Ibraheem Menk – How To Eat Islamically
AI: Summary ©
The importance of healthy eating and reducing one's risk of health conditions is emphasized. It is crucial for individuals to ensure their daily habits are aligned with their needs, avoiding junk food and drinking. The speaker emphasizes the need for individuals to ensure their health and well-being, including avoiding extreme eating and drinking. The importance of fasting to control hunger and prevent future health problems is also emphasized, along with the need to change behavior and lifestyle to avoid becoming " um admits."
AI: Summary ©
But eating crisps and chocolates and sweets all
day every day is not healthy for you.
It will lead you to a lot of
problems. Allah said halal first. So we try
to ensure most of us will make sure.
We know where the chicken is being slaughtered.
We know that it is halal, what we
are eating.
Food
is something that we partake of on a
daily basis.
It either strengthens the body
or it weakens the body.
It depends on what we consume and how
we consume it.
And often times we don't realize that Islam
has more to say about food than we
know.
Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam says,
There is no vessel that is worse than
the stomach that a son of Adam can
fill.
Meaning, if you have a container,
there is no container that you can fill
that is worse than the belly. Does this
mean that the stomach is evil? No. What
is meant is that if you fill that
stomach to the top
until you can't eat anymore,
then that is an evil act. That is
bad. That is condemned in Islam. Why?
It is enough for the son of Adam
to eat
a few morsels of food that keep his
back upright
that keep his back upright.
I'd like I'd like us to take note
of the wording of Rasulullah
What does he say?
It is enough
for the son of Adam to have a
few morsels of food that keep his back
upright.
When you eat less,
you are active. Your back is upright strong
and you are able to work. You achieve.
And your desire is not heightened.
Why? Because when a person's dis when a
person's stomach is full, then his desire is
heightened.
And naturally,
that becomes the pursuit.
After that is attained and achieved, then a
person doesn't want to engage in any other
tasks. Why? Because I've achieved everything that I
need. So chemically your body is telling you
that you are okay.
You are full.
Your thirst is quenched
and
your desire is fulfilled.
You don't need to pursue anything.
So the chemical
that is responsible
to keep you running after
your
worldly
requirements,
the dunya.
And keep you worshiping Allah
Allah with pleasure, seeking His pleasure.
That chemical is now flooded in your brain
and you feel as though there is no
need to pursue anything.
So this topic of food has more to
do with Islam and Islam has spoken about
it much more than we know. What do
we usually hear people saying? We hear them
saying that a third, a third, and a
third. But what did the hadith start with?
The Hadith started with
It is enough for the son of Adam
to have a few morsels of food that
keep his back upright.
And then the hadith says,
And so if he must have more than
that, those few morsels of food,
so then it will be a third for
food.
And a third for drink.
And a third for air. That is the
maximum
that you should fill your belly to. The
maximum
is a third, a third, and a third.
But you begin with a few morsels of
food.
You see,
this hadith is interesting as well. Because if
we take a look at what happens when
a person eats too much,
then you find except with the exception of
those who have a medical condition.
Generally, you find that a person's stomach
Sorry you are disturbing us. Please please sit
down.
Excuse me.
Excuse me. You are disturbing us. Please sit
down. Kindly sit down.
BarakAllahu Fik.
So,
if you have just
enough
then it keeps your back upright.
It keeps your back upright.
What happens when you eat a little bit?
Your stomach doesn't protrude
and you suffer from less back problems.
What happens when a person's stomach protrudes?
Why is it that an expecting woman
has problems with her back? Because there's an
imbalance in the weight. So the front of
the body is carrying too much. It's too
heavy. So the back supports it and has
problems.
When you have too much of a belly,
what happens?
You find you start to have back problems.
Little did we know
that the hadith of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
speaks about this. So,
the food
can actually be a medicine
and it can be a poison. They say
that eat your food like medicine.
Eat your food like medicine in small quantities
or you shall eat medicine like food.
You will have to consume
medicine in large quantities.
Why? Because now I've got this problem and
I've got that problem and I've got that
problem. You know, one doctor once told me
that
That spending
1 dinar, 1 a few a small amount,
a poultry amount, a few dollars and a
few coins,
in protecting yourself
is better than spending a treasure.
A huge amount of money when it comes
to treating the ailment. What does that mean?
You eat less.
You have less problem
less problems, less health conditions
and you will not have to spend a
huge amount on your medical bills and your
hospital bills.
So
prevention
is better than cure. And Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam taught this to us.
O people eat that which is halal and
good. Allah
never said eat that which is halal and
stop. But He said that which is halal
and good which means it is your responsibility
to ensure that your body is being nourished
with something good.
Junk food is known as junk food because
it makes the body
ill.
It causes problems. Why do they call it
junk food? Because if you consume it in
limited quantities at certain times, it is okay.
But eating crisps and chocolates and sweets all
day every day is not healthy for you.
It will lead you to a lot of
problems. Allah said halal first. So we try
to ensure most of us will make sure.
We know where the chicken is being slaughtered.
We know that it is halal, what we
are eating. But when it comes
to tayr, that which is pure, that which
is good, that is the part that we
are lacking in. So there are 2 things.
1st, how much you fill your stomach to?
