Steps to Exercise — Page 21
- 21 - Hadhrat Omar bin Abi Salma says that when he was a child and was under the care and under the oath of allegiance of the Holy Prophet , his hand used to approach the plate hastily (as is the habit of children). One day the Holy Prophet of Islam said to me, “Say Bismillah (In the name of Allah), eat with your right hand and eat from what is in front of you. ” (Bukhari and Muslim) Prohibition of Drinking Water in One Breath To drink water suddenly and quickly also shows impatience and haste and can be harmful to health. The Holy Prophet of Islam has forbidden this bad habit in a very sweet way. Hadhrat Ibne Abbas narrates that the Holy Prophet said, “Don’t drink your water all at once like a camel. Drink slowly in two or three intervals and say ‘Bismillah’. When you start drinking say ‘Bismillah’ and when you put the utensil to your mouth second time, say ‘Alhamdulillah’ (All praise belongs to Allah). ” Prohibition of Breathing into the Foodstuff Another wisdom associated with not drinking water without stoppage was to eliminate possibility of deadly germs being introduced into the food from contaminated breath. This is vividly illustrated by the following Tradition: Hadhrat Abu Saeed Khudri narrated that the Holy Prophet of Islam used to forbid blowing into the water during drinking. One person said, “I see some straw in the water. ” The Holy Prophet replied, “In that case throw some water away. ” The man again said, “ I do not feel satiated drinking water in one breath and I have to breathe two or three times and this way my breath is perforce introduced into the water. ” Huzur replied, “In that case remove the cup from your lips and then breathe. ” Instructions about Bathing Although the habit of bathing has been introduced in Islam by advice and admonition, these instructions are not limited to advice or suggestions; Islam makes bathing compulsory on many occasions. It is recorded in Bukhari that regarding Friday, the Holy Prophet commands, “Bathing on Friday is compulsory for every Muslim. ”