I recently attended a talk on Prophetic Medicine. The speaker talked of the health benefits of Salah, wudu and fasting, and of not consuming pork and alcohol. Wudu can reduce stress and anxiety; salah improves blood circulation, tones the body and maintains joint flexibility; fasting can lower cholesterol, blood sugar and help to detoxify the body. Pork is full of toxins and bacteria that are harmful to humans and alcohol causes intoxication. We were all so fascinated; we had a scientific basis for justifying these acts of ibadat to our children and even non- Muslims.
The discussion got me thinking.
If Allah Ta’Aalaa, in His wisdom, has not given us a reason for commanding an action or forbidding one, can we presume to know His reason for legislating a rule?
Yes, I know, we’re living in an age of science and medicine, where the benefits of these acts of ibadat can be and have been studied. We find satisfaction in uncovering the ‘why’ behind things and no doubt there is benefit in all that Allah has commanded us with.
But does that give us the right to claim that these perceived benefits are the reason why these ibadat have been prescribed by the Creator?
The truth of the matter is that we do these acts not for their perceived benefit but because we are obligated to do them.
When our children or non- Muslims ask Why: Why do we pray? Why 5 times a day? Why do we fast a whole month? Why is pork forbidden? , what’s wrong with simply saying,
We do it because we are commanded by Allah.
When we are asked such questions instead of inventing reasons from our aql, we should focus the inquirer’s attention on the belief in Allah. We should not discuss these ibadat detached from this belief, trying to convince people of the excellence of these acts based on perceived benefit. Rather, we should rationally prove to them that Allah exists, that the Quran is the word of Allah and the message brought by Mohammad (saw) and make evident that it is this Iman in Allah (SWT) that drives us to accept His commands without question.
Sometimes the simplest answer is the most telling.
“A Bedouin was asked: how do you know your Lord exists? He replied: “Camel dung indicates camels, donkey dung indicates donkeys and footprints indicate travel. So the sky, with its constellations and the seas with its waves, do not these indicate the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful?”
The Bedouin’s analogy is simple yet compelling, as is professing that we do these acts of ibadat because we believe in the Creator who has commanded us to perform them.
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