Are you going to have that 3rd, that
3rd, and that 3rd? Or are you going
to fill it up even beyond that? Or
will you follow the Sunnah
and the correct way
and the Islamic way and have a few
morsels of food that keep your back upright?
Have a few morsels of food that keep
your back upright. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
would come out of his home experiencing
hunger.
This was not in Ramadan.
This was not when he was fasting.
He comes out and he's experiencing
hunger and he finds
Abu Bakr and Omar
out in the streets looking for the same.
They're looking for something to eat. A few
more souls of food. He would feel so
hungry
that he would tie a rock,
a stone to his belly in order to
quell the hunger. This was Rasulullah
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. The most beloved of creation
to Allah
Did he fill his stomach all the time?
No. He he could have. He had access
to wealth. He had a lot of wealth
passing through his hands. But what did he
choose to do? Being minimalistic
when it comes to the dunya.
Eat as much as is necessary.
Drink as much as is necessary.
And have of this dunya as much as
is necessary. In fact, some deprivation
is good for you. Some deprivation
is good for you and that is why
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commanded us
fast 30 days.
Fast 30 days of the year. Had we
not been commanded to fast 30 days of
the year, some of us would have never
fasted in our lives. Some of us would
have never experienced hunger in our lives. Why?
Because the moment my stomach is grumbling,
what do I do? I rush to go
and eat. And if I don't eat, a
hungry man is an angry man as they
say. He becomes angry and he shouts and
he fights. No.
That is when when you are fasting you
are meant to control yourself. Why?
That's a lesson for you. And this hunger
can be a tool that you can use
to drive your life forward.
This idea
of eating 3 meals a day and being
full and satiated all the time is not
an Islamic idea.
In Islam we are taught to eat when
we are hungry and we are taught to
stop eating before we are full. In fact
Aisha
says when she saw some people with pot
bellies after Rasulullah salallahu alaihi wasallam, what did
she say? Says this is the first bida
in Islam.
We never saw the companions of Rasulullah salallahu
alaihi wa sallam at his time with these
bellies,
with this you know huge belly. Now, yes
it is difficult.
Yes it is hard when you have this
array of food in front of you. But
the next time you choose to indulge,
remind yourself
that
this has consequences.
Short term and long term consequences. And if
I choose to rein myself in, not only
will I feel better, but I will be
able to further my goals in life
better. And at the same time, I will
be following the sunnah of Rasulullah salallahu alaihi
wa sallam, and pleasing Allah
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala did not stop us
from eating, and He did not stop us
from drinking, but He regulated
it.
And eat and drink and don't be extravagant.
Don't be extravagant.
Don't go to the extreme when it comes
to food.
Eat as much as you need to eat.
Drink as much as you need to drink,
but don't go to the extreme.
Allah does not love those who are extreme.
Allah does not love those who go to
an extreme. That is what the Ayah tells
you. So,
dear brothers and sisters in Islam, we really
need to look into our lives and say,
are we
eating to live or are we living
to eat? That's a question that we need
to ask ourselves. And if as a community
we find that the Muslims are all engaged
in only eating, drinking their desires and that's
all they care about.
How will then we
develop an Ummah
that can defend itself? An Ummah that can
stand up for itself? An Ummah that will
actually respond
to those who attack us
and those who come after. We are too
busy
eating, drinking,
pursuing our desires.
So at that point
we can talk and pay lip service. You
know what I would have done if I
was in this place and that place, my
brother. You can't even control the number of
the morsels of food that go into your
mouth. How are you going to control and
defend the Ummah of Rasulullah salallahu alaihi wa
sallam? Are you so sure about your claims?
Are you so sure about your claims? You
see why we say the Ummah is a
unit?
Is a huge
community that is made up of units.
And when we change
as an individual,
we change those around us as well. They
notice the change, they become stronger. And as
a community, the ummah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam, We become stronger.
But we it has to start within.
Indeed Allah will not change that which you
is within a people.
Until they change that which is within themselves.
If you cannot control
your
love for that coca cola,
then how are you going to change the
ummah of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam?
How are you going to stand up and
defend your brother and sister when they are
being attacked? And wallahi,
Islam is under attack across the globe. So
it starts within.
It starts at an individual level. And then
we grow as a whole. You find there
is change. There is development. There is unity,
there is goodness. Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
then brings about that change based on our
actions. We must change to receive goodness. May
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the ability
to control our food. And may he grant
us the ability
to
control how much we consume of it and
what we consume of it. And may he
grant us the ability to put halal into
our mouths. One last time.
One last point.
When your
food is pure
and your food is good,
then you will find a clear
consequence,
for lack of a better word. You will
find a clear
course of action. You will see something happening
in your life. And what is that?
You will notice that when you raise your
hands to Allah
your dua will be responded to.
Make your food pure.
You will be a person who is responded
to. There's a another aspect that we haven't
addressed today, but Insha'Allah
one day we will.
It is to do with the source of
your income as well. If it's dubious,
don't ever expect goodness from Allah.
May Allah
protect us from haram wealth. And may Allah
purify
that which goes into our mouths. I didn't
mean this to be an attack against anyone,
but it is an important topic that we
should address, that we are all guilty of
engaging in at times. May Allah
forgive us and strengthen us.