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How were the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions able to endure hunger, sleeplessness, and scarcity of food, despite what modern medical sciences say about the necessity of proper nutrition and sufficient sleep, considering that their health was better than the health of people in our time?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Blessing (Barakah) is the steadfastness of divine goodness in a thing. It is achieved by remembering Allah, obeying Him, adhering to His commands, and having sincere reliance on Him. Thus, whoever lives for Allah and by Allah becomes a recipient of blessing. Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) grants strength to the one who remembers. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, for example, used to write a great deal and display strength in war. Similarly, whoever perseveres in the sleeping supplications will find a strength that renders a servant unnecessary. Ibn Taymiyyah said, "The believer's strength comes from his heart; if his heart is strong, his body becomes strong." It was reported from Ibn Abbas that good deeds bring light to the face, نورًا (light) to the heart, spaciousness in provision, strength in the body, and love in the hearts of creation. Conversely, evil deeds bring darkness to the face, weakness to the body, deficiency in provision, and hatred in the hearts of creation. Lofty aspirations are attained through obedience to Allah. Whoever is for Allah as He desires, Allah will be for him more than he desires.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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