INVITE ALMIGHTY ALLAH INTO THE GYM
‘Health is the greatest of all possessions.
Youth and health are not appreciated until lost.' —Hadrat Ali (ra)
Invite Almighty Allah’s power to participate with you in the gym. The power of Almighty Allah is everywhere; it is in heaven and on earth and in every single creation of His. His power encompasses all that exists; nothing escapes His knowledge is beyond His power. Humankind can only prosper if they develop the ability and skill to unleash Almighty Allah’s power placed in them by Him. The only way to success is to study the Noble Qur’an and the Sunnah of the noble Messenger Muhammad (S) with a sincere desire to implement these teachings in life.
In Surah Muhammad, Almighty Allah reminds us: ‘Allah knows how you move about. For Allah is with you and will never put you in loss for your good deeds.’ ([47]:35). In Surah Fath He emphasizes: ‘To Allah belong the forces of the Heavens and the Earth; and Allah is exalted in Might, full of Wisdom’ ([48]:7).
There are spiritual forces under the command of Almighty Allah that are everywhere. He has placed 384 angels in our bodies. By performing dhikr while exercising in the gym or swimming, we activate these powerful forces that nourish, heal, and sustain the body.
The body is a trust (amanah) for the soul; taking care of it is our responsibility. While on planet earth, Almighty Allah has blessed humankind with a body so that our soul can have a material experience to discover and unleash His power both physically and spiritually. Everything that is material will disappear and the developed soul will live for eternity. The challenge is to develop our soul; we have to maintain a balance between our body, mind and soul. This is a command of Almighty Allah (SWT). ‘A healthy mind is a healthy body’.
Iman (belief), Salat, Dhikr (remembrance of Allah), Fasting, Zakat (charity) and Hajj are the institutions with which Almighty Allah has blessed humankind to develop the discipline that is required to discover His power.
Visiting the gym regularly builds the body’s immune system, both material and spiritual. While we are exercising or swimming, the sounds of silently repeating the powerful names of Almighty Allah in the stillness of our minds reverberate in the body and synchronize its metabolism. The method of supplication and attracting the power of
INVITE ALMIGHTY ALLAH INTO THE GYM
Almighty Allah is to repeat His mighty, potent and powerful attributes.
Repeating the powerful Names of Almighty Allah continuously at the gym during workout, while walking, driving, at home or at work, liberates the dormant powers that are placed within us by Almighty Allah. Some of His most powerful names can be recited while in the gym. Allah, Allah / As-Salatu ‘alan-Nabi / Laa ilaaha illal Laah / Bismillah Hir-Rahman Nir Rahim / Ya Wadudu, Ya Wadud.
The power of dhikr while exercising is phenomenal; this silent mental sound develops a rapport between Almighty Allah, the body, the mind and the soul. Our emotional state transforms into a positive one. The energy trapped by our thoughts is released.
The majestic name of Almighty Allah naturally resonates in the body; repeating His attributes creates a chemical reaction that regenerates the body’s immune system. While being active, dhikr controls the free radicals that originate from the oxygen we breathe. These free radicals are the prime enemy and the root cause of all diseases. They penetrate the depths of each cell, and create chemical changes that attack the DNA. Dhikr produces natural anti-oxidants that vaporize the free radicals. The noble Messenger Muhammad (S) said: ‘One of the most valuable Dhikr is one done by me and all the Prophets before me, ‘Laa ilaaha illal Laah’.
The body is a trust to humankind; if we nourish it with the right diet and treat it correctly, we will have an optimally functioning body, mind and soul. There are remarkable forces in our body that are constantly at work building us up and tearing us down; it all has to do with how we live and take care of the greatest gift that Almighty Allah has blessed us with: ‘The Body’. ‘If we do not look after our body while we are young, someone else will look after it when we are old.’
Dhikr, performed silently or loudly, instinctively releases serotonin, a neurotransmitter that influences practically every aspect of the brain, helping to shape our moods, energy levels, memory and outlook on life. There is no need to take anti-depressants as dhikr naturally stimulates the serotonin levels.
Dhikr, coupled with haya (modesty), will generate the power to ascend to unimaginable heights. In Surah an-Nur of the Noble Qur’an, Almighty Allah emphasizes the need for modesty (haya): ‘Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty (haya); this is purer for them’ ([24]:30).
In the following ayat, the same command is repeated for the believing women with the additional instructions that ‘they should not display their beauty [to strangers]’ ([24]:31).
Haya is emphasized in the Noble Qur’an for both men and women; the awrah is sacred. We are instructed not to violate the sanctity of the awrah by exposing it. It is forbidden to walk naked in showers or the dressing rooms, revealing or
INVITE ALMIGHTY ALLAH INTO THE GYM
displaying the awrah. The male awrah is from the navel to the knee, the female from the breasts to the knee. The exposure of the sacred Awrah to any man or woman is forbidden. These parts of the body are sacred, must be covered at all times and can only be revealed to the wife or husband.
The noble Messenger Muhammad (S) has forbidden the exposure of both the male and female awrah. In a hadith, it is narrated: ‘No man should look at the awrah of another man and no woman should look at the awrah of another woman’ (Sahih Muslim).