Surely He does not love the prodigals.

Surely He does not love the prodigals." Sure Al -A rat (7:31) This is the line followed by the Prophet's Tradition, as he is quoted to have said: "If you eat for a part of your stomach, you will get healthy,"38and "Do not kill the hearts with eating and drinking too much, as the heart is like the plant which dies if watered too often,"39 and "I fear three calamities that may befall my people: going astray after knowing, misleading attractions, and appetites for food and sex." 40 "The son of Adam has but to have a meal to keep his spine upright.

So, when you eat, let one-third of your stomach for food, one-third for drink, and one-third for breathing. Do not get fat . Pigs are fattened for butchery." 41 2. Forbidding the Harmful: The second step taken by Islam to protect health is prohibiting whatever brings harm to the body, and apt to cause illness, such as drinking wine, eating carrion, pork, meat of dogs, rats, and beasts of prey, as well as indulging in adultery, sodomy, masturbation, lesbianism, and the like.

Now, with the current scientific progress in preserving health and in medicine, no one is ignorant of the dangers caused by food, drink and abnormal practices on human health and physical abilities. 3. Purification and Cleanliness: The third step on the road of the Islamic hygienic programme is cleanliness. Dirts and body excretions are the home of germs and microbes, and the source of a number of diseases and physical ailment.

Therefore, Islam legislates purification and cleanliness, and imposes on the Muslims to keep away from filths which are regarded to be the origin of endangering human health. Examples of these filths are: urine, excretion, blood, semen, human and some animal corpses, etc.. To achieve cleanliness, Islam legislates purificaton by water to remove the remnants of filth and to be protected against their harms.

It also ordains ablution and the compulsory bathing after menstruation period, childbirth, sexual intercourse, wet-dreaming, touching a corpse and recommends other baths, such as the Friday bath, according to the Holy Tradition. Islam also calls the Muslims to clean and purify their houses, the streets, as well as their clothes, food and everything in their lives.

Its stress on cleanliness is so persisting that some researchers and orientalists have called the Islamic culture: "The Culture of Purification and Cleanliness . The main legislation iii the Qur'an concerning purification is: "0 you who believe!