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Spotlight on Health
Honey—Nature’s Remedy
By Wendy Manchester Ibrahim, MA
"From its [the bee’s] belly, comes forth a drink of varying colors wherein is a cure for people. Surely there is a sign for those who would give thought." Quran, The Bee, (16:69).
People have been giving honey thought. Honey has documented medicinal uses dating from the ancient Egyptians to the early Muslims in the 7th century A.D. Modern scientific research is continually re-discovering the myriad of uses for honey, including it’s anti-microbial and wound healing benefits. Yet it is not used widely in either medical settings or as a home remedy. We are currently in an era when the microbes are outsmarting medicine. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a potentially lethal drug resistant bacteria, is becoming more common. Is it possible to rely on the remedies, like honey, that have proven effective throughout history?
History shows us uses of honey, particularly as a remedy in ancient Egypt and as a sacred substance in Islamic medicine. Scientific evidence over the last century shows that these ancient claims are validated under modern scrutiny. Both taken internally and as a wound agent externally, honey has shown extraordinary healing properties. So, how can you better incorporate the use of honey into self-care and natural health care practices? Honey has the potential to be an affordable, readily available and easy to use remedy for many complaints from common cold symptoms to major infections.
Here are some tips for using honey as a staple in your family’s medicine cabinet.
Buy local honey when possible. Organic local honey purchased directly from the beekeeper has been reputed to help reduce the symptoms of hay fever and other seasonal allergies. A spoonful a day may help keep the doctor away. Swallow directly off the spoon or mix into some hot tea.
Use honey as a cough syrup. Many studies have shown that honey is as effective as over the counter medications in reducing night time coughs in children. And given that the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a statement officially advising parents against giving children over the counter cough syrups, this safe and delicious alternative is a great addition to your healthcare alternatives to your family.
Become your own medicine maker. There are a variety of honey recipes available. Combining honey with other common household ingredients like vinegar, garlic, or ginger can increase its healing power.
Honey can be a great wound healer, especially for burns. Keep a small jar with your first aid kit!
Honey is just one of nature’s many remedies available to us to help improve the wellness of our family without the side effects of conventional medicines. Allah tells us in the Quran that He has made available a cure for every illness. That cure may be as close as your own kitchen.
About the author;
Wendy Manchester Ibrahim, MA is a Doctoral Candidate in Natural Health, Nutrition and Lifestyles. She is an educator and consultant and owner of Manifest Natural Health, LLC in East Greenwich, RI. Please visit www.manifestnaturalhealth.org for more information.
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A Blessing from Allah, Our Heart
By Eva Sasa
The obvious difference between a heart that is beating and one that is not; is life or death. This is the physicality of the heart, but there is another level to this which many cultures and sacred texts talk about as well. In every culture we have sayings such as she wears his heart on his sleeve, she is warm hearted or soft hearted, or "cold hearted". All these saying imply a connection between ones emotional capacity and the physical heart.
In Hamza Yusufs course The purification of the Heart, he talks extensively about how the heart becomes polluted by such earthly desires as coveting, greed, envy. I hope to give you but a glimpse of this wonderful course from which we can all learn.
So why would it be so damaging aside from the obvious sin, to commit acts of greed or envy? Well it really can be just as damaging as consuming a high fat processed diet. You may not be clogging arteries, but you are damaging another very important part of the heart, our spirit's emotional house. In Chinese medicine the heart is said to house the spirit shen. The Chinese characters for love and virtue, thinking, thought and intention all contain the ideogram of the heart. The Sacred books of many religions all refer to the state of the heart. In the Quran Allah (swt) teaches us of three kinds of heart. The dark heart of the one who disbelieves in Allah (swt) the light heart which has been lit and given guidance, and the diseased heart, of the hypocrite.
Science has actually shown us that the physical heart beat is self initiated. It doesn't require the central nervous system as the rest of the body does. Early ultrasounds have shown that heart is the first organ to form in a fetus. If you have had an early pregnancy ultrasound you will see hardly anything at all on the screen except this fluttering heart. During heart transplants the heart continues to beat even after its connections to the brain are cut off.
The task of this heart is daunting. Beating 100,000 times a day pumping over 100 gallons of blood and hour, for our entire lifetime. So keeping the heart in good health is important to maintain the well being of not only our physical lives but our spiritual and emotional well being.
The Prophet of Islam Peace be upon him, said that wrongdoing and misdeeds irritate the heart.
I cannot talk about the heart without discussing motherhood very briefly. Allah (swt) has given humans one part of the 100 parts of mercy that Allah(swt) has. That one part gives us the ability to feel the sadness at the sight of a suffering being. The ability to feel compelled to help as well. As a mother, and as a daughter, I see how powerful this mercy in our hearts is. So again I see another important reason to maintain the purity of the heart, to keep that mercy in tact.
So as women and especially mothers, we have a very important task, because our childrens hearts will shape under our care. And if we are not intact we cannot expect their hearts to be either. As women, as sisters we can support each other, whether we work, stay home with children or Alalh has destined us to care for some one other than our own children. Applying that one part of mercy in any of these ways is purifying. We are unique from men, In the Quran although both men and women are given this mercy, the balance is different. And duly so, since a woman is the one to carry a child for 9 months. Her heart supporting her life and that of the new child. It is her heart that will be placed under enormous effort to deliver the child. It is her heart that will protect that child and kiss that childs wounds. It is her heart that will extend the first lessons of mercy. Being gifted with this extra inclination towards compassion is not a weakness. It is our strength as women. Because it allows us not only to feel the mercy but also the drive to help stop the harm or suffering. So with the greater sensitivity the woman is also given a greater strength to handle it. So what can we do with this information? Hopefully you will be inspired to read the book which is a summary of Hamza Yusuf's course. But in the mean time I leave you with this thought.
Wanting for your sister what you want for yourself is one step towards maintaining the purity of ones heart. It frees us from those emotions that cause damage and disease. In supporting the purity of your heart you are also supporting the purity of your sisters heart. And by Allah's will with sound hearts we can sincerely be there for each other during the tribulations of this life.
