Life, Health & Body : In Context to improvement
Life, Health & Body : In Context to improvement
by Dr.ZiaUllah Zia.... Gojra (Punjab; Pakistan)
drziaullahzia@gmail.com
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Definitely, we do not own our body because we have not made it. We had neither any right to chose our genetic make up, nor to select our predecessors or progeny. We are definitely the work of another Being, Who had created us in the womb of our mothers as He decided Himself:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.
The purple headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning,
That brightens up the sky.
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasent summer sun,
The ripe fruit in the garden,
He made them every one.
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
(Cecil Frances Alexander)
صُنۡعَ اللّٰهِ الَّذِىۡۤ اَتۡقَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍؕ اِنَّهٗ خَبِيۡرٌۢ بِمَا تَفۡعَلُوۡنَ
(The Holy Quran 27:88)
This is the art of Allah, who has beautifully made all the things...... He knows well about what you people do.
The second part of this verse, clearly depicts that human art has also some thing to do relative to the work of God. The late Waheed uddin Khan had once given the example of a cogwheel while describing the relationship of God and man,
اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتّٰى يُغَيِّرُوۡا مَا بِاَنۡفُسِهِمۡؕ
(Quran 13:11)
Indeed, God never ever changes the condition of people until and unless they change themselves.
Same principles are applicable to our body, health and our age. If we change the parameters, the scenario will be changed definitely according to the verse mentioned above.
This relying upon the words of God and performing our activiies accordingly, is known as "Tawwakul توکل" (Confidence), eg confidance that if we change ourselves, our conditions will be changed also.
Disease is a calamity and according to the Holy Quan , all the calamities concerning the human beings are the result of their own misdeeds and mischiefs:
مَاۤ اَصَابَكُمۡ مِّنۡ مُّصِيۡبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتۡ اَيۡدِيۡكُمۡ وَيَعۡفُوۡا عَنۡ كَثِيۡرٍؕ
(42:30)
Every "Museebah" ( calamity ) that occurs to you occurs as a result of your own misdeeds. Whereas (God has made such a system that ) many wrong things are omitted by him (ie not result in a disaster rather diluted in the system of nature).
Quran also calls the phenomenon of death as a "museebah" ( calamity/adversity ):
مُّصِيۡبَةُ الۡمَوۡتِ ؕ (5:6)
"museebah" ( calamity/adversity ) of death
Indeed each and every "museebah" ( calamity/adversity ) occurs only when there is اذن ie permission from God:
مَاۤ اَصَابَ مِنۡ مُّصِيۡبَةٍ اِلَّا بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰهِؕ (Quran 64:11)
No "museebah" ( calamity/adversity ) occurs except with the permission of Allah.
The occurance of each "museebah" ( calamity/adversity ) is not at random but follows some rules, regulations and principles already set & formulated by God. This code of divine principles is known as کتاب (The book):
مَاۤ اَصَابَ مِنۡ مُّصِيۡبَةٍ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا فِىۡۤ اَنۡفُسِكُمۡ اِلَّا فِىۡ كِتٰبٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ نَّبۡـرَاَهَا ؕ (57:22)
Any museebah" ( calamity/adversity ) either on the earth or among you people do not happen (randomly) except that (occurance) is in (accordance to the laws of) a book, early before We reveal that museebah" ( calamity/adversity ).
لِّـكَيۡلَا تَاۡسَوۡا عَلٰى مَا فَاتَكُمۡ وَلَا تَفۡرَحُوۡا بِمَاۤ اٰتٰٮكُمۡؕ (57:23)
(This is just told here) so that you people may not mourn over what is lost, nor get happy over getting some thing. (Because every thing is governed by the book, hence neither losing, nor achievement is permanent. If something is lost that is lost according to the already set rules of action and the same is the case with achievement).
Let us talk in terms of DNA or genes. According to "the book" mentioned above, there are specific laws governing the genetic material.
Consanguineous marriages fail to shuffle genetic material among population and autosomal recessive traits of diseases manifest themselves in the offsprings. By avoiding Consanguineous marriages we can alleviate the occurance of diseases of genetic origin.
