Moderation in Eating & Self-Care
In the time of the
Prophet (pbuh) in Medina, a great Byzantine physician arrived to treat people
for free. He asked permission to open his Clinic in the city. Every day, he
went to the Clinic to treat illnesses but no one came to consult him. In the
afternoon he closed shop and returned home without having been able to treat
anyone. It lasted at least a month. Every day, he went to the Clinic and then
came home empty-handed in the evening. Finally, he went to see the Holy Prophet
(saw) to inform him that he was closing his clinic to go home but he still
wanted to know why Muslims did not come to consult him. The answer was quite
obvious - no one was getting sick. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) explained to him
that he had taught his disciples that all illness has its roots in the stomach.
And since the people of Medina followed the advice of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)
to the letter and ate frugally, they never fell ill.
According to a Hadith narrated by Al-Miqdam Ibn Ma’di Karib (ra): “The son of Adam does not fill a vessel worse than his stomach. It is enough for him to take only a few mouthfuls to straighten his back, but if he has to eat his fill, let him fill his stomach with one-third food, one-third drink and one-third air.” (Ibn Majah)