Why Man is such a Foodie

Why Man is Such a Foodie

Syed Sharfuddin

As we all know dietary restrictions have become a part of our daily life. I am not particularly singling out religious beliefs which forbid the consumption of certain foods such as alcohol and un-halal products. Generally, dietary compulsions kick in often due to bad eating habits, metabolic disorders, ill health or the fact that as we grow old our bodies digests less and react to what becomes an overdrive for their nutritional requirements. What a great irony that when we are old and have all the time in the world dong nothing worthwhile and have sufficient money saved in the kitty, we cannot afford to eat stakes, cakes and fried chicken as much as our heart desires. Our family doctor and children keep reminding us to our chagrin to take less salt, less sugar, less oily foods, and less carbs. Fizzy drinks become sworn enemies and fruit juices are to be kept at an arms length.
When we reach this stage, our options are really very little. If we listen to the advice of the doctor our food becomes tasteless and has no kick. If we don’t heed the doctor’s advice we develop cholesterol, coronary disease, blood pressure, diabetes and other bad things that conjure up to make us die.

There is however nothing to worry about it. Our Creator has made our bodies like this. Up to 40 years of prime age we are developing and growing our muscls and whatever we eat helps it. After 40 years, we start to show signs of depreciation of the body corpus. Our hair turn white or fall off, our vision requires correctional lenses, and we need some root canals to wear that killer smile as well as chew our bovine meals. After 60, our knees and legs start complaining of extra work and our waist starts behaving like a teenage girl who doesn’t like picking extra weight.
After we reach 70, the good old libido comes to say goodbye. After 80, if we are alive and still functioning without a carer, we are damn lucky.

But compare all this to our brain which remains a rebel headquarter of the carnal and not so carnal but eating desires. It remains young until dementia or Alzheimer’s rob it of its current bearings, even though its imagination is rocket high.
This means that death is not the end of man. Allah did not create us for this world. He sent us on earth only for a few decades to make use of knowledge and choices before us; did we do well to get an everlasting life of reward or regret.

In the holy Quran there is mention of the food of Jannati and Jehammani people. What we cannot eat in this life either because we are under medical advice or our age, we will be able to eat it in Jannah. The mind as the fountain of desire will win over body as the manifestation of death on earth.

The food of Paradise will be both similar to what we are familiar with in our world, as well as different beyond our imagination.

وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتࣲ تَجۡرِی مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُۖ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُوا۟ مِنۡهَا مِن ثَمَرَةࣲ
رِّزۡقࣰا قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِی رُزِقۡنَا مِن قَبۡلُۖ وَأُتُوا۟ بِهِۦ مُتَشَـٰبِهࣰاۖ وَلَهُمۡ فِیهَاۤ أَزۡوَ ٰ⁠جࣱ مُّطَهَّرَةࣱۖ وَهُمۡ فِیهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ﴿ ٢٥ ﴾
• Translation:
[Prophet], give those who believe and do good the news that they will have Gardens graced with flowing streams. Whenever they are given sustenance from the fruits of these Gardens, they will say, ‘We have been given this before,’ because they were provided with something like it. They will have pure spouses and there they will stay.
[Al-Baqarah, Ayah 25]

تَرَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِینَ مُشۡفِقِینَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ وَهُوَ وَاقِعُۢ بِهِمۡۗ وَٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فِی رَوۡضَاتِ ٱلۡجَنَّاتِۖ لَهُم مَّا یَشَاۤءُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡۚ ذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَضۡلُ ٱلۡكَبِیرُ﴿ ٢٢ ﴾
• Translation:
you will see them fearful because of what they have done: punishment is bound to fall on them- but those who believe and do good deeds will be in the flowering meadows of the Gardens. They will have whatever they wish from their Lord: this is the great bounty;
[Ash-Shūrā, Ayah 22]

یَدۡعُونَ فِیهَا بِكُلِّ فَـٰكِهَةٍ ءَامِنِینَ﴿ ٥٥ ﴾
• Translation:
Secure and contented, they will call for every kind of fruit.
[Ad-Dukhān, Ayah 55]

۞ وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِیۤ أَنشَأَ جَنَّـٰتࣲ مَّعۡرُوشَـٰتࣲ وَغَیۡرَ مَعۡرُوشَـٰتࣲ وَٱلنَّخۡلَ وَٱلزَّرۡعَ مُخۡتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُۥ وَٱلزَّیۡتُونَ وَٱلرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَـٰبِهࣰا وَغَیۡرَ مُتَشَـٰبِهࣲۚ كُلُوا۟ مِن ثَمَرِهِۦۤ إِذَاۤ أَثۡمَرَ وَءَاتُوا۟ حَقَّهُۥ یَوۡمَ حَصَادِهِۦۖ وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوۤا۟ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا یُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِینَ﴿ ١٤١ ﴾
• Translation:
It is He who produces both trellised and untrellised gardens, date palms, crops of diverse flavours, the olive, the pomegranate, alike yet different. So when they bear fruit, eat some of it, paying what is due on the day of harvest, but do not be wasteful: God does not like wasteful people.
[Al-Anʿām, Ayah 141]

فِیهِمَا فَـٰكِهَةࣱ وَنَخۡلࣱ وَرُمَّانࣱ﴿ ٦٨ ﴾
• Translation:
There are two deep green gardens in Paradise which have easy to reach trees and branches providing shade; and every kind of fruits in pairs, such as date palms and pomegranate trees.
[Ar-Raḥmān, Ayah 55 to 68]

وَفَـٰكِهَةࣲ مِّمَّا یَتَخَیَّرُونَ﴿ ٢٠ ﴾
وَلَحۡمِ طَیۡرࣲ مِّمَّا یَشۡتَهُونَ﴿ ٢١ ﴾
• Translation:
the meat of any bird they like; there will also be any fruit they choose”
[Al-Wāqiʿah, Ayah 20, 21

Truly there are signs for those who see.