Travel Through Islam

This course will cover a Prophetic + Islamic foundation for health. Participants will be coached through a new way of understanding their health based on the example of The Prophet ﷺ, companions, and early scholars of Islam. This course is based on foundations of Health Psychology. Everyone has heard the same instructions to eat healthier and move more, but few actually adhere to this advice. As a PhD Student on health psychology, Amina Khan's goal with this course is to take participants beyond traditional health advice and share psychology strategies to make health more applicable, simple and manageable on a daily basis.

What You'll Learn

Session 1: A Prophetic Approach to Food (Duration 30 mins)

• Why be healthy? The concept of Afiyah in Islam
  • The Prophet ﷺ's emphasis on good health as a blessing
• Grattitude vs. Gluttony: The forgotten Sunnah of health
  • The Prophet ﷺ's cautions against obesity and overeating
  • The sahabah’s caution against overeating
  • The early Muslim scholars' approach to food and avoiding overeating
  • Understanding the Prophetic approach to food in light of the example of the Sahabah and early scholars: Your physical health and spiritual connection are LINKED. When you overeat, your spiritual capabilities suffer and hinder your ability to worship Allah ﷻ to the best of your ability
• 3 Levels of influence: Why A Muslim must re-prioritise their health
  • Personal level and worship potential + capability
  • Family level + creating a positive example for your children + combat rising childhood obesity rates
  • Ummah level: Allah ﷻ changes a people when they change what is in themselves! Promoting societal change in the Ummah by reclaiming our health!

Session 2: Mastering Your Relationship with Food; Eating With Shukr to Never Diet Again by Practicing Mindful Eating (Duration 45 mins)

• Why diets fail: We are trying to eat less without realizing that we are first eating WRONG
• Apetite cues and eating triggers: Why do we REALLY eat?
  • Biological cues
  • Habitual cues
  • Emotional cues
  • Cultural cues
  • Environmental cues
• Eating with gratitude vs. eating with gluttony: An introduction to mindful eating and how to use it to reconnect with our body’s actual hunger
  • The 5 principles of mindful eating:
    • Awareness of your physical and emotional cues
    • Recognition of your non-hunger triggers for eating
    • Learning to meet your other needs in more effective ways than eating
    • Choosing food for both enjoyment and nourishment
    • Eating for optimal satisfaction and satiety: Using the fuel you’ve consumed to live the vibrant life you deserve & pray for
  • 5 Pillars of a healthy relationship with food

Session 3: The Moving Muslim (Duration 30 mins)

• Prophetic examples of strength & fitness
• Islam as a physical religion – examples of Islamic rituals with a physical component
• The pitfall of the fitness industry: confusing sexuality with fitness makes us believe that physical fitness is only to achieve something “extra” like attractiveness. Physical fitness affects EVERY aspect of our lives – as Muslims once we understand this we connect more deeply with our desire + motivation to stay fit
• Reasons vs. Benefits: Finding true motivation to be fit & healthy
• Movement vs. Exercise: The Dangers of a sedentary life and how to run a marathon without ever going for a run
• Exercise guidelines on a weekly basis to reach your recommended targets