By Dr Mohammed Abid Yusuf

7th May 2018

With Ramadan fast approaching, the title of this talk was a fortuitous one: Nutrition, Lifestyle and Islam. Making the wrong culinary choice is commonplace in Muslim households during Ramadan and outside of it, so this talk covered the importance of certain foodstuffs and interventions, as advised by the Prophet (ﷺ), which provide added value to a person’s health and well-being, both preventing disease as well as treating it.

The speaker, Dr Muhammad Shareef, is a Consultant Neurologist at Colchester Hospital, and is well versed in Islamic Medicine as detailed in the Quran and Hadeeth.

He covered the need to lead a healthy existence, and the Prophetic advice of using only a third of one’s stomach for food and leaving the rest for water and air is a fundamental part of this. The Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have said, ‘The worst container that a person can fill is his stomach.’

In terms of food that provides health benefits, he made mention of the pomegranate, and a narration advising that every pomegranate contains one seed from Jannah. Sayyidunaa Ali (رضي الله عنه) is reported to have ensured that no seed of the pomegranate went to waste in order to gain the blessing of this chosen seed. Research has shown the pomegranate to contain a number of constituents such as antioxidants which are beneficial for health.

Olives come from a blessed tree (‘shajarah mubaarakah’) and olive oil is mentioned in the verse of Surah Noor where Allah describes His Divine Light, where the oil is almost incandescent due to its properties. The various benefits of this oil were also mentioned.

There are three types of honey depending on where the bees have nested, as this will have a bearing on the nectar used in the honey making process. The aayah in Surah Nahl says, ‘And your Lord revealed to the honey bee to take homes in the mountains, the trees and on the ground’.

The next aayah advises, ‘It contains a cure for Mankind.’

As for the black seed, the Hadeeth states, ‘The black seed contains the cure for every ailment except death.’

Quince is a fruit that did not grow in the Arabian peninsula, but the Prophet (ﷺ) was familiar with its beneficial properties.

Dr Shareef advised that eating a slice of quince in the morning will keep a person satiated until lunch, and there are other benefits to this fruit.

A form of treatment used by the Prophet (ﷺ) was cupping (hijaamah). There are specific areas of the body where it can be particularly beneficial, such as the back of the head.

During the spirited Q&A session at the end, a question arrived about milk. Milk is mentioned in the Quran as palatable for the drinkers (لبناً سائغاً للشاربين). In his own experience, Dr Shareef has found that  many of those with a weak swallowing reflex due to a neurological defect or old age can still drink milk.

Dates were also mentioned; there is value in eating seven dates each morning, and عجوة (‘ajwah) holds particular virtue.

The session carried a great many lessons for all present, along with practical advice that we could all bring into our daily lives. May Allah reward Dr Shareef for delivering this illuminating talk and may He continue to benefit the Ummah with his knowledge. Ameen.