Its a very well said aphorism that atheism is a disease that rich suffer from and concoctions in religions (Bid’aa) start from the poor. This Freudian intellectualization of the divine and parochial smirk has its own feeble convictions.

Its the middle-class hardworking people that has intellect and spirituality that brings them closer to the truth because both extremely rich and extremely poor have neither desire nor the capability to discern the veracity.

Muslim intellectuals have spent an enormous amount of time to expand the false arguments to their logical conclusions and eventually defeated the so-called enlightenment of western philosophy.

One of these great Kalam tradition books in recent times is Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi RA’s ‘Al Intibahat Al Mufida fi Ashtabahat al Jadeeda’, roughly translated ‘Useful Admonitions for Modern Confusions’. The book has summed up all the rules and principles of logical fallacies with unprecedented dexterity.

It is still taught in schools to cope with atheistic fallacies. It encompasses the discussion in seven main rules that every student of logic should remember while arguing with the non-believers:

• Not understanding something does not automatically make it wrong.
• If something is logically possible and tradition affirms it, believing it is mandatory. (There are two kinds of logics. 1. Tradition (Naql) 2. Common sense. (Aqal)
• The impossibility of something happening is different from there being no way of it happening. Very unlikely to happen vs impossible to happen.
• For something to exist, it is not necessary for it to be seen or felt.
• Things known from tradition does not need logical proves.
• Logic and example are different things. Plaintiff can be asked for logic not for an example.
• Contradictions between Tradition and Common Sense can occur only in four combinations: 1. Both Absolute (Qatai) 2. Absolute Traditionally but Derived (Zanni) Common Sense 3. Both Common Sense 4. Absolute Common Sense but Derived Traditionally. (Qatai injunctions are unequivocal words from Quran and Hadith and Zanni are derived through proper Ijtihad)

He then gives the examples to understand above 7 principles in real life scenarios.

• If someone has never seen an elephant denying its existence doesn’t make it so.
• If someone tells you that New York is bigger than Detroit and you haven’t been to either of them, denying its plausibility is wrong. It is very possible and if you trust the person narrating, there is absolutely no reason to deny that.
• Someone who hasn’t seen a car finds it hard to believe that a cart can be pulled without a horse. For him it’s unlikely but logically it is not impossible.
• None of us have ever seen our great great great grandfather yet we believe he existed. Similarly, no one has ever seen air yet we breathe it.
• We know from history that Napoleon existed. One can question its veracity but cannot ask for a prove.
• If someone tells you that Romans ruled Europe you cannot ask him for a precedent to believe that. It came down through historians and is very unlikely to be wrong and a similar precedent has no bearing on the argument.
• Contradiction scenario 1 is not possible because only one has to be truth to contradict each other and two truths don’t contradict each other. The second scenario calls for preference of derived over common sense. The third scenario is a bit complicated and derived argument should be given preference for its obvious meanings and common sense should not be used as a decisive argument. The only exception where common sense should be given preference is scenario 4 where it should be accepted over tradition and tradition should be analyzed for its semantic spins.

These terms can be quite complicated for beginners in logic and people who want to know more can read it here.
http://www.alhudabookstore.com/product/1J322E

The book goes on, applying these logical principles to arguments of Prophethood, Heaven, and Hell, Destiny, Angels, and prayers. It is considered a gem in sciences of argument and logic. It has especially become more important in times when the clash of civilization is at its peak and communication has become very easy between people from different cultures.

Despite all these arguments, one must understand that ultimate pinnacle of belief is not needing logical arguments for belief in Allah but the love of Prophet SA should suffice as the biggest argument.

Sayedna Ali RA was once asked during his sermon while he was talking about the torment of the hell, “You are speaking about it as if you’ve seen it”. His response should be a guiding principle for all of us. He said, “Had I seen it with my own two eyes, I’d not have believed it any more than I believe the word of Muhammad Peace be Upon Him”. And this is the unshakable belief we all should pray and long for.

While spiritual knowledge cures the intangible diseases of the soul e.g. envy, greed, rage, vendetta and avarice, doctors aim to keep the human body functional. Each one has effects on the other. Imam Al-Ghazali refers to this in magnus opus “Ihya Uloom Din”, The Revival of the Religious sciences as the horse and the rider problem.

The body is the horse that the soul rides. The difference between animals and human beings is its superior cognition and logical reasoning. The corporal bodies are made up of a very similar matter. When a Darwinian refers to human similarity with apes, what he is alluding to is this physical similarity between mankind and other animals.

Among all other shortcomings of this idea, the most important is complete ignorance/denial of human spirituality. The soul is the rider of the horse that is the body. The journey is only possible when both of them are strong and functional. If the body feels sick, the rider can go no further and if the rider is sick, the horse doesn’t have a purpose.

