Steps to Exercise — Page 20
- 20 - “When the rst hour of the night has gone, lock your doors reciting Bismillah (In the Name of Allah) and keep the children indoor; because ‘Shaitan’ does not open locked doors and close your water-containers reciting ‘Bismillah and repeating ‘Bismillah’, cover all your utensils and switch off the lights. ” (Bukhari and Muslim) He does not restrict his advice for covering the foodstuff only at night. He gives the same instructions for the day too, because it is important to stop the spread of germs during the day as well. One Medinite Muslim, whose name was Abu Hameed, brought a container full of milk for the Holy Prophet from Naqeeh. The Holy Prophet asked him why he did not cover the container and if he had no cover, he could have used a piece of wood to cover it. There are instructions from the Holy Prophet for covering the spittle and phlegm. Spitting in the compound of a Mosque and leaving it uncovered, has been counted as a sin by the Holy Prophet. Hadhrat Ans narrates that the Holy Prophet said, “Spitting in the mosque is a sin. Its expiation is to bury it. ” The Mosque may have been quoted here because that is the most used public place in a Muslim society and it’s cleanliness and decoration deserves special attention. Carelessness in such a place can cause the spread of diseases. If we look at it from this angle, we can see that spitting is certainly forbidden in all public places. Eating and Drinking Etiquettes that are Directly or Indirectly Related to Physical Health We have already mentioned about cleaning of hands and rinsing of mouth both before and after consuming food. Now some etiquette about eating and drinking, which are related to physical health, are presented in the light of the Traditions of the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet of Islam was highly against impatience and unseemly haste. Besides being bad manners, haste and impatience adversely affect the digestive system. Even doctors advise their patients suffering from digestive problems to eat slowly and chew their food properly. To make your hands roam all around the plate and to try to choose the best morsels for yourself is also frowned upon by the Holy Prophet. Besides being an obvious ill manner, this also shows unseemly haste. It is not possible for such a person to chew his food properly or to eat slowly and with patience. Such eating practice will certainly affect the digestive system.