kick” these bad habits.
Spiritual and Moral Elements
1) Fasting above all is an act of obedience and submission to the Al-
mighty. This submission and commitment is based upon the love of The
Almighty and the earnest effort to gain His pleasure and to avoid His
displeasure. Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.A.) says that the Holy Prophet
(S.A.W.) said: “The Almighty andMaster of Honor says: All other actions
of a person are for himself, except the case of his fasting which is exclu-
sively for Me and I shall pay (recompense) for him for the same. The fast
is a shield (against vice and the fire of Hell).” Therefore when anyone
of you is fasting he should abstain from loose talk and avoid verbosity
and noisy exchange of words. If somebody starts abusing him or picks
up a quarrel with him, he should tell him that, ‘I am observing a fast.’
By The Almighty in whose hands is the life of Muhammad (S.A.W.), the
breath of the mouth of one who is fasting is more pleasant in the sight
of The Almighty than the fragrance of musk. A fasting person gets two
kinds of pleasure: firstly he feels pleasure when he breaks his fast, and
secondly he will be joyful by virtue of his fast, when he meets his Lord.
(Bukhari and Muslim) This is the wording of Bukhari.
Another version of Bukhari adds: The Almighty says: The fasting per-
son abstains from food, drink and from satisfying his passion simply
for My sake; as such a fast is undertaken for My sake, I shall grant him
the recompense for this. Other virtuous deeds (done in the month of
Ramadhan) are rewarded ten times.
Imam Muslim’s version says: A man’s good acts are recompensed
many times, from ten times to seven hundred times. Allah the exalted
says: But a fast is an exception because it is undertaken simply for My
sake, (i.e. there is no limit for its recompenses.) I, Alone, shall bestow
the reward for it. (The person who observes a fast) gives up his food,
drink and sensual desires for my sake. For a fasting person there are
two pleasures - firstly; joy when he breaks his fast and secondly another
joy when he meets his Lord. His breath is more pleasant in the sight of
Allah than the fragrance of musk.
2) Fasting is an act of acknowledgment of The Almighty as The Only
Master and The Sustainer of theUniverse. It is only throughHis bounties
that we derive our existence and our sustenance.
3) Fasting is an act of atonement for our errors and mistakes. Hazrat
Abu Sa’eed Khudri (R.A.A.) says that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said:
When a person fasts for a day, for the sake of The Almighty, then The
Almighty drives away the Hell from him to a distance of seventy years
of traveling. (Bukhari and Muslim)
4) Fasting trains the believer in sincerity; unlike other acts of ‘worship’,
it is entirely based on self-restraint.
Psychological Elements
1) It enhances the feelings of inner peace, contentment, and optimism.
These feelings result from the realization of The Almighty’s pleasure.
2) It teaches patience and perseverance and enhances the feeling of
moral accomplishment. Hazrat Aba Hurairah (R.A.A.) related that the
Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: If a person does not refrain from lying and
indecent activities, Allah does not want that he should abstain from
eating and drinking. (Bukhari)
Note: The idea behind this tradition is that backbiting, lying and indecent
activities while fasting lessen the recompense of the fast and decrease its
radiance. Therefore one should shun these things while fasting.
3) Voluntary deprivation of the lawful appetite leads one to appreciate
the bounties of The Almighty which are usually taken for granted (until
they are missed!)
4) For a complete month every year, Muslims go through a different
and exciting experience which breaks the normal routine of life. Not
only can this be refreshing, it also teaches the person to adapt to varying
conditions and circumstances in his/her life.
Q: 1. In what month was the Qur’an sent
down?
Q: 2. Who is the father of Jesus (pbuh)?
Q: 3. How old was the Prophet (pbuh) when
the Qur’an was first revealed to him?
Q: 4. If you were at home and it was time for
Prayer, but the food was brought, should you
pray or eat?
A: In the Holy month of Ramadan.
A: Jesus (A.S.) has no father, because The Almighty created
him like He created Adam (A.S.) without a father.
A: The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was forty years old when
the Qur’an was first revealed to him.
A: Eat first and then pray. If the food is next to you, you
would be thinking about it and not concentrate correctly.
T
he
S
tory of
R
ukaya
(R.A.)
Name and Genealogy
According to a famous tradition, she was the second daughter of
the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). She was born in the 33rd Hijra before
Apostlehood.
Marriage
She was first married to Abu Lahab’s son (‘Utba) which was held
before Apostlehood.
The Holy Prophet’s third daughter, Umm-Kalthum was married to
‘Aitaba Abu Lahab’s second son.
F
asting
(S
iyam
)