I thought that the the best way to end this chapter is by mentioning a general advice concerning preventive measures so as to complete the book's benefit.
This is a chapter that Ibn Masawayh has collected in his book, Al Mahathir. He said,
"Whoever eats onion for forty days and then his face becomes full of spots, has only himself to blame.
Those who want to economize and eat salted foods will have only themselves to blame if they catsh mange or vitiligo.
Those who eat fish and eggs will have only themselves to blame if they catch hemiplegia (paralysis affecting only one side of the body) or facial paralysis."
Those who catch hemiplegia when they take a bath with their stomach full [of food], will have only themselves to blame.
Those who eat milk and fish will have only themselves to blame if they catch leprosy, gecko or gout.
* Whoever mixes milk and wine and then catches gecko or gout has only himself to blame, Whoever has a wet dream but odes not take a bath until he has sex with his wife and then if his wife gives birth to a retarded child will have only himself to blame.
* Whoever eats his full of cold, boiled eggs and then catches Asthma will have only himself to blame.
* Whoever has sexual intercourse but did not wait until he ejaculates and then catches urinary calculus, (stone like mass that may form in the body under abnormal conditions), will have himself to blame. And
Whoever looks at himself in the mirror at night and then catches facial paralysis or another disease will have only himself to blame."
In addition, Ibn Bukhtayshu' said, "Beware of eating eggs and fish together because they cause constipation, hemorrhoids and toothache. In addition, eating eggs excessively begets spots on the face. Further, eating salted foods and salted fish and having venesection (puncturing of a vein) after one takes a bath causes vitiligo and mange. Eating goat kidney on a regualr basis will cause the prostate to be sterile, while taking a bath with cold water after eating soft meat fish causes facial paralysis. In addition, having sex with a menstruating woman causes leprosy, and sexual intersourse that is not followed by taking a bath causes stones. Finally, spending too mush time while answering the call of nature causes serious ailments."
Hippocrates said, "Less of a harmful substance is better than too much of a beneficial substance." He In addition said, "Preserve good health by preffering tiresome activity to laziness and abandoning having your fill of foods and drinks."
Further, a wise man once said, "Whoever wants to he healthy, let him eat good food, preserve cleanness and purity while eating, drink while thirsty, refrain from drinking excessive amounts of water and take a rest after lunch. In addition, let him walk after dinner and avoid going to sleep before first answering the call of nature or taking a bath after eating his fill. Further taking a bath once during summer is better than ten times during winter. Eating dried jerky meat at night helps bring about death. Having sex with old women brings the person closer to old age and sickens the healthy body." These words were falsely attributed to Ali. However, some of these words are from Al Harith bin kaladah the renowned Arab doctor.
Al Harith said, "Whoever seeks longevity, although eternal living is not possible, should have lunch and dinner early, wear light clothes and refrain from excessive sexual activity."
He In addition said, "Four things weaken the body: sexual intercourse when one is hungry, taking a bath when one is full, eating dried meat and having sexual intercourse with an old woman."
When Al Harith was dying, some people visited him and said,"Give us an advise that we could use after you." He said, "Only marry young women, eat ripe fruits when in season and refrain from seeking medications when you can bear the illness. Clean your stomachs once a month (i.e vomit intentionally), so as to dissipate the phlegm and the bile and to allow the flesh to grow. When one of you eats lunch, let him lay down for an hour and when he eats dinner, let him walk at least forty steps."
A king once said to his doctor, "You might not remain with me for ever, so give me a prescription that I can use after you." He said, "Only marry young women, eat fresh meat and take medication when you are ill. Eat the fruit when ripe and in season and chew the food well. If you eat during the day, there is no harm of you lay down. If you eat at night, do not sleep until you walk even fifty steps. Do not eat except when hungary and do not force yourself to have sex or refrain from urinating. Cool hotness because it causes you tiredness. Do not eat food when your stomach already has food, nor eat what your teeth cannot chew, because your stomach will not be able to digest that food. Try to vomit once a week to cleanse your body. What a good treasure the blood in your body is, so do not cup it without necessity. Finally, take a bath, because it rids you of what the medication cannot rid you of."
In addition. Imam Shafiey said,
"Four matters bring strength to the body:
* Eating meat, smelling perfume, taking baths without having sexual intercourse and wearing Kittan (linen).
- For matters weaken the body:
* Excessive sexual intercourse, depression, drinking water repeatedly while the stomach is empty and consuming too mush sour foods.
- Four matters strengthen the sight:
* Sitting next to the Ka'bah, using Kohl before going to sleep, looking at green things and cleaning up the sitting area [in the house].
