Pilgrimage Ready: Healthy & Strong: Physical Preparation for Hajj and Umrah

By Muhamad Hamim Bin Abdul Rahim and Saif-Ur-Rahman

The original intent for writing this book is to address the deteriorating state of health of Muslims in Singapore, particularly the Malays. The content focuses on improving physical health through lifestyle interventions in exercise, diet, and rest. To support the narrative, verses from the Quran and the Hadith are used because the authors believe that religion is a strong motivator.

Many perceive Hajj and Umrah as the pinnacle of Islamic worship, yet many are unaware of the grueling tasks involved in them. Readers will learn how to achieve peak physical health so as to be able to complete the Tawaf and Sai with greater ease InsyaAllah. Not only that, they can also expect an improvement in the quality of life as a person and as a Muslim when adopting the right practices and beliefs.

Included is how the Quran and Hadith place much emphasis on physical health and how science debunks many health myths on weight loss, exercise, and rest. And because the wait time for Hajj in Singapore can take up to twenty years, physical preparation should start as soon as possible.

Readers will discover why adopting the right motivation and changing mind-sets can increase the chances of success. There is a special section on healthy practices during Ramadhan and Syawal, two celebratory months in the Islamic calendar where diet and exercise take a back seat due to the focus on ibadah. Two special Muslims take center stage in this chapterone talks about his positive experience with intermittent fasting during and after Ramadhan and the other who exercises and trains every day while fasting.

The authors of this book speak from experience as they themselves exercise regularly and observe healthy diets. Readers who are interested to know about Umrah the DIY way will also benefit, as one of the authors give a detailed account of his recent trip.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: May 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543745986

Muhamad Hamim Bin Abdul Rahim

The authors provides guidance and reminders in the field of health & fitness in Islam through their expertise in their fields. One has a background in Sports Science, Strength & Conditioning & Sports Nutrition, while the other is a community leader who was a former accredited Asatizah, a former lawyer and a Fullbright Scholar.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Muhamad Hamim Bin Abdul Rahim, Saif-Ur-Rahman.

Edited by Fatimah Binte Sawifi

Illustration by Maryam Binte Muhamad Hamim

ISBN:                  Softcover                        978-1-5437-4612-9

                            eBook                              978-1-5437-4598-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Prologue

About the Authors

Chapter 1:   The Health Situation Today

Chapter 2:   Physical Activity and Exercise

Chapter 3:   Diet

Chapter 4:   Rest

Chapter 5:   Motivation

Ramadhan and Syawal Special

Umrah DIY Special

Foreword 1

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Hj Mohammad Alami Musa

Bismillah Hirrahman Nirrahim

I like to convey my most heartfelt congratulations to Mr Muhamad Hamim bin Abdul Rahim and Ustaz Saif-ur-Rahman for publishing this healthy lifestyle guide Pilgrimage Ready- Healthy & Strong. This is a commendable effort in community building as health and well-being are going to be among the critical concerns of the community in the coming years.

Muslims are blessed with physical health to worship Allah SWT through the performance of prayers, hajj, umrah, fasting, and other rituals. If they do not look after their health, then they are deemed to be ungrateful to Allah for the blessings He bestowed on them. Furthermore, they will lose the privilege of being able to perform their worship in the best possible ways through their good health. For example, one of the biggest blessings that Allah has given us is to be able to place our forehead on the ground to prostrate and worship Him. If we do not look after our health, we may not have the strength in our knees and legs to perform this prostration. What a waste of Allah’s blessing given to us!

It is therefore my fervent hope that this book will inspire Muslims to care for their health and well-being.

This book is also well thought through because it provides details on how readers can look after their health. They may find it onerous to do all the exercises. Muslims should then adopt the way of beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that is starting in small ways and increasing gradually but most importantly is to be consistent. Therefore, we can start doing what the book suggests in small but consistent ways. Healthy lifestyle will soon become a habit and way of life.

Finally, I like to thank both Mr Hamim and Saif-ur-Rahman for this book. It is a great service to Muslims. Doctors have advised that the best medicine is to exercise and embrace a healthy lifestyle.

