Saturday, August 22, 2026

The Dangers of Gluttony and the Virtues of Eating Less in Islam

Fat mosquito

Sayyidunā Rabī' Bin Anas has stated, 'As long as a mosquito is hungry, it remains alive. When it eats and drinks, it becomes fat and when it becomes fat, it dies. The condition of man is also like that of a mosquito. When man enjoys luxuries and pleasures of the world, his heart dies.'

(Tanbīĥ-ul-Mughtarīn, pp. 54)

Dear Islamic brothers! A mosquito dies and turns to dust as soon as it becomes fat. But alas, when a human becomes strong, at times he faces many problems in this world and, in case of the displeasure of Allah and His Prophet as a result of committing sins, he faces severe punishment at the time of his death, in his grave, on the Day of Judgement and in the Hell.

Perils of large body

Sayyidunā Yaḥyā Mu'āż Rāzī has stated, 'The one who is in the habit of filling his stomach, his body becomes fat with flesh and the one who is obese with flesh becomes a victim of desires and the one who becomes a victim of desires, his sins increase and the one whose sins increase, his heart becomes hard and he becomes a victim to the calamities and attractions of the world.'

(Al-Munabbihāt, pp. 59)

Sins attack glutton

Dear Islamic brothers! It is certainly a matter of great concern that eating to the extent of filling the stomach opens the door of many sins. Sayyidunā Imām Muhammad Ghazālī has stated, 'Excessive eating causes rebellion in body parts and creates the desire of committing immodest and violent deeds. When a person eats in excess he becomes arrogant, his eyes desire to see immodest things, his ears desire to hear evil things, his tongue wants to speak about indecent things, his private part demands the satisfaction of lust and his feet are keen to move towards impermissible places. On the contrary, if a person is hungry, all of his body parts remain peaceful and they do not desire any evil.' Abū Ja'far has stated, 'When the stomach is hungry, all other body parts are at peace. They desire nothing, and when the stomach is full, other body parts become hungry and take the person to committing evil things.'

(Minĥāj-ul-'Ābidīn, pp. 92)

Excellence of lean body

Sayyidunā 'Abdullāĥ Ibn 'Abbās has narrated that the Prophet of Raḥmaĥ, the Intercessor of Ummaĥ has stated, 'The dearest to Allah amongst you is the person who eats less and has a lean body.'

(Al-Jāmi'-uṣ-Ṣaghīr, pp. 20, Ḥadīš 221)

Average weight for man and woman

Excessive eating also causes the problems of obesity and potbelly. These days, many people are suffering from this sickness. There should be a proper balance between the height and weight of a person. The weight of a male who is about 5 and half feet (or 66 inches) tall should be around 150 pounds or 68 kg, while that of a female who is about 5 and a quarter feet (63 inches) tall should be around 130 pounds or 59 kg. Their weight should not exceed this. Everyone can calculate his/her weight and compare it to the above-mentioned criterion.

Weight of Sayyidunā Prophet Yūsuf عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام

A proper balance between the height and weight of a person is necessary. In ancient times, people used to be much taller; hence, their weight would also be much more. A renowned exegetist, Muftī Aḥmad Yār Khān has stated, 'The governor of Egypt bought Sayyidunā Yūsuf عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام from an Egyptian market, paying gold, silver, musk, pearls and silk equivalent to the weight of Sayyidunā Yūsuf عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام. At that time, his weight was 400 ratals (one ratal is equivalent to half a kilogram) and his age was only twelve years!

(Nūr-ul-'Irfān, pp. 378)

Sayyidunā Yūsuf عَلَیْہِ الصَّلٰوةُ وَالسَّلَام was very handsome and his body was well shaped. He was also tall in relation to his weight.

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Causes of obesity

Bear in mind that taunting, laughing or hurting an obese person in any way without the justification of the Islamic law is a Ḥarām act which can lead to Hell. Further, it is not necessary that a potbelly is always caused by excessive eating, as many of those who eat excessively remain lean & thin. Studying, writing or doing official work for a long time while sitting, travelling by car or a bike instead of walking, eating food sitting in a cross-legged position, eating food sitting on chair with feet hanging, eating very hot food, often leaning the body weight towards the left side, for example, placing left hand on the floor while sitting or eating - can cause a potbelly and obesity. Further, those who do not apply the Madanī guard to their stomach and greedily devour pizzas, fried foods, cold drinks and ice cream should only blame themselves if they are overweight or have a potbelly.

Perhaps people consider cold drinks harmless. One should remember that there are about 7 spoons of sugar in every 250 ml of cold drink. As for ice-cream, it is like a sugar-bomb. An overweight person should not even look at cold drinks and ice creams as these items are actually a sweet poison for him. There are three things which can increase a person's weight:

1.     Superfine flour

2.     Oil or fat

3.     Sweet foods

The aforementioned items are found in virtually all of our foods. To a certain extent, these things are necessary for the human body. An excess of sugar and deficiency of sugar in blood both indicate illness. The amount of these three ingredients would automatically exceed the normal limit in the body of those who overeat, which can cause an increase in weight in addition to many diseases. Some people remain slim and thin despite excessive eating. It does not mean that eating in excess does not cause any harm to them. They may also suffer from stomach and heart ailments. Although excessive eating normally causes heart ailments, stress can also cause a heart attack and even heart failure. If a person avoids the above-mentioned three items from his young age, and if he stays alive until old age, he is expected to remain safe from many diseases and problems in his old age.

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

No comments:

Post a Comment