A
Sound Mind in a Sound Body
by
Mohamad K. Yusuff
Immigrant
Muslims living in America today and enjoying a better standard of living are
faced with the new paradigm of "Rest & Relaxation" (R&R) through
holidays and annual vacation, especially during the spring and summer months
when the beaches, parks, zoos, museums, and other centers of fun and
entertainment are opened to one and all. This American style R&R is a new
experience that is generally not known to most of us, except for the well to
do. And so the question most frequently asked is: How much R&R is
acceptable from an Islamic viewpoint?
Simply
put, Islam is an easy religion to understand and practice, if we follow the
true teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophetic sunnah. As Muslims, we believe that
Islam is not merely a religion of ritual devotion and ceremonial worship;
rather, it is a complete way of life, for it provides its adherents divine
guidance to attain spiritual salvation in the hereafter as well as pragmatic
and practical advice to enjoy the material life to the fullest. Islam teaches
us to pray for success in this world as well as for success in the hereafter.
Thus, the good work we do here would determine our status in the next world.
However,
some Muslims with good intention, but advocating the harshest form of
orthodoxy, try to discourage R&R. They propose that Muslims utilize all
their free time in prayer, meditation, and other "good" work. They
consider engaging in wholesome R&R as not spiritually beneficial. We do not
support this view. Allah (s.w.t) has created us with certain natural,
instinctive needs, such as, desires for food, drink and sex; but we are also
endowed with the inherent capacity for belonging to social groups and the need
to engage and participate in group activities with other children and families,
and with our friends and neighbors (especially after a hard week’s work), all
of which are part and parcel of the Islamic way of life.
Islam
does not prohibit Muslims from enjoying the good things in this life. In fact,
"happy" believers make the best believers, for,
they would be more apt to adhere to Allah’s guidance, to thank Him for all His
blessings. Thus, Muslims should feel free to participate in all kinds of
wholesome recreational activities to alleviate the pressures and stress of
modern day living in this twentieth century America. Most types of physical
activities are permissible. These include cricket and most Olympic-type games,
such as, track and field, baseball, soccer, wrestling, archery, spear or sword
games, camel and horse racing, horseback riding, hunting (except when
prohibited), among others.
Going
to "open, public beaches" is one type of R&R that Islam's
orthodox `ulama' has deemed un-Islamic,
irrespective of how much one is covered up. Obviously this is a polemic issue,
the rules of which have to be worked out to comply with Islam's standards on
modesty (click here
for a related question and answer on beaches).
We
all need to find ways to refresh and replenish our physical and mental
capacities to cope with the vicissitudes of today’s tough times. Here, the old
Latin adage (by Juvenal) comes to mind, mens
sana in corpore
sano, a sound mind in a sound body, is especially
apt. A healthy mind in a healthy body is imperative because no one can really
give one hundred percent all the time if the body and mind is not properly
calibrated. Hence, there is no harm in wholesome humor and laughter, sport and
play intended to relax the body and energize the mind.
The
fourth Caliph, `Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a), is reported to have said: "Minds get tired,
as do bodies, so treat them with humor." He also said: "Refresh
your minds from time to time, for a tired mind becomes blind." In a
very famous hadith, Hanzalah al-Usaydi, a companion of the Prophet (p.b.u.h),
accompanied by Abu Bakr (r.a), complained to Allah’s
Messenger (p.b.u.h) that when they were away from the
Prophet and involved with their wives, children and business affairs, they
"forget much." The Messenger (p.b.u.h)
replied: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, if you were to continue at
the same level at which you were when with me in remembering Allah, the angels
would shake hands with you when you are resting and when you walk about, but, O
Hanzalah, there is a time (for this) and a time (for
that)." -- a phrase the Messenger (p.b.u.h)
repeated three times." [Muslim]
At
the same time, one should be mindful about laughing at other people because
this is prohibited. The Qur’an states: O you who
believe, let not some people mock at other people; it may be that they are
better than you . . . [Al-Hujurat/The
Chambers/49:11]. Similarly, making jokes about something which is false is
equally forbidden. Allah’s Messenger (p.b.u.h) said: "Woe
to the one who says something which is false in order to make people laugh! Woe
to him, woe to him!" [at-Tirmidhi]
Posted September 20, 1999. This article was
printed in the June-July 1999 issue of the Voice of Islam newsletter. (This
newsletter is published by the Islamic Society of the Washington Area). It was
previously printed in the October 1994 issue.