The post First-Cousin Marriage in Islam first appeared on Hubeali .

The post First-Cousin Marriage in Islam first appeared on Hubeali .]]> Food Intake Habits of Today https://hubeali.com/food-intake-habits-of-today/ Sun, 22 Jun 2025 10:13:03 +0000 https://hubeali.com/?p=27872 Today, the diet consumed in most countries is rich in calories, mainly due to lower food prices compared to other living expenses, as most of us tend to enjoy a variety of delicious foods in our three-meals-a-day lifestyle.

In urban areas, work is generally less physically demanding, and longer working and commuting hours in the offices make it challenging for people to find time for exercise. The stress of work and meeting both ends meet is further exacerbated by our excessive intake of unhealthy foods, i.e., fast foods, chocolate and sweets, snacks and sugary drinks, causing premature diseases, i.e., diabetes, blood pressure, and obesity.

Additional damage to health comes from the addictive habits, i.e., nicotine, high sugar and caffeine content drinks. Islam encourages us to eat moderately and fast three days a month (on the first Thursday, middle Wednesday, and last Thursday), and avoid excessive eating (little food along with water and still leaving some room for air). Islam also advises against snacking between meals.

For example, see Imam Ali Al-Reza-asws‘s advice on food intake during the twelve months of the year, Appendix I. Imam Ali-asws Ibn Abi Talib-asws, used to dislike being addicted to the meat (eating too much meat), and was saying: ‘The ferocity (harmful effects) of it is like the ferocity of the wine…’ For sweet intake, word ‘Halawa’ is mentioned in the Ahadith, which in those days would mean anything with sweet taste, i.e., the sweet of Rasool-Allah-saww was the dates.

From the historical accounts, we find during the time of the Holy Prophet-saww ‘sweet’ (Halawa) was prepared from simple ingredients; the milk/butter, flour, and honey. As for today, most sugar processing units use sulphur dioxide to remove its brownish colour so it appears white, thereby leaving residues. As a result, some sulphur dioxide is retained in the sugar crystals, which, when consumed over time, could lead to health hazards.

Opting for ‘sulphur-free’ sugar is better, although it still contains trace amounts of sulphur – however, the less of it in sugar would mean lower the health risks from sulphur dioxide. Therefore, it would be ideal to use naturally occurring sugars in our desserts, i.e., milk, fruits, vegetables and honey (in pure forms).