May Allah reward them for this good deed and may He give all of us the strength and determination to embark on the path of looking after our health and well-being. Ameen

Wabilla Hittaufiq Walhidayah Wassalammualaikum wr wb

Hj Mohammad Alami Musa Ambassador to Peoples’ Democratic Republic of Algeria (Non-resident)

Foreword

Assalamualaikum wrb.

I was pleasantly surprised when I was contacted by the authors to write the Foreword to this book. After taking note of who the reader demographics are and the reason for this book, of course, I am honoured to do so. In fact, I feel that it is part of my responsibility to add in the emphasis of the importance of this book to a Pilgrim.

In my more than 20 years of hands-on experience interacting with the communities in Singapore, Malaysia and the region, mobilising any community towards fitness and health is not an easy journey. But nothing is impossible if the niat is pure and sincere, particularly when mobilising the community in fitness and health to perform the best in our ibadah for the blessings from Allah s.w.t.

Congratulations to Mr Muhamad Hamim bin Abdul Rahim and Ustaz Saif-ur-Rahman for this commendable initiative.

Pilgrimage Ready - Heathy and Strong is not only, a good guide to fitness and health preparation pre-pilgrimage, it is also a good source of knowledge for those planning their pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

May the presence of this book, as a guide for pilgrims, spark not only the beginning, but the continuance of a healthy lifestyle for all Muslims throughout their lifetime.

The ills of sedentary lifestyle has been widely documented through the years, from obesity and its comorbidities, to depression and debilitating and critical illnesses such as stroke and cancer.

In our pursuits of healthy lifestyle combatting sedentarism, let our objective be the following - a definition of health by the World Health Organisation, which holds true to the current day.

Health is not merely the absence of diseases or infirmity.

Health is a complete state of physical, mental & social well-being which translates to the quality of life.

World Health Organisation. 1946. Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organisation as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19 – 22 June 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 nations. Official Record World Health Organisation, 2, 100; entered into force 7 April 1948.

The quality of life blessed by the Almighty Allah s.w.t.

Health is a great treasure granted by Allah to us as an amanah. It is our duty to guard it dearly. May Allah s.w.t bestow upon us great blessings and ease in our journey forward. Aamiin.

Wassalammualaikum wr wb

Dee Dee Mahmood

- Academic Adjunct Senior Lecturer (International Collaborations), Edith Cowan University Australia

- 2018 International Scientific Committee representing Singapore & International Ambassador, World Conference on Exercise Medicine, supported by World Health Organisation (WHO)

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Prologue

Madam is 78 years old. Almost every day she will take a 15 minute walk with her red roller basket to the wet market to get fresh ingredients. Her four room HDB flat is too large for her to be living alone in. It used to house her six children but one by one they got married and moved out. On weekends, things are different though. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren visit her and the house comes alive with little running feet and conversations at different corners of the apartment. That would justify the space.

Like most of her contemporaries, Madam is a widow. Her husband had passed away 18 years ago. They were married for 45 years. After her husband’s demise, her health deteriorated rapidly. She was so overcome with grief that she couldn’t see due to constant crying. Months later, she underwent a cataract operation for both eyes. Subsequently, Madam started to develop several other health issues due to her high Body Mass Index (BMI). She contracted high blood pressure and diabetes. The cholesterol test she took was unfavourable and her knees began to hurt when she walked or even sat. Painkillers only provided a short respite from the nagging pain and after many years she agreed to undergo knee replacement surgeries, one knee at a time. A few years after that, the shoulder pain that she was nursing started getting worse and again she braced herself to go under the knife again. With two knee and one shoulder replacement surgeries, cataract removal procedures and daily cocktail of medication to regulate her bodily functions from high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, she is now able to be mobile and perform her daily tasks again with fewer difficulties. Madam reflects the trend published in todayonline.com on 15 September 2017 which reported that Singaporean live in full health up to 73.9 years, the second highest in the world but spends the last 10 years in poor health. This article was based on a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Madam was adopted by a childless Muslim couple from overseas when she was a baby. Her Chinese parents gave her up during the post Japanese era when there was a baby boom. She never got to meet them, neither does she have any desire to do so. In the meantime, she grew up in an environment steeped in the Malay culture and Islamic religion as her parents were very conservative. Soon after the adoption, the couple moved to Singapore in search of a better life. She received her education in a madrasah and married at an early age of thirteen. It was an arranged marriage with a man from Batu Pahat, Malaysia, who came to Singapore to work as a technician at the Port of Singapore Authority. Over the decades, she bore seven children but lost one at a very young age. Life was hard, as salary from a technician could hardly maintain a family of eight but as her children subsequently grew up, things got easier when one by one started working and contributed to the family income. Even though the family became more affluent, she maintained her humble lifestyle which she aligned to the principle of moderation in Islam. The five pillars of Islam was observed meticulously under her watch, well at least the first four. Back then, the possibility of performing Hajj can only be realised upon one’s affordability and the moment came only when she was 55 years old. Her physical state was good and her medical issues were under control. That year, she completed her Hajj with little difficulty. Today, Madam can say that she had travelled to the Holy Land four times to perform the Hajj. Many, however, in their lifetime will not be as blessed. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, in Singapore, as with many other countries, those who are interested to perform the Hajj has to register and get in a queue. The wait can be up to twenty years. Secondly, most people only start to think seriously about religion later in their lives, having to establish their careers and families first. By the time they are stable, the advent of Islamic consciousness can be as late as in the mid-forties and if they register for Hajj it would mean that they can only perform the Hajj in their sixties. This has a large implication on how well the Hajj can be performed as the tasks required is not only spiritual, mental and emotional, but physical as well. At 55, Madam was still strong with no medical issues. She was able to undertake the tasks involved independently with very little supervision. However, now she has already succumbed to the fact that she will need assistance to undertake the physical rituals involved in the Hajj. Her last trip to the Holy Land in 2017 for Umrah with her daughter and grandson was completed drastically slower when doing the tawaf and sa’i. Despite that, she considers herself strong as she was able to do the two rukuns on her own two feet.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Saudi Arabia, has taken great strides in accommodating to the increase in the number of pilgrims who are more elderly or physically challenged due to health issues. The construction of a giant ramp linking the ground floor to the third floor of the Haram in Mecca was recently completed. This ramp was built with wheelchair users in mind. Entering the third floor of the Haram, one would be greeted with a wide isle to perform the tawaf. At the side, motorised and non-motorised wheelchair sits ready to be rented. Close by, vendors shout loudly to get the attention of potential patrons. Incapacitated pilgrims can also get similar services for the Sa’i ritual which can be performed on three levels. Again, the third level has special access for motorised and non-motorised wheelchairs. For those who are still able to walk slowly or with the aid of a walking stick but find difficulties going up and down the stairs, numerous lifts was added to the building as well. With all these, pilgrims can take comfort in knowing that even with physical disabilities and declining health, will be able to complete the fifth pillar of Islam with the many facilities and services catered to their needs, InsyaAllah. Private services from hotels and transport companies have too adapted in tandem with the ministry’s effort by, for example, providing wheelchair services at the hotel lobbies and facilities such as ramps and more lift access to rooms than before. While comfort can be taken in knowing that movement in Mecca can be fully aided and facilities abound to make it easier, some may still prefer to perform the rituals independently. This is preferred because it saves more time and also doesn’t incur any cost. However, the physical demand is high and some form of preparation is necessary to ensure over exhaustion doesn’t set in. The most common frequent task done during the Hajj is the Tawaf. The circling of the Kaabah replaces the Tahiyat al-Masjid Prayer or the prayer of greeting, when in the Grand Mosque of Mecca. Every round is an average of 200 meters. Therefore, 7 rounds would mean 1.4km. The illustrations below are screenshots taken from a smart phone application called Sports Tracker. The activity was recorded during Umrah in December 2016.

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For this particular Tawaf, the pilgrim was able to perform it within 100m of the Kaabah, on the ground floor. There was enough elbow space to circle the black structure quite comfortably. Performing the Tawaf 5 times a day would mean walking a daily distance of 1.24km x 5 = 6.2km. In terms of steps, it is more than 10,000. This can be a daunting task for most people and therefore preparation is crucial. If the Tawaf is performed on the second and third floor, expect the distance and time taken to be more than double.

