There is no denying the fact that eating and drinking are extremely important for our survival. They help us to enjoy our health and physical strength. Besides assuring physical well-being, it is also exigent for our spiritual and moral health as only when the body is healthy can the mind be healthy. But it is very important for a human being to eat moderately as eating too much or unhealthy food can be very deleterious to his physical as well as spiritual health. Modern-day scientific research proves that excessive eating leads to laziness and makes the body heavy, associated with lethal diseases like obesity, high cholesterol, heart diseases, etc.
Keeping in view these hazards of overeating, extravagance in eating (i.e., eating too much and unnecessary food) has been strongly discouraged in both the Quran and Hadith more than 1400 years ago. It shows the truthfulness, excellence, and beauty of our deen, al Islam – the complete code and conduct of life. There is a verse in the 7th chapter of the Holy Quran, “Eat and drink and don’t be extravagant.” The first part of this verse clearly depicts that one can eat and drink everything he wishes other than which has been declared haram (unlawful) like carrion, alcohol, etc. But at the same time, the last sentence of this verse (“Don’t be extravagant”) proves that eating and drinking is permissible; in fact, it is an order – but along with it, eating beyond the limits of need is a type of extravagance, and indeed, extravagant are brothers of the devils.
Along with the Quran, various sayings of the Prophet (PBUH) encourage moderation in eating and drinking, acknowledging that the same can help people to live healthy and balanced lives. He (PBUH) said, “The son of Adam cannot fill a vessel worse than his stomach” (Tirmidhi). In another narration, He (PBUH) stated, “The stomach is the reservoir of the body. All arteries and nerves of the body get satiated from this reservoir. If it is not in proper order, all veins will spread in the body as carriers of diseases” (Al Baihaqi). Ali ibn Husayn, a judge for the Abbasid caliph Harun Al-Rashid, said: “The Prophet (PBUH) has reduced the whole science of medicine to a few sayings of his when he said that ‘stomach is the nursery of diseases and abstinence from harmful things is the root of all medicine and give everybody what it can take’ (as a matter of habit).
“Avoid eating and drinking too much because it spoils the body, generates diseases, and slackens activity. Instead, take to moderation in eating and drinking for it is good for the health of the body. Allah doesn’t like an obese Alim (that is, a scholar of religion who has become fat and heavy as a result of eating excessively by choice)” [Umar Al-Farooq]. In view of this beautiful quote, a famous Muslim scholar, Ibn Rajab, says: “If you have a big stomach, you should consider yourself disabled until you become slim” (Al-Jami, page 519).
In sum, it becomes really important for us to generally consume food with humility and moderation in order to live healthy and balanced lives. However, it must be noted that there are exceptions for special occasions such as banquets, family dinners, and so on; there is no harm in filling one’s stomach.
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Masroof Manzoor