Milk: The Elixir of Life

 

‘In livestock, too, you have a lesson– We give you a drink from the contents of their bellies, between waste matter and blood, pure milk, sweet to the drinker’. (16:67)

‘There is a lesson for you in livestock: We produce milk for you to drink from their bellies. And they have many other benefits: you eat them and you ride on them, as you do in ships.’ (23: 22-23)

‘Can they not see how, among the things made by Our hands, We have created livestock they control, and made them obedient, so that some can be used for riding, some for food, some for other benefits, and some for drink? Will they not give thanks?’ (36:72-74)

Divine Blessings abound in this world. It is the extraordinary convergence of so many beneficial elements that make life possible on planet earth. The Holy Qur'an calls attention to the grand creations of God Almighty that sustain life: the Sun, the Moon, the stars and their orbital sojourns; the wind and the clouds; the rain and the seasons, the mountains and the rivers; the oceans and the giant ships, the plants and the fruits, the insects and the animals, etc. For instance, as mentioned in the aforesaid Qur'anic verses, cattle provides many benefits for the human beings: beauty,  warmth, clothing and furnishings, riding and transporting goods, food and the milk. In the Islamic tradition, apart from the benefits in this world, milk is one of the four rivers of the Garden in the Hereafter. Moreover, it is mentioned in the traditions that the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) chose milk during his Night Journey when he was offered a choice between milk and wine. Indeed, milk is the symbol of the drink of primordial purity, the drink of Fitra in Islam.   

All these blessings and benefits of a life-time should make man reflect on his utter dependence on the Almighty for everything. Indeed, man should recognize the wisdom and incomparable kindness of the Lord in assembling all those benefits, and remain grateful to His Lord, submitting to the Divine commands, the will and wisdom of the Creator and Sustainer of the worlds; he should reject Satanic temptations that make him forget his true condition and feel 'self-sufficient' and ignore God, betraying arrogance and hubris. Remaining a true servant of God on earth, all believers should be thankful and grateful for all the blessings of this world that come their way by the sheer kindness and mercy of the True Master and Lord of All the worlds.   

Reproduced Below is a fascinating essay written by Imam- Jamaat Ul sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius on the significance of Milk and Milk products for humanity; the very many benefits of milk consumption for human beings, for their health and well-being, as a medicine and elixir of life: