36 : WHY PHYSICAL FITNESS MATTERS FOR THE MUSLIMS?
Good
health can make the Muslims more relevant for
Islam. It is a defective idea that an ideal Muslim
should be deliberately weak and indifferent in
worldly matters for better interest in the Afterlife.
Even though naturally handicapped and weak persons
deserve sympathy and social care, the rest of
the Muslim society can substantially benefit from
good health for the following:
(i) God willing, better health care can contribute
to your longer life which you can use as a field
for cultivating more good deeds.
(ii) Physical fitness is needed to properly perform
majority of Muslim obligations including praying
5 times a day, fasting for the whole Ramadan month,
rigorous rituals of pilgrimage etc.
(iii) Spiritual development is also linked with
physical wellness. If you are in sound health,
then you can concentrate on meditating about God's
Universe, you can feel enthusiasm about religious
activities and so on.
(iv) If you are in good physical frame, you can
better handle physically challenging deeds like
volunteering for digging grave, help carrying
a patient to hospital, protect an orphan from
oppression etc.