Benefits of avocado oil to the skin

Although it is classed as a vegetable oil, the avocado is really a fruit since it has a stone - but none-the-less it yields a rich and extremely deep penetrating oil, rich in vitamins A, D and E, lecithin, as well as potassium - known as the youth mineral.

It furthermore contains proteins, lecithin, beta-carotene and more than twenty percent essential unsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acids contained are palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic.

Benefits of avocado oil to the skin

• It is also high in sterolins, which are reputed to reduce age spots, help heal sun damage and scars. It is the sterolins (also called plant steroids) in the oil that helps to soften the skin and imparts a superior moisturizing effect.
• For this reason it is an ideal ingredient to include when formulating for people with dehydrated, sun or climate damaged skin, as it is an extremely good moisturizing and nourishing compound, assisting in the regeneration and rejuvenation of the skin.
• In a study done at the Department of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in 1991, it was found that avocado oil significantly increases the amount of collagen in the skin - which normally is under attack as we grow older.
• Avocado oil is easily absorbed into deep tissue, and with its wonderfully emollient properties, makes it ideal for mature skins. It also helps to relieve the dryness and itching of psoriasis and eczema.
• It is often used for clients with dry or mature skins, or people suffering from eczema or psoriasis, and is very useful when treating sun or climate damaged skin that is dehydrated and undernourished, as it is said to help with regenerating the skin and softening the tissue.

Fever: a blessing in disguise

Fever: a blessing in disguise

Fever wipes out one’s sins and rids his body from dead substances and germs. It is a blessing in disguise.

The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “When a believer gets sick or feverish, it is like metal when put on fire, the bad is gone and the good remains.” [Al-Bayhaqi]

He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) also describes the intensity of fever by saying: “Fever is coal from hell, get rid of it by using cold water.” [Ibn Maajah]

The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) forbade the cursing of fever by saying: “Do not curse a fever because it abolishes sins like fire abolishes dirt from iron.” [Ibn Maajah]

A bacterial or viral infection usually raises the temperature of a person, antibiotics are useless with viral infections, such as the influenza and the common cold, although the patient might sweat and have a very high fever.

Then what is the cure?

The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) tells us to reduce the fever with water. The same is still applied today. Putting cold pads on a patient’s forehead is still used in a lot of hospitals and by doctors even though fever reducing medicines are abundant, like aspirin, paracetamol (or acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in Tylenol) and others.

Using water to reduce fevers is not limited to using cold pads. Drinking a lot of fluids is also helpful. This is also understood from the wordings of the Prophetic narration: “cool it with water.” Water is either what the patient drinks, what is given intravenously or what the patient puts on his face or body to cool the fever.

We have seen a lot of patients where fever reducing medicines (antipyretics) were not effective with their rising fever. At the same time, cold water had an immediate effect. That’s why pediatricians advise parents to take a child’s clothes off and give a lot of fluids if a fever occurs. An antipyretic might also be give like paracetamol. Aspirin has been banned for children under 12 years of age.

What is fever?

Fever occurs when the body temperature rises above normal (37 C). There is an area in the brain (an area that lies over the pituitary gland in the front of the head) which is a temperature regulator.

When a germ enters the body, it starts secreting toxins. Toxins affect the temperature regulator causing its temperature to rise. The substances that cause this rise in temperature are called pyrogens. Pyrogens are caused not only by germs but also by the ruined tissues in the body after being affected with germs.

When the temperature rises in the temperature regulator, the rest of the body has to comply. It increases its temperature in response. Soon, the whole body feels feverish and the patient’s temperature rises. This explains the saying of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) when he described the believers in their kindness and affections like the body. If a part of it suffers from a germ or a virus, like inflammation in the respiratory pathways or inflammation of the urinary tracts and others, all of the body suffers from fever and restlessness.

Yes the whole body suffers. The whole body has a rise in temperature and not only where it is affected. When the inflammation worsens, the germs increase and consequently ruin the tissues. The germs and the pyrogens will find the body’s defense system ready to attack and eat the by-products of the germs and rid the body of them. While doing this, it releases to the body fluids a substance called leukocyte pyrogens or endogenous. Therefore the fever remains while the body is cleansing itself from the by-products.

Didn’t the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) say, when a man cursed the fever: “Don’t curse it because it abolishes sins like fire abolishes dirt from iron.”

It is a cleansing of our sins, a cleansing of dead substances such as dead tissue and the by-products of the germs, like fire cleans the dirt from iron.

The famous book on physiology by Guyton, 1992 edition, stated that an amount equal to one over 10 billionth of a gram of endogenous is enough for a fever to occur.

Such a small amount of a substance secreted in the body due to a very small germ or a virus is enough to transfer a person form being healthy, to becoming sick, feverish and bed ridden.

Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim may Allaah have mercy upon him said: “I remember once, when I was feverish, a poet cursing the fever, saying.

The sin purifier has visited and left.

How evil it is when visiting and when

leaving

She asked while getting ready to leave What

do you want?

I replied, to never come again.

I said, shame on him, he cursed what the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) forbade to be cursed. If he had said:

The severe-sin cleanser has visited.

Greetings to it while visiting and while

leaving

She asked while getting ready to leave What

do you want?

I replied, to not leave.

It would have been better for him and it still would have left.”

Recent scientific studies have shown that this leukocyte pyrogens cause fever by making a substance called prostaglandin in the local glands in the area of the hypothalamus. When the growth of this kind of prostaglandin is inhibited, by using medicines, the fever is reduced. This explains how aspirin reduces fever. It inhibits the growth of prostaglandin and prevents its making.

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said: “For every ailment, there is a cure. If the cure reaches the ailment, it is cured by the will of Allaah.” [Muslim]

That explains the known phenomena that aspirin does not reduce the temperature of a normal person who is not feverish. That is because he does not have these endogenous in his body to work on the hypothalamus.

How do chills occur and why?

The temperature level in the temperature regulator rises suddenly form its normal level to a higher level, due to damage in the tissues, due to the release of temperature generating substances or due to dehydration. When this happens, the body temperature rises within a few hours to attain the new temperature.

During this period, the patient shivers and feels cold, even though the body temperature is high, because blood vessels in the skin contract. The chills remain until the body temperature reaches the new level set by the temperature regulator.

When the body temperature reaches that level, the chills stop and the patient feels neither warm nor cold. As long as the infection continues and the reason for the rise in temperature continues, the body temperature remains at this new level until Allaah permits recovery.

courtesy of Abdurrahman.org

Honey: Prophet's Guidance Regarding the Usage of it

Honey - Prophet’s guidance regarding the usuage of it

by Ibn al-Qayyim
Taken from Zaad al-Ma’aad, 4/224, 225, 4/33, 34.

 Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“There comes forth from their [bees’] bellies, a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men” [al-Nahl 16:69] 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

With regard to the Prophet’s guidance concerning drinking, it is the most perfect guidance that maintains good health.

• He (Sallalahi Alahi WaSallam) used to drink honey mixed with cold water.
  • This is very healthy and no one can understand how healthy it is except the most prominent doctors.
  • For drinking honey on an empty stomach dissolves phlegm, cleanses the stomach, reduces its viscosity, washes away waste matter, warms it up a little and opens its inlet and exit.
  • It has a similar effect on the liver, kidneys and urethra.
  • It is more beneficial to the stomach than any other kind of sweet that enters it.
  • However it may cause side effects in people who are suffering from jaundice because it is hot and jaundice is hot, so it may aggravate it; in order to avoid this effect vinegar may be added, then honey will become beneficial and drinking it will be more useful than many or most of the drinks that are made from sugar, especially for those who are not used to these drinks, for if they drink them they will not suit them as well as honey does, or even come close.
• With regard to drinking it when it is collected and well-prepared, this is one of the most beneficial things for the body, and one of the greatest means of preserving health; it is very refreshing and energizing, and it is good for the liver and heart.
  • If it is well-prepared it provides nutrition and makes food reach all parts of the body in the most effective manner.

Zaad al-Ma’aad, 4/224, 225

And he said (may Allaah have mercy on him):

• Honey contains great benefits, for it cleanses impurities from the veins and stomach etc, whether it is eaten or applied to the skin.
• It is good for the elderly, the phlegmatic and those whose humours are cold and wet.
• It is nourishing, aids digestion, energizes, makes unpleasant medicine palatable, is good for the liver and chest, is a diuretic and helps to ease coughs caused by phlegm.
• If it is drunk warm mixed with rosewater it is beneficial for one who has been bitten by a scorpion or who has consumed opium.
• If it is drunk on its own mixed with water, it is good for the one who has been bitten by a rabid dog or eaten poisonous mushrooms.
• If fresh meat is placed in honey, it will stay fresh for three months, as will cucumbers, pumpkins and eggplants. Many fruits can be kept in it for six months.
• It will also preserve a dead body, and it is known as the trustworthy preserver.
• If the body of one who is afflicted with lice is painted with honey, it will kill the lice and their eggs.
• It makes the hair long, beautiful and smooth.
• If used on the eyes like kohl it clears the vision.
• If the teeth are brushed with it, it whitens the teeth and makes them bright, and keeps the gums healthy.
• It opens the veins and induces menstruation.
• If taken on an empty stomach it takes away phlegm and cleanses the stomach, clearing away waste matter and restoring the correct temperature. It does likewise to the liver, kidneys and urethra.

