Ibn Al Qayyam quoted Imam Shafi’ee who said:
Four matters bring strength to the body, eating meat, smelling perfume, taking baths even without the intercourse & wearing Kittan (Linen).
Four matters weaken the body, sexual intercourse, depression, drinking water repeatedly while the stomach is empty & consuming sour foods in excess.
Four matters strengthen the sight / vision, sitting next to Ka’bah, using KOHL before going to sleep, looking at green things & cleaning up the sitting area in the house.
Four matters weaken the sight / vision, looking at dirt, crucified persons, looking at a woman’s vagina & sitting while your back is to the Qiblah (direction of the prayer).
Four matters increase sexual power, eating sparrow / fowl meat, the large Itreefal (a medication for constipation), pistachio & carob.
Four matters sharpen mind’s power, avoiding un-necessary speech, using Siwak, sitting with righteous people & with Ulama’a (scholars).
Four matters dissipate the strength of the body and might lead to death: “Weakness, leaving loved ones behind, rage, rejecting good advice and the clever persons falling victim to deceit by ignorant people”.
The doctor of Al-Mamun said, “Hold fast to five characteristics that whoever preserves them would never catch a disease other than death:
1. Do not eat food while there is still food in your stomach.
2. Do not eat a type of food that your teeth cannot chew, because then your stomach would not be able to digest it.
3. Refrain from excessive sexual activity because it shortens the life.
4. Do not revert to cupping (Hijamah) without necessity.
5. Vomit during the summer.
Excessiveness in four matters causes sickness:
Speech, sexual activity, sleep and eating habits.
Excessive speech weakens the mind and hastens old age. Excessive sleep turns the face yellow, blinds the heart, irritates the eyes, makes one lazy to work and causes excess humidity in the body. Excessive eating habits spoil the orifice of the stomach, weaken the body,
causes thick flatulence and difficult ailments.Having sexual intercourse excessively depletes the strength, weakens the body, dries the moistures in the body, adversely relaxes the nerves, causes various clogs and harms the entire body, especially the brain because of the psychological effects it will have on it. Weakness in the brain, which will also weaken the soul, is worse than weakness in any other organ.
