take care

In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, Most Merciful

There is a level of ability that a person have. When that limit is passed what results is an over-stressed body that is on the verge of giving up. It is not just physical but also mental, spiritual or a combination thereof. Most often than not, what happens is that a person is not in-tune with one's body. That is why it is important that a person understand the natural tendency of one's state. In order to be in a state of good balance, it is imperative that one establish the due knowledge of what it means to be out-of-balance.
There are a number of Ahadith regarding the maintenance of good balance physically ( etiquette of eating, napping, physical fitness...); mentally (harm of stress, importance of resting, moderate laughter...) and spiritually (abhorring of extreme ends, moderation in worship...). All these we've read or heard about. Alhamdulilah. Today I'd like to mention a very important lesson about putting-things-into-perspective and taking care as Muslims.

"Three key terms in the Qur'an that relate to human conduct, all of which means 'to be safe', 'to be integral and sound'. The first term is Iman, which means "faith", but its root (a m n) means "to be at peace", "to be safe", "not to be exposed to danger." The second term is Islam, comes from the root (s l m) which means "to be safe", "to be whole and integral", "not to disintegrate." The third fundamental concept is Taqwa from the root (w q y) which means to "protect from getting lost or wasted" and "to guard against peril". This constellation of basic terms clearly bring home the most important notion of Islam about humankind concerning attitude (belief) and behavior: people can and ought to avoid moral and physical peril..." [qt'd in Health and Medicine in the Islamic Tradition, pg 13]

It is thus, easy to realize and put our knowledge into perspective for taking care plays a role in the things that we do, both individually and collectively insha'Allah. Here are a few action plans:

• sleep early: This is the easiest thing we have control over.
• eat healthy: Again a choice we can make.
• pray on time: it takes care of the fundamentals of one's belief
• avoid stress by performing tasks ahead of time
• supplicate abundantly: "dua'a is worship".
  

Peace & Blessings
-hy-