• As well as all this, it has no side effects and causes little harm.
  • It may cause side effects in one who is suffering from jaundice, but that may be counteracted by vinegar and the like, in which case it becomes very beneficial for him.

• It is a kind of nourishment, a kind of medicine, a kind of drink, a kind of sweet, a kind of cream.
• There is nothing that has been created for us for a similar purpose that is better than it, or even comes close.
• The ancient peoples relied on it, and in most of the books of the ancients there is no mention of sugar at all and it was unknown to them, for it is something that is very new.
• The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to drink honey mixed with water on an empty stomach, and this is the secret of maintaining good health that no one can understand except one who is intelligent and blessed.

Zaad al-Ma’aad, 4/33, 34.

Miswaak: The Natural Toothbrush

Miswaak: The natural toothbrush

[From: Al Jumu'ah Magazine]

The Miswaak was known before Islam, but Islam added a religious perspective to its usage.

The Prophetic guidance:

The Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) recommended Muslims to clean their teeth using a Miswaak every day; especially upon waking up, when performing ablution, before prayer, when reciting the Quran, before sleeping, when entering the house, and when the mouth has a foul odor.

There are many Prophetic narrations that talk about Miswaak. Following are some of them:

‘Aa'ishah may Allaah be pleased with her related that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "Ten things are part of one’s natural disposition: Trimming the moustache, growing a beard, (using) the Miswaak, sniffing water, cutting the nails, washing hands, plucking armpits, shaving pubic hair, and conserving water." [Muslim]

Furthermore, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) highlighted its importance, saying: "If it were not that it would create hardship for my people, I would have ordered them to use the Miswaak with every ablution and with every prayer." [Al-Bukhaari]

Medical discoveries:

The Miswaak is a natural tool for brushing the teeth. It is taken from the roots and branches of particular desert trees. It differs from one region to another, but in Arabia and Asia it is taken from the Arak tree. This is the most famous variety, and is the kind that was used by the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ).

Its scientific name is Salvadora Persica. It is a tree that grows in hot equatorial countries, especially in desert valleys. It is widespread in the South of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Egypt, and elsewhere.

Salvador Persica is an upright evergreen small tree or shrub, seldom more than one foot in diameter, reaching a maximum height of three meters. The leaves are small, oval, thick and succulent with a strong smell of cress or mustard.
The Miswaak is also obtained from other trees. In Africa, for example, it is cut from Lime and Orange trees, and in America some are cut from the Senna tree.

As the Arak tree is so well-known, and as it was the kind that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) used, it has been scientifically studied. The following summarize the various discoveries regarding Miswaak.

Health effects of Miswaak:

Physically, the Miswaak is a natural toothbrush. It is composed of a compact group of minute natural fibers that perform exactly the same function as a normal toothbrush except that it is made of natural rather than plastic fibers. For this reason it may be more gentle on the gums.

Miswaak's natural toothpaste is made up of many substances that are important for cleaning teeth. Many researchers have studied the Miswaak in depth, and have proven that Miswaak contains over ten different natural chemical compounds considered essential for good oral and dental hygiene.

They are: fluoride, silica, tannic acid, resins, alkaloids (salvadorine), volatile oils (sinigrin), sulfur vitamin C, sodium bicarbonate, chlorides, calcium, benzylisothiocyanate (BIT), and others including salicylic acids, sterols, trimethylamine, saponins, flavenoids.

Some of these components are stain removers and teeth whiteners, some protect teeth against caries, some are bactericidal and antiseptic, some help in healing and to repair tissues, some promote remineralization (building) of tooth enamel, and some give the pleasant taste and smell.

Cytotoxicity:

Results of cytotoxictests showed no cytotoxic (cell damaging) effects from using freshly cut Miswaak. However, the same plant used 24 hours after cutting did contain harmful components. Based on these findings, researchers recommend cutting the used portion of the Miswaak after it has been used for a day and preparing a fresh part.

Scientific comparison between Miswaak and toothbrushes:

A clinical trial study on Ethiopian schoolchildren, comparing Miswaak with the conventional toothbrush, found Miswaak to be as effective as the toothbrush in removing oral deposits. The study also found instruction and supervision to be important since the children in the sample were not familiar with techniques for using Miswaak.

How to use Miswaak:

The method of preparing a Miswaak for use is to cut a branch or root of the Arak tree into pieces between 10 cm and 20cm in length, and between 4mm and 14mm in diameter. Occasionally some are thicker than this.

Fresh Miswaak is brown in color, with a hot, pleasant taste. People usually strip off some of the Miswaak's thin bark from one end, then chew that end a little to separate the fibers so that they become like the fibers of a normal toothbrush. They then use it to brush their teeth.