- Four matters weaken the sight:
* Looking at dirt, crucified persons, ‘a woman's vagina and sitting while your back is to the Qib'lah (direction of the prayer).
- Four matters increase sexual power:
* Eating fowl-meat, the large Itreefal ( a non- Arabic medication for constiption), pistachio and carob.
- Four matters sharpen mind power:
* Avoiding unnecessary speech, using Siwak, and sitting with righteous people and with the scholars."
Plato said, "Five matters dissipates the strength of the body and might lead to death:
* Weakness, leaving loved ones behind, rage, rejecting good advice and the clever persons falling victim to deciet by ignorant people."
The doctor of Al Ma'mun said, "Hold fast to five characteristics that whoever preserves them would never catch a disease other than death;
* Do not eat food while there is still food in your stomach.
* Do not eat a type of food that your teeth cannot chew, because your stomach would not be able to digest it. Refrain from excessive sexual activity because it shortens life,
* Do not have sex with an old woman because it leads to sudden death.
* Do not revert to cupping without necessity. Vomit during the summer."
Hippocrates In addition said,
* "Everything that is excessive is unnatural."
Galinus was once told:
* "Why do you not get sick that often?" He said, "I do not mix two types of unfavorable food together, nor eat food while not hungry, nor keep a food in my stomach which is bothering it."
* Excessiveness in four matters causes sickness:
* Speech, sexual activity, sleep and eating habits.
* Excessive speech weakens the mind and hastens old age.
* Excessive sleep turns the face yellow, blinds the heart, irritates the eyes, makes one lazy to work and causes excess humidity in the body.
* Excessive eating habits spoil the orifice of the stomach, weaken the body, cause thick flatulence and difficult ailments.
* Having sexual intercourse excessivley depletes the strength, weakens the body, dries the moistures in the body, adversely relaxes the nerves, causes various clogs and harms the entire body, especially the brain because of the psychological effects it will have on it. Weakens in the brain, which will In addition weaken the soul, is worse than weakens in any other organ.
* The best time to have sex is when one feels a strong desire for a lawful partner (wife) who is beautiful, especially when the spouse is young, ready and excited. In addition, occasional legal sex makes it more desireable, especially when one does not have any concerns and does not use it excessively. In addition, legal sex is best when one is not full on hungry, not after conducting serious physical activity and not during extremely hot or cold weather. When one takes care of these ten matters we mentioned, sex will be most beneficial. Otherwise, if some of these matters were ignored. Harm might be caused according to the seriousness of the matters that were ignored. If one does not take care of all these ten matters, he will be faced with a shorter life span.
* Excessive diet is as dangerous to the healthy person as excessive eating habits when one is ill.
* Galinus said to some of his companions, "Beware of three matters and seek four matters, and you will not need a doctor.
* Avoid dust, smoke and foul odors. Seek nutritious foods, good scents (or aromas), sweets and take baths. Do not eat above your fill, nor pickle Batharuj (a plant) and basil, and do not eat walnuts at night. Whoever caught a cold should not sleep on his back nor should a depressed person eat sour foods.
* Whoever had venesection (puncturing of a vein), should not walk fast because this might cause death.
* Those who have an ache in the eye should not vomit.
* Do not eat too much meat during summer.
* Whoever is suffering from fever should not sleep in the sun. Do not eat old, seeded eggplant.
* Those who drink a cup of warm water every day during winter will save themselves from illness.
* Those who rub their bodies with pomegranate rind while taking a bath will not catch a rash or mange.
* Whoever eats five flowers of iris with Greek mastic, roe aloes and Musk, will perserves the strength and health of his stomach the rest of his life.
* Eating watermelon seeds with sugar will cleanse the stomach from stones and will prevent burning sensation while urinating."
Four matters bring demise to the body:
* Depression, sadness, hunger and staying up late at night.
- Four matters bring joy:
* Looking at greenery, running water, loved ones and fruits.
- Four matters bring darkness to the sight:
* Walking bare footed, seeing hated faces mornings and afternoons or seeing the enemy, excessive crying and looking at thin lines for extended periods of time.
- Four matters bring strength to the body:
* Wearing soft clothes, taking a bath moderately, eating sweet and nutritious food and smelling good scents.
- Four matters harden the face and rid it of its youth and health:
* Lying, rudeness, asking too many questions without knowledge [or useful purpose] and sinning.
- Four matters increse the youth of the face:
* Chivalry, faithfulness, generosity and fear of Allah.