Prophet PBUH has bestowed this Ummah with immense wisdom that suffices everything we’ll ever need. Subsequent scholars and physicians have worked their whole lives to decipher the wisdom behind his words and have come up with gems that have been enclosed in the tomes that we benefit from today. One book of this treasure is Ibn Qayyam RA’s ‘Tib-e-Nabvi’, Prophetic Medicine. He breaks up prophetic medicine into three parts:

• Preventative Medicine and Practices
• Curing the diseases
• Excretion of waste materials from the body.

He goes on to list ten things that basically cause all disruptions in normal body functions. If these functions are suppressed or unleashed abnormally, they cause damage to other parts and functions of the body and result in sickness. The majority of these functions involve suppression of sneeze, urination, excretion, vomiting and extreme starvation. The human body is believed to have been made of four earthly elements. Earth, Fire, Water and Wind. Its composition requires that its cure comprises of same elements to offset the imbalance. There are four states of human body:

• Hot
• Cold
• Wet
• Dry

A combination of them makes four more categories which are Hot and Dry, Cold and Wet, Cold and Dry and Hot and Wet. All these temperaments affect human mood. In Sufi tradition, these are called “The moods” and a huge cause of them is the food one uses and how its processed and obtained. Human character and health depend on three things. Food, Company, and Education. The combination of these makes up a personality.

Ibn Qayyam RA was a great Sufi in his own right and understood not only the apparent effects of the medicine and its toll on the soul. He describes in the very beginning of the book that relying on medicine is a weakness of soul. All things in the world are Allah’s creation and can only provide benefits when it’s His will to do so.

A depiction of this is Prophet SA’s saying to a doctor when he said I am a Tabib (Doctor). Prophet SA said “Allah is the doctor. You are only a fellow”. Truth is that medicines have been proven to cause both good and bad effects. It’s only when Allah wishes health for a man that He lets the right amount of medicine, at the right time cure the patient.

Trust should be placed in Allah and prayers should be made to him. Medicine is just a worldly device and it should not be relied more than on a car that can break down. Most of the diseases start from the stomach. “No human ever filled a vessel worse than the stomach. Sufficient for any son of Adam are some morsels to keep his back straight. But if it must be, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink and one-third for his breath.” [Ahmad, At-Tirmidhee, An-Nasaa’ee, Ibn Maajah — Hadith Saheeh.] Now the inability of stomach to digest the food that we give it clogs it and disrupts the normal function that has severe effects on performance.

Another Hadith states that ‘For every disease, there is a cure”. The reason we call something incurable is the lack of knowledge Allah has bestowed upon his mankind about the disease. Many diseases in the past that we thought had no cure are curable today. It is only when Allah wishes He bestows the man access to his great wisdom and secrets. Physicians have agreed for a long time that a patient should never use the medicine if the body has the energy to fight the disease naturally. The great wisdom of it is to prepare your body to develop a strong immune system to fight diseases without external help. Centuries later science agrees with it in strong words.

Tribulations and disease are also a source of expiation for sins and transgressions of people over others. The unconscious aggressions towards the poor, the sick and the needy. A Hadith states that when a believer is pricked by a thorn, his sins are atoned. Another way of looking at is the state of helplessness people go into when they are sick. Despite all the wealth and wisdom, they can’t get out of it without Allah’s mercy. This condition is very similar to Ramadan when people starve voluntarily, partly to feel the hunger and not being able to eat.

Medicine is curing a disease is only one part. Treating people with verses is another cure. In tradition, at many occasions companion of Prophet SA cure diseases with verses from the Quran. For the skeptics, the power of the words seem far-fetched ideas but same people get worked up when they are sworn at. Abuse is after all nothing but words. If one can be moved by it, why should verses from the one who created it should be of any less effect?

Book mentions a lot of things that are both curative and preventative which Prophet SA used and urged others to use regularly. Some of them are Honey, Dates, Milk, Black Seeds, Olive Oil, Cheese, Pomegranate, Grapes, Figs, Barley, Meat among others. Regular use of these ensures not only good health but ensures a fuller and happier mood.

GMO foods, pesticides, fertilizers, junk food and bad habits have ruined human health in all parts of the worlds as well as their spiritual states. While there is a cure for everything, prevention is the best cure. It includes not only healthy eating habits also positive outlook towards life. Psychosomatic effects have been documented and proven to be authentic.

Don’t eat unless you are hungry, walk for a while after your dinner, don’t eat hot and cold food simultaneously, don’t shower right after eating, fast each month to detox your stomach, pray regularly, give alms on regular basis, avoid a sedentary lifestyle, keep good company and finally be thankful. Whining does not solve problems. There is always something to be thankful of, you just have to look harder and in the case of Allah, you don’t have to break a sweat to find it.