A healthy body and mind has many health benefits. It helps us maintain a healthy weight, prevents diseases, gives us energy and improves our performance. We all know this. But are we aware of the Real Health Benefits of having a healthy body and mind ?
Did I make you roll your eyes ?
Let’s find out
Were you able to get up this morning and offer your morning prayer / Fajr salah with full concentration?
Congratulations.
You performed an act of worship / Ibaadah effectively and made Allah happy.
Were you able to get up and prepare a healthy breakfast for your family with full vigour and energy?
Congratulations.
You made your family happy. You performed an act of Ibaadah effectively.
Yes. Exactly. Ibaadah is not just about worshipping Allah.
Its also taking care of your family.
Just as praying five times Salah, Making Dua’a, fasting, performing Hajj are acts of worship, in the same way taking care of your family, earning a halaal income for them, staying active and attractive for your spouse, enjoying a physical activity with your family, attending your child’s school function, studying well to get good grades are also acts of Ibaadah.
You need to have a healthy body and mind to be able to perform your Salah with full concentration, to be able to make Dua’a to Allah swt, to be able to fast, to be able to perform hajj and pay zaka’t effectively. Allah is pleased with you and you come closer to Him.
In the same way, you need to be healthy – physically and mentally to be able to go to work and fulfil your family’s needs and keep them happy. At the same time it gives you the joy of being able to provide for your family and makes you feel worthwhile.
Staying healthy keeps you active and attractive for your spouse. When your spouse sees your efforts to stay fit and beautiful for him, his love and respect grows for you. He is getting your attention and he doesn’t feel the need to seek pleasure elsewhere.
With health, you are able to engage in physical activities with your family. Taking part in sports activities with family such as hiking, swimming or running is fun and a great opportunity to improve the bond between them.
You are full of energy, you look and feel your best to go to see your child perform on the stage for the first time in school. No other joy is greater for a child to see his parent’s excitement while he performs. He will never forget that moment in his life when his parents were applauding and screaming and jumping with joy watching him. That could be the moment when you sowed the seeds of confidence inside your child for good.
Being active and healthy helps you concentrate better and perform well in studies. A parents joy is beyond compare seeing their children earn good grades. All this leads to a happy family life.
Being Unhealthy is a BIG Loss
Imagine the situation where you are too tired and sleepy to get up early in the morning to pray. Will Allah be happy with you?
Imagine you are not healthy to take the pressures at work and are not as productive as you should be.
Its not very pleasant or your spouse when you are not able to spend some happy moments with him because of your sluggishness.
Imagine you not being able to cook for your family, you can’t stand for long or are sick in bed and you have to take the help of your maid to do the cooking, to drop your kids to school.
Imagine you are so physically unfit that you have lost all motivation to engage in sports activities with your family. You either are not present there or you become just a spectator at a distant and miss having fun and being close to them.
Imagine you are too sluggish to go to your child’s school to see him or her perform on stage. We don’t realise but that is the most hurtful moment for your child seeing other parents cheering for their children and not finding his own.
Imagine you are too tired to concentrate in your studies and not get those grades. What would be the outcome of all this? Will your family be happy? Will you be happy knowing that your family is unhappy with you?
These are just a few examples of Ibaadah/worship. Every other Ibaadah in our life involves our body and mind.
A successful Ibaadah is directly related to a healthy body and mind. When you are healthy and active, you improve your Ibaadah and enjoy the benefits of a happy life in this world. Guess what, all this doesn’t end here. By improving your Ibaadah in this world you are making Allah happy. And when Allah is happy with you He promises you a beautiful Aakhirah. That means your rewards of maintaining your health is not limited to this world but is forever. Because Aakhirah is our final destination and will be ours forever. Why not make it a good one by taking care of our health?
As a busy mother, wife, daughter you are spending most of your time taking care of your home, family, work and studies. In the midst of all this your body gets neglected. It doesn’t get proper food, proper rest and the necessary physical activities it needs to stay healthy. Knowingly or unknowingly you are misusing your body leaving it tired, weak, exhausted and burnt out. Your health deteriorates, worsening your overall performance with every passing day.
If a woman is healthy she can take care of her family, home and work better. These too are acts of worship which cant be neglected and must be an enjoyable experience for a woman.
Your responsibilities of this life will never stop. You have to face them each day and you must do your best not to neglect them. So why not make these responsibilities an enjoyable experience by staying healthy ?
You must also not forget that you have a responsibility towards your body too. Its time for you to give your body its due. After all, you don’t want your body to testify against you on the Day of Judgement.
Allah says in Surat Al-Takathir, Verse 8 – “Then, on that Day, you shall be asked about the delight.”
Allah will ask us on the Day of Judgement about all the blessings that He has given us in this life. Amongst those blessings will include our good health and our food and drink.
So take action now. Eat healthy, get involved in physical activities and sleep well. Switch to a healthy lifestyle and make your life worthwhile. Your situation will never change if you don’t change. Allah says in Surat Al Ra’d 13:11 Quran – ‘Allah will not change the situation of people until they change what is in themselves’.
Its amazing that Allah made it obligatory on us to take care of our body and not to misuse it. Not because it will benefit Allah in any away but so that we can improve our Ibaadah and enjoy this life as well as have a beautiful Aakhirah for ourselves. Subhan Allah
No doubt our success lies in two things – Our efforts and Allah’s help. Make healthy changes in your life and enjoy the benefit of this world and the Hereafter.
Start now. Its never too late. I pray that Allah reward you in your efforts with the joys of both the worlds. Aameen.
