اللهُمّ اهْدِني فيمَن هَدَيْتَ، وعَافِني فيمَن عَافَيْتَ، وتَوَلَّني فيمَن تَولَّيْتَ، وبَارِكْ لي فيمَا أعْطَيْتَ، وقِني شَرَّ ما قَضَيْتَ إنَّك تَقْضي ولا يُقْضَى عليكَ، إنَّهُ لا يَذِلُّ مَن واليْتَ ولا يَعِزُّ مَن عَادَيْتَ تبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنا وتَعَاليْتَ، فلَكَ الحَمْدُ على ما قَضَيْتَ، نَسْتَغْفِرُكَ ونَتُوبُ إليكَ، وصلَّى الله عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحمَّدٍ النبيِّ الأمِّيِّ وعَلى آلِهِ وصَحْبِهِ وسِلَّمَ

Prophet’s Guidance on Physical Activity

Guidance of Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam while busy and while free is the most perfect.

It is a fact that human's body relies on food and drink for its survival. But not all of the food and nourishment is digested when consumed. Rather, a part of it remains, and as time goes by, these substances accumulate in various qualities and quantities in the body. These accumulations harm the body because they cause clogs in different vessels and make the body feel heavy. If one gets rid of these substances by extracting them with medication, the body may be harmed because most of these medications are toxic to varying degrees. In fact, the medication also extracts the beneficial substances along with the harmful ones. As for the quality of these substances, the body is harmed when they heat up, spoil, become cold or weaken the natural heat & energy from fully maturating the excessive substances.

The clogs caused by the residual substances are harmful; whether they remain in the body or get extracted. Moving about is one of the best methods to deny these substances the chance to accumulate. Moving heats the organs and dissipates the left over substances, disallowing them from accumulating by the passage of time. The body will get used to being energetic and light through physical activity and would optimize the intake of food, firm up the joints and strengthen the muscles and the ligaments. Moderate physical activity immunizes the body against most ailments and mood changes, provided that the activity is done at the right time and under proper circumstances.

Physical activity should be practiced after one has digested the food. In addition, moderate physical activity is that which gives the cheeks color and which nourishes the body. As for the activity that causes sweat, it is too excessive. Any organ that is used regularly in a type of physical activity will get stronger, especially during enjoyable sports in which the organ is used. Those who practice sports regularly will strengthen their bodies, nourish their memory & will make it stronger. Every organ has its own suitable sport or physical activity. For instance, the chest needs recitation, where one should start speaking with a low tone and then increases the volume of his tone. Hearing needs to hear various sounds and voices, gradually from softer to louder voices. Tongue needs to speak, and the eye needs to see, while the legs need to walk while increasing the pace of walking gradually. Horse riding, archery, wresting and running are the best sports for the whole body. These types of sports dissipate chronic ailments, such as leprosy, dropsy and constipation.

Furthermore, HEART needs a type of sports that entails learning, behaving, and feeling happiness, joy, patience, firmness, courage, forbearing, performing righteous ~ good deeds and so forth. Patience, love, courage and kindness are among the best types of sports or physical activity for the soul ~ inner-self. When the heart learns these types of physical activities little by little, these attributes will firmly reside in the heart and will be characteristic of that person. In short, when you learn the guidance of Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam in this regard, you will realize that it is the most perfect and beneficial and that it preserves good health and power of the body. It is beneficial for the worldly affairs and the Aakhirah (Next Life).

Furthermore, there is no doubt that Salaat ~ Prayer preserves the health of body and helps to dissolve its excessive / residual substances. It preserves FAITH and brings happiness for this life & Aakhirah (hereafter). Standing up in prayer especially at the midnight preserves the health even more. Prayer helps against acute ailments and energizes the body, heart and soul profoundly. In the Sahihain, it is narrated that Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam said:

فى "الصحيحين" عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، أنه قال: "يَعقِدُ الشَّيْطَانُ على قافِيَةِ رأسِ أحَدِكُم إذا هو نامَ ثلاثَ عُقَدٍ، يَضربُ على كُلِّ عُقْدَةٍ: عَلَيْكَ لَيْلٌ طويلٌ، فارقُدْ، فإنْ هو استيقَظ، فذكَرَ اللهَ انحلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فإنْ تَوَضَّأَ، انحلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ ثانيةٌ، فإنْ صَلَّى انحلَّتْ عُقْدُهُ كُلُّهَا، فأصبحَ نشيطاً طَيِّبَ النفْسِ، وإلاَّ أصْبَحَ خَبِيثَ النَّفْسِ كَسْلانَ

"Sheytaan ties three knots at the back of the head of any of you if he is asleep. On every knot, he reads and exhales the following words, "The night is long so stay asleep". When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone. When one performs ablution, the second knot is undone. When one prays, the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good heart in the morning. Otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous heart".

The Islamic commandment of SAUM ~ Fasting also preserves the health and is a type of physical activity for body and soul. No one whose character is not spoiled could ever deny these facts.

As for going out in the path of Allah (Jihaad) and what it entails of various movements and activities, it is one of the best preservers of strength, good health, firmness of the heart and body and extracting unwanted residual substances that accumulate in the body. Jihaad also helps to remove sadness, grief, anguish and depression. Only those who have tasted this cure know these facts. Hajj & performing the rest of its obligations, horse racing, helping other people to achieve their needs and rights, visiting the sick, following funerals, walking to the Masjid to perform Jum'ah & congregational prayers, performing Wazoo (Ablution) and taking a bath all have similar effects and benefits. All the acts that we have mentioned will help preserve the health and aid the body towards the healthy passing of liquid and solid wastes. There is an additional benefit in these acts; as they help acquire the goodness of this life and the Aakhirah (Next Life) and fend off the harms.

Now, you should realize that our beloved Prophet's guidance in all of these principals is the best guidance. His advices are superior regarding the treatment of the heart and the body, preserving their well being and fending off harm from them. There is no more proof for those who have been given the correct Guidance than what we have already mentioned. Indeed, all success comes from Allah Alone.

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