Same is the case with life, death and age realted issues. It is obviously written in the genetic material or DNA that how long a person would survive or how long a plant or animal would live. Same as the expiry date is mentioned by the manufactures with the precautions that it should be kept in refrigerator and should be kepr in a cool and dark place. If such precautions are religously and literally followed, the expiry date may be extended for some period. Contrary to that if such instructins are overlooked, the result is that it would get decay early before the expiry date. A plant is destined to live for a limited period and that is definite in accordance with the genetic material (Genes: DNA) that it possesses; But if the same plant is given suitable environment and proper nourishment, it may surpass the expiry date. The same plant, if planted in a less favourable environment there are least chances of it to survive.
The same physical laws that govern the matter and living creatures are applicable on human beings, because Quran says that the living creature are of the same kind as that of human beings:
وَمَا مِنۡ دَآبَّةٍ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا طٰۤئِرٍ يَّطِيۡرُ بِجَنَاحَيۡهِ اِلَّاۤ اُمَمٌ اَمۡثَالُـكُمۡؕ مَا فَرَّطۡنَا فِى الۡـكِتٰبِ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍ (Quran 6:38)
There is neither any animal walking on earth, nor any bird flying by his wings but they are the groups same as you people. We have not left anything that is not in (accordance with the laws of) the book.
Even our emergence from earth is described same as that of the plants:
وَاللّٰهُ اَنۡۢبَتَكُمۡ مِّنَ الۡاَرۡضِ نَبَاتًا ۙ (Quran 71:17)
Indeed Allah has grown you from the earth like plantation.
Absolutely, we all have to die but there are specific principles governing life and death. Death occurs as a consequence of a chain of events. If the sequence of the chain is changed in someway or the other, the time of death may either be delayed or extended. This is all about the sequence of events but when the ultimate end of that events occurs as their final result, that can never ever be changed. Prior to that ultimate consequence, all things may be possible but at the end there is no option at all. This end, this ultimate consequence of various events, this final result or effect of a chain of causes is called "ajal" (اجل). This "ajal" when it arrives, can never ever be altered. Before the arrival of that "ajal", preventive measures are quite possible to delay the ajal but at the definite time of arrival, the delay is impossible:
اِنَّ اَجَلَ اللّٰهِ اِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُۘ لَوۡ كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ (4:Quran 71)
When Ajal from Allah arrives, it can not be delayed. (ie prior to that time of arrival, it may be delayed).
The "ajal" also does not occur randomly. It follows specific principles as written in "the book" mentioned above:
لِكُلِّ اَجَلٍ كِتَابٌ ۔۔ يَمۡحُوۡا اللّٰهُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيُثۡبِتُ ۖ ۚ وَعِنۡدَهٗۤ اُمُّ الۡكِتٰبِ
(Quran 13:38-39 )
For every "ajal" there is a book (code of conduct).... God deletes (what he considers appropriate to his own) مشیت mashiaat ( rules) and affirms accordingly. He keeps the original book with Himself.
Those nations who have improved their quality of life and living standards, they have delayed the "ajal" before its arrival. They have started curing many congenital diseases before their manifestation with the advanced technology of gene therapy and intrautrine maneuvers.
Thus in developed countries the average age of population has got increased, whereas in the under developed countries with poor control over quality of life, the average age has got declined.
وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِنۡ مُّعَمَّرٍ وَّلَا يُنۡقَصُ مِنۡ عُمُرِهٖۤ اِلَّا فِىۡ كِتٰبٍؕ (Q.35:11)
Neither an age-gainer achieves an increment in his original age, nor there is deduction from his age limit, but all (occurs in accordance with the set rules and regulations) in the book (of the codes of conduct).
The same is applied on health and disease. We do not own our own body. We use this body as a medium. This medium of execution of various fuctions, has been bestowed upon us by Almighty to perform the duties as assigned to us by him. We must take care of our physical existence because we would be held resposible for destroying this medium of conduct.
There is a Hadirh both in Bukhari and Muslim that:
ان لجسدک علیک حقا
Your body has rights upon you.
Quran also orders us:
خُذُوۡا حِذۡرَكُمۡ (4:71)
Keep ward of yourself by protective measures
Knowingly, if a person dam cares of his health and physical wellbeing, he puts himself in danger.
God prohibits each and every thing, whether physical or financial, that may be destructive to the well-being of a person:
لَا تُلۡقُوۡا بِاَيۡدِيۡكُمۡ اِلَى التَّهۡلُكَةِ (2:195)
Dont put yourself to destruction or death by your own hands.
So this is the duty of a person that he should take care of his health and life as he is just the trustee of his body, not the owner.
(This all is what can I understand from the Quran. May Allah forgive me in case of human error on my part).
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