Length and diameter:

A length of 15cm is recommended, which is convenient to grip, and easy to manipulate in a confined space. The diameter is normally less than 1 centimeter, which provides a supple stick firm enough to transmit the pressure of the cleansing action to the teeth without breaking.

Freshness: Miswaak should be freshly cut so that it is supple, easily chewed, and still rich in active constituents. The root should be whitish-brown in color; a dark brown color indicates that the Miswaak is no longer fresh.

If a stick is dry, the end for chewing should initially be soaked in fresh water for 24 hours. It should be noted that soaking for unduly long periods causes loss of active constituents and diminishes the therapeutic properties, although the mechanical effects on the teeth can still occur.

The end: Before Miswaak is used, the end should be washed with water. It is then chewed repeatedly until the fibers stand out like the bristles of a toothbrush. These fibers should be trimmed every 24 hours.

Brushing technique:

The techniques employed for removing plaque mechanically are similar to that for the toothbrush and the chewing stick; i.e., vertical and horizontal brushing. The cleaning movement should always be directed away from the gingival margin of the teeth (away from the gums) on both the buccal (outer cheek) and lingual (inner cheek) surfaces.

Care should be taken to avoid damaging the soft tissues of the mouth. Satisfactory cleaning can be achieved if this procedure is followed for five minutes.

There are two basic holds: Pen-grip (three-finger) or palm-grip (five finger-grip). In each case the aim is to ensure firm but controlled movement of the brush end of the Miswaak within the oral cavity, so that every area of the mouth is reached with relative ease and convenience.

When to use Miswaak:

In general, the Miswaak should be used a minimum of five times a day (i.e. before each prayer). However it is recommended to use it all the time, whenever possible.

Common mistakes in Miswaak use:

1. The end is either too thin or too thick.
2. Keeping it in the mouth while doing other things.
3. Not cutting the end every day.
4. Forgetting that teeth have five faces (inner, outer, two sides, and biting/chewing face), and only using Miswaak to clean the outer faces.

Allaah Has Combined All of Medicine (at-Tibb) in One Verse of the Qur'aan

Allaah Has Combined All of Medicine (at-Tibb) in One Verse of the Qur'aan

All praise is due to Allaah and may the prayers and salutations be upon His Messenger, to proceed:

Allaah the Most High said, "...And eat and drink and be not excessive (therein)..." (al-A'raaf 7:31)

Ibn Katheer commented upon this verse:

One of the Salaf said: Allaah has combined the entirety of medicine (at-tibb) in half a verse, "And eat and drink and be not excessive..."

Al-Qurtubi commented upon this verse, after mentioning that excessive eating is makrooh (disliked), he mentions the benefits of eating little:

... In eating little there are many benefits. From them that a man becomes of sounder body, of better memory, purer in understanding, (requiring) less sleep, and lighter in (his) soul...

Then he mentioned the harms of eating excessively:

... and in eating much there is the overstuffing of the stomach and putrefaction of undigested food, and from this the variety of diseases are produced, and thus he requires treatment more than what the one who eats little requires. Some of the physicians said, "The greatest treatment (dawaa') is (appropriate) estimation of food." And the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has explained this meaning sufficiently and completely which does away with the speech of the physicians, so he said, "The son of Aadam does not fill a container worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Aadam to take enough morsels of food to keep his back straight (keep him able-bodied) . And if it is necessary, then a third for his food, a third for his drink, and a third for his breath."...

Then a little later al-Qurtubi says:

And it is mentioned that (the caliph) ar-Rasheed used to have a shrewd Christian physician who said to Alee bin Hasan, "There is not in your Book (the Qur'aan) anything of the knowledge of medicine, and knowledge of is of two types, knowledge of the religions and knowledge of the bodies." So he said to him, "Allaah has combined all of medicine in half a verse in our Book." So he said, "What is it?" He said, "The saying of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic: And eat and drink and be not excessive."...

And Imaam ad-Dhahabi in his book "at-Tibb an-Nabawi" (p. 34-35) says:

The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: "The son of Aadam does not fill a container worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Aadam to take enough morsels of food to keep his back straight (keep him able-bodied) . And if it is necessary, then a third for his food, a third for his drink, and a third for his breath." This was reported by an-Nasaa'ee and at-Tirmidhee, who said, "Hasan Saheeh" ... and this is one from the aspects of preserving health.

Alee bin Hasan said:

"And Allah, the Sublime and Exalted has combined the whole of medicine in (just) half a verse, so He, the Most High said, "And eat and drink and be not excessive..."

And you can refer to an earlier article on the same subject, from the words of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, as well as this article from the speech of Ibn al-Qayyim.

Source: Healthy Muslim