You and your body aren’t one and the same thing. Nope. If that’s what you’ve believed thus far, you’re out of shape, probably overeat, and have this false hope that one day you’re just going to be all well and charming like you used to be when you were, say, younger, if you weren’t chubby, chubby, like I was at about ten.
The mere notion that we are who we are is also not correct, because you are what you choose to be, not what you are because you are this way. The human mind is highly programmable, and this is evident from the fact that all of us have our own understanding of the world around us, and navigate it freely, without the want or need of continuous instruction on how to function. There’s our baseline, and then there’s this layer of data and meaningful information on top that guides our choices. Without the ability to make choices, and at times, informed choices, you’re almost always in a place where you’re guessing, and guessing is not something we humans do best — in the absence of knowledge.
So, your mind, body, and soul are three things that you need to be mindful of — I’ve mentioned soul here because that’s part of you, as long as you’re you, and not me. The soul is what drives us, what gives us a sense of being, and what we actually know the least about, Islamically speaking or otherwise. The ‘otherwise’ being Science, which of course can’t measure the paranormal or spiritual, which renders it an ineffective tool to talk about the soul. Yet, the soul matters. It’s part of you, and it’s what drives us day in and day out, helping us be who we are.
Coming back to the reason why I’ve chosen to jot down these points — your body, after a certain age, demands that you be mindful of its limitations. The most ardent thought being, it needs your time. Actual, dedicated, one-on-one time. The kind one spends with a friend or on a hobby, and the kind that becomes essential, because, well, you’re aging and that aging isn’t going to go away. Actually, in a certain cheesy manner, ‘Aging ain’t going away, it’s here to stay!’
Realizing that, is that, the hardest part of it all. And if anyone has trouble knowing when they’re aging, it’s not when you’re feeling tired or can’t get up and do something — no, all those kids who feel like this every bit these days, no! It’s when you’ve crossed the age of 40, and it’s when you’re almost going to have a few ‘breakdowns’ in life, ones that you’re not so ready for, and ones that you’re going to see come at you from a place you never had imagined.
Now, it’s not at 40 on the dot, no, it’s somewhere there, in that proximity. And if, like most of us who are privileged with a settled lifestyle, with our meals planned out for us, or they’re a simple fry or stir-fry away, well, we’re probably gaining weight, enjoying meals way after what our eating times should be at night, and are indulging in pleasuring ourselves with all those candies and cookies we ought to better leave out for the kids. I’m THE most guilty of this. I rob all my kids of such treats, so much so that I’ve heard them remark, “Aba will have it, so you better!” — this is not good, but it’s true. If their candies, crisps and goodies fear anyone, it’s me. Still, as I said, we’re all endowed with these pleasant meals, treats, and fat-gaining, ugly-making, health-killing blessings that people like me have never had a problem consuming. Until, well, when you put a measure to pleasure.
One of the sure-knowns is coming down with some form of back condition. This is one of the worst; it brings about such pains as if you’ve never imagined, and if it’s serious, you’re going to want to need some form of short- or long-term physiotherapy, even surgery. I had a back-pain event some ten years ago; I’ll have to look up the right dates, but it was terrible. The signs of it in the making were there, and I knew, as most people do, get a sense of it, something was wrong, or something was coming. That time my parents simply brushed it off by handing me some Voltaren gel and sending me off, saying it’s too good - at least it was for them - and that I’d be fine. The problem with that approach is it’s a quick fix no one ordered. And it sells the best, at least when you, like I was, are in the habit of going day after day, doing what you do, well, day after day. Ignoring your body, stressing your mind, and keeping that soul as much as we can at bay, tucked away, unattended.
BAM! I can’t recall what snapped it, but it did snap. Something went off like a snap, pop, or crackle, and there I was in this unbearable pain. Oh my! May Allah protect everyone from having back pain, or the likes of it, or any such pain whatsoever, and make it a mercy and forgiveness for those who experience it and its reeling effects. Like we say in Urdu, 'aisa dard to Allah kisi kay dushmano ko bhee na dey!’ Which roughly translates to, ‘Oh Allah, don’t give such pain even to my enemies!’ Hmm… I agree with this statement as long as it does not apply to my dushmans (enemies).
Anyway, to each their own pain — oh my! That’s put me off track! Haha. Where were we? Yes, that bit about ‘boorhi kamariya’ syndrome and how it came about. Years of work, no exercise, all work while sitting, more sitting, and excessively delicious and unhealthy food. The norm. Most Pakistanis are just this, or the same. We’re probably clinically depressed, or so I presume, and our way to get over this is to eat, eat, and eat some more. I mean, even on the day of resurrection, if it were possible, all our Amis will be standing with some kind of a superb-tasting meal, right as we pop out of that moist, dirty mud. I know, I know, this is a stretch, but then these days, what isn’t?
I recall I had invented this way of sleeping with my legs curled towards me or something, aided with pillows, and had managed to sleep for 2-3 hours at night, mostly because the system needed to rest, while I was in tremendous agony. There’s just no way to get rid of it— some meds and those physiotherapy sessions; you actually have to go walk and visit, still painful and a chore. Anyway, it took five sessions to help heal my suffering, and that week was a lesson for me. Sitting is bad, and you better not sit anymore. Everything else? Keep going at it, pal; don’t think too much.
Doing what we do is important. Doing it while we have done enough for our mind, body, and soul is the right move. It’s the most Islamic move; it’s only natural. Balancing all of this is how our lives should be modeled, not the other way around. There’s no need to worry or hurry; no, there’s a need to realize that, like all blessings in life, the body that carries us around is a vessel and, like all such vessels, it needs to be cared for. Take it as a person, as someone you have a relationship with and as someone you deeply feel for — only then, it might occur to you that you’ve been caring the least for it, and that you are now at a point where, by your actions or inaction, you’ve already caused much harm. That harm is an injury, one for you, and one that’s going to give you a lot of trouble, moving along. There’s no quick fix, and any fix in place requires treatment, patience, and some only yield partial relief.
‘Shifaa’ is from Allah alone. There’s no way you can quickly fix something that’s come to you as a trial. There’s no way you can jump the queue if you’re being tested. There’s no way you’re going to get special treatment just because you’ve been this perfect Muslim all your life. Nope. There’s no privilege in all this — there’s this hope, and the only hope, that Allah decrees for us: complete recovery, health and mobility, and that besides Him, there’s no other who can bless us with mercy, patience and a desire to ask Him alone, in our most private moments, the dua we all must make. Like our late Papa used to say, ‘Allaho Shaafi, Alaho Kaafi’ — Allah is the one in whose hands is complete healing, cure, and recovery, and that indeed Allah is sufficient for us all. So, it ain’t because of some medicine, some procedure, some doctor or healer, not one bit. It’s because and when your Lord has decreed relief and ease for you. In due course of time.
To all who keep fit, keep fit. To all who delay it, think over it, procrastinate, a gentle reminder: Once broken, it’s hard to fix the human body. And at times, not at all.
So, let’s not break what Allah has made,
Perfect and given you, without want of any take.
Be up and about, for He has decreed;
Mind, body and thy soul, must all be,
Obedient, resilient, strong, and brilliant;
Like Prophet ﷺ, lovely, caring, magnificent.
If then, there comes a calamity, remember;
You’re not the first to have seen,
Such hardship, such trials, such tests as he;
Muhammad ﷺ, his kith, his kin – Oh Allah:
How can I feel I’m more miserable, in dire need?
When they stood fast, praying in Thy name;
Fa-Allāhu khayrun ḥāfiẓan wa-huwa arḥamu r-rāḥimīn
Leave a comment