- Four matters bring hatred:
* Arrognance, envy, lying and spreading calumnies.
- Four matters bring sustenance:
* Standing up in prayer at night, seeking forgiveness [of Allah] often at night, giving away in charity and remembering Allah morning and evening.
- Four matters prevent sustenance:
* Sleeping in the morning, not praying often, laziness and treachery.
- Four matters harm the mind and intellect;
* Eating sour foods and fruits excessivley, sleeping on the back, depression and sadness.
- Four matters strengthen the intellect and mind:
* When the heart is not busy [or concerned], consuming moderate amounts of food and drink, dieting on good combinations of sweets and nutritious foods and getting rid of harmful substances in the body.
There are some matters that harm the mind:
* Eating onions, beans, olives and eggplant excessively, having too much sexual intercourse, loneliness, worrying, intoxication, excessive laughing and depression.
Some wise men In addition said,"I became tired three times and could not find a reason for that except for three matters:
* I ate too much eggplant one day, olives another day and beans a third day."
We have mentioned several beneficial basics of the medicinal sciences that one might not be able to find except in this book. We In addition affirmed that the religion and medicinal science are close to each other. We In addition stated that Prophetic medicine cannot and should not be compared to the medicine of the doctors just as the medicine of the doctors cannot be compared to folk medicine.
This matter is deeper and more serious than we explained, but we mentioned what is sufficient for the reader to recognize its importance. Those whom Allah did not endow with sound comprehension in such matters let them know the difference between the power that is mind and sound comprehension that Allah has endowed the Prophets with, and between what all others have in this regard.
Someone might ask, "What does the guidance of the prophet have to do with the subject of medicines and cures and preserving the health?"
This question exposes the lack of understanding of such people, because this subject and many others are among what the Prophet was sent with and what he has directed us to do. Sound understanding and knowledge of Allah and His Messenger are a bounty that Allah cndows to whom he will among His creation.
We have explained the three principal basics of medicine in the Quran. How can anyone deny that the religion of he who was sent with the righteousness of this and the Next Life In addition contains what preserves the body? How can anyone deny that the religion In addition directs us to the best methods of staying healthy, just as it directs us to thebest methods of preserving the heart and preventing sicknesses that might attack them? These cures [that the religion contains] are mentioned in general terms and the specifies are left to those of correct minds and pure hearts to seek and implement. Just as one does regarding matters of Fiqh. Do not be among those who reject something simply because they have no knowledge of it.
When the slave is endowed with suffiecient knowledge of Allah's Book and the Sunnah of his Messenger along with sound comprehension of the Texts [of the Quran and Sunnah], he will rely on these sources and would not need anything else. In addition, he will be able to acquire all types of good knowledge from these sources.
All types of knowledge depends on knowing Allah, His Commands and creation. The Messengers of Allah are the only source that we can acquire such knowledge from, because they have the best knowledge of Allah, His Commandments and creation. The Messengers IN addition have the best knowledge of the wisdom behind Allah's creation and Commandments.
This is why the remedies provided by the followers of the Prophets are better and more efficient than the remedies of all others, in additon, the remedies provided by the followers of the best and the master of the Prophets, Muhammad bin Abdullah, are the best, most sufficient and beneficial remedies.
Only those who have true knowledge of the science of medicine and doctors and the medicine offered by the Prophets, can know the difference between them. The Prophets are those with the best minds, purest ways and deepest knowledge. They are the best of mankind that Allah has chosen, just as the Messenger, Muhammad, is the best among all the Messengers. The knowledge that Allah has endowed the Prophets and messengers with and the wisdom and forbearing puts them in a category that does not permit comparison. Imam Ahmed narrated that the Messenger of Allah as said:
"You (mankind) are seventy nations (or distinct communities); you (Muslims) are the best and most honored among them to Allah."
This honor that Allah has endowed the Muslims with has appeared in their knowledge, minds, intellects and natural ways. The Muslims are the ones who searched through the knowledge of all other nations before them and in addition their wisdom, progress and their works, then added this knowledge to their own knowledge, forbearing and wisdom that Allah has endowed them with.
This is why the Christians are set aback by their silliness, lack of intelligence and apathy, while the jews are set avack by their sadness, grief and anguish. Muslims, on the other hand, are endowed with sound minds, courage, understanding, joy, happiness and the tendency to help those in distress.
These are some secrets and facts that can only be comprehended by those who have sound minds, sharp intellect, deep knowledge and acquaintence with what the people have [of wisdom, knowledge, and so forth]. All success comes from Allah.