During a casual conversation, a woman said to her neighbor, “You really have gained considerable weight. Watch out for yourself.” On hearing this, this second woman was deeply grieved and as annoyed as if she had heard the news of a relative’s death. She asked her peers worriedly, “Help me, what should I do? I have gained weight, how can I lose it?” That was a good question which was answered by the attending women with great zeal and interest. Here are some of the most important solutions that were mentioned before the poor, bewildered woman:
1- Joining a sports center to take part in different types of sports like swimming, running and exercising.
2- Following a specific diet in which one should not eat a lot of sugar and carbohydrates. A woman present even suggested that if she could not avoid eating many types of food, she could eat what she wants then vomit it out!
3- Taking some herbs, even though they may taste bitter and are hard to swallow –as, it seemed, true bitterness lies in the loss of slenderness and the difficulty to attain it.
4- Undergoing liposuction in a clinic or private hospitals to get rid of excess fat.
5- Having a gastric balloon at a hospital to feel that she is always full and thus, loses her appetite for food.
6- A step that guarantees success: to tie your mouth. Yes, go to a private clinic and pay about one thousand Saudi riyals to have your mouth tightened. You will only have a small opening in your mouth that would hardly allow liquids in through a tube. Only then, you will be forced not to eat and will lose weight in a short time. Moreover, your words will not be clear; no problem, patience is the way to relief. Be patient and you will have good results!
7- There is another new step which is to have half of your stomach stitched so that it will be have the capacity of a child's stomach. Hence, you will only eat a little.
These were the suggested solutions for the poor lady and these were their valuable comments. If you had only seen their zeal and excitement, you would have thought that the matter was far greater than this. However, it was only for the sake of being slender. All this discussion was meant for the sake of seeking beauty! If this is so, what would be the case of the one who seeks safety and recovery from a disease that has afflicted him? What would be the case of the one who pays all he has to get food to satisfy his hunger? What would be the case of the one who works day and night to save the price of a can of milk for his infant? What would be the case of the one who travels abroad to collect money to save the price of medicine?
Is excess leisure the reason behind this state that women have reached or is it love of appearance and clinging to this worldly life? Who is responsible for this: their upbringing, the media or something else?
Sister, if you truly seek to be slender, observe the following instructions:
1- Adhere to the prophetic advice regarding eating: “One third for food, one third for drink and one third for breathing.”
2- Do your housework by yourself and dispense with the maid if it is possible. Otherwise, help the maid with the housework and do not entrust all the tasks to her.
3- Fast frequently bearing in mind that your intention is to seek the reward of Allah The Almighty.
However, you should not approach sports or physiotherapy centers. You will not lose any weight other than that of your wallet. With regard to inserting a balloon in your stomach, I warn you that it may burst inside you. Please do not tie your mouth because the world is in of your truthful words which call to goodness. If you give precedence to your slenderness over calling to the truth, then, you are giving the people of falsehood a chance, and silencing the truth by yourself.
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*Adapted from the book of “Kashkool Al-Usrah”