My reply on the topic of Muslims and fitness:
One thing I have learned from experience is that there is a deep distinction between the Islamic ideals and the Western ideals of fitness.
What we find and learn in western men’s magazines is distinctly geared for the goals of living longer, healthier, and to become more sexually pleasing to ourselves and to the opposite sex.
On the other hand, the Islamic ideal man is one who is in a state of submission with Allah’s decree. Being physically fit is a part of that, but is that the goal (like it it for the West) or is it the result of following the Sunnah?
It was mentioned that the Prophet (??? ???? ???? ? ???) was very physically fit, and that he had a ‘washboard stomach’. If this was the case, it was certainly not due to time he spent in a gym. I also doubt very much if it is a sunnah to spend time doing ‘cardio’ in which one runs for no purpose other than to exert oneself.
Rather, the sunnah is to live a balanced life of ‘applied fitness’, which is fitness which comes from living through the rigors of everyday life, working hard, playing hard and eating minimally. Those that were that strong in the time of the Sahaba, developed that skill from the nature of their livelihood or activities when they came home. We should strive to do the same as well and train in ways that do not lead us to excess.
Out of milk? Run or bike to the store instead of drive. Car dirty? Spend time and put some elbow grease and do it yourself instead of the car wash. Want to be strong? Try learning archery or fighting techniques and tell me how sore you feel afterwards.
All of these ways, and others, are important to making our lives more -real-. Much of it can be accomplished by doing certain things the ‘old fashioned’ way. I daresay that becoming fit from actual applied uses of strength, power and speed retains a strong sense of purpose, and keeps us from imitating blindly the culture of body-worship which is fast becoming an alternative ‘religion’ in the West.
On the other hand, we need to realize that Allah has created all sorts of people, and there are those who are fond of the books more than the archery grounds, stables, or wrestling pad. If they have expressed their love for the Sacred knowledge in this way, while neglecting this small aspect of the Sunnah, they are still very far from reproach from our weak souls.
We simply cannot expect our scholars to be die-cast replicas of the Prophetic Sunnah. This is especially the case when we are discussing the few aspects of the Sunnah which we find attractive because it fits with our current interests or lifestyle.
Since the Prophet (??? ???? ???? ? ???) was perfect in all respects, we can think of him as a perfect sunlight beam, hitting a prism, creating different colors each with their own level of beauty as well.
We, his followers, are those colors. We should be able to respect on another’s strengths and ignore their weaknesses. At the same time we need to respect our weaknesses and ignore our strengths, since that is the only way to find our way back to the perfect light source.
Only when we examine the best aspects of all of humanity will we find a representation of his Sunnah.
