Steps to Exercise — Page 11
- 11 - ISLAM AND PROTECTION OF HEALTH By Hon. Dr. Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, Judge of the International Court of Justice In my opinion, one of the great beauties of Islam and a proof of it’s truthfulness is that there is no articiality or formality in its teachings, although there was a great possibility of this happening if this religion had been devised by any human being. One of the great proofs of the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet is that he passed on exactly what was revealed to him by Allah Almighty. He did nothing on his own volition. If a human being had decided to design a religion, however honest his intentions, he would have tried to emphasise those matters that would be considered spiritual and may well have left the issues that concern the physical dimension of human being. It is a commandment of the Holy Prophet that for the spiritual progress of the soul, it is important to look after the physical health. If a philosopher was to design a religion he may have ignored this important matter. For instance, if someone decided to invent a religion within his intellectual capacities he may emphasise devotional and spiritual aspects. We know that there are many religions that are in existence today that provide teachings which provide neither spiritual enlightenment nor physical benet yet a large segment of the world considers it a matter of blessing to act on those teachings. Some believe that you have to suppress your desires to progress spiritually. In some religions spiritual progress depends on making some parts of the body dysfunctional. Some Hindu Sadhus deliberately allow their hand to wither thinking they are gaining spirituality. It is as if you can stock up spiritual power and become rich spiritually by hurting your body. Similarly, in some religions exertion, strain and hardship exist to such a degree as if the creator of that religion had no knowledge of the relationship between body and soul. This type of teaching does not exist in Islam. In my opinion,