Sai is a compulsory task for both Umrah and Hajj. Pilgrims are required to walk 7 times between two hills, Safa and Marwah which are approximately 450m apart. The total distance to be covered is about 3.15km taking about 35 to 40 minutes. In between the two hills is an areas lit by green lights where pilgrims are encouraged to increase their pace either with brisk walking or light jogging. This distance is about 99m. To complete this distance well, one has to be in a relatively good state of physical health.

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One of the other physically demanding task but only performed during the Hajj is the ritual stoning at Mina. Here pilgrims are housed in tentages on what is called the Mina encampment. The area one ends up in depends on which area of the globe one comes from. For South-east Asians like Malaysians, Indonesians and Singaporeans, the accommodation is about 3.5km away from the 3 Jamarats. These 3 large pillars are accessed from 3 floors to make the area less crowded and each group of pilgrims is allocated different floors. For South-east Asians, the third floor was the floor allocated. The incline or slope to the Jamarat provides even greater challenge. In total, pilgrims from this group can expect to walk 7km daily for 3 days, which is 21km, a half marathon distance. The walk will take the pilgrims through a special tunnel called the Muassim Tunnel which only opens during the Hajj season. However, pilgrims can still access Mina on foot if they wish to during Umrah. Below are two illustrations also captured from Sports Tracker in December 2016 for reference. Note that the distance is only one way.

The Tawaf, the Sa’i and the stoning represent the most physically demanding rituals that are compulsory for pilgrims. There are however, activities that are as physically demanding, if not more, and highly encouraged to perform. For example, most pilgrims are highly motivated to climb Jabal-al Nour and visiting the cave of

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Hira where Rasullulah received his first revelation from Allah. To access the cave, visitors would have to ascend the approximately 1200 walking steps up to a height of 270m. This is equivalent of about 90 floors of a residence apartment. Needless to say, it requires a good state of physical health to reach the summit. Once at the summit, assessing the cave is a different challenge as one would have to traverse around the rocks and boulders and go through narrow openings to get to the cave. A slim body would have more advantage and in terms of skill, agility, balance and dexterity would certainly make it even easier. Below are more illustrations from Sports Tracker to show the map as well as statistics to the climb in December 2016. Do note that the numbers reflects both ascent and descend phases of the climb.

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While Islam is a religion that doesn’t burden its followers, allowing them to make adjustments in the way Allah is worshipped, there is merit in being able to worship Him in the full physical form and movement. This is explained in the Hadith as follows: Indeed, Allah loves that when anyone of you does a job, he should perfect it. (Bayhaqi) For example, Individuals feel more complete when able to perform the sholat without the sitting on a chair. Some would even seek help from weight loss clinics to be able to pray they did before. Most injuries and illnesses contracted from an unhealthy lifestyle can be prevented through the attainment of useful knowledge, the acquisition of relevant skills and conscious and deliberate actions. A Muslim is therefore commanded to take care of his physical bodies as they are entrusted by Allah. The Prophet said: ‘There are two gifts which many men are unmindful about – good health and leisure.’ (Bukhari) In fact, he also said: No supplication is more pleasing to Allah than a request for good health. (Tirmidhi). Another tradition narrates that a Bedouin once asked the Prophet, saying, O Prophet of Allah, what supplication shall I make to Allah after I have finished performing the prayers? The Prophet replied by saying: Ask for good health.

Heatlh and religion is gaining more publicity in the Muslim community in Singapore lately and the Quran and Rasullulah PBUH, have made many references towards the former. The Mufti of Singapore, Dr Fatris Bakaram, made a speech as reported in berita.mediacorp.sg in September 2017 where he encouraged his fellow asatizahs to lead a healthy lifestyle so they could continue their duties as religious teachers well. He agreed to a remark by his former leader saying that it would be embarrassing if a religious leader were to have a potbelly (perut buncit). He said living healthily is something that is required by the religion.

The following chapters are intended to firstly, raise awareness of the physical demand of Hajj and Umrah, especially those who have yet to go on the journey. Secondly, this book will provide information on how to achieve and maintain an acceptable level of fitness and a healthy lifestyle. The literature contained between these two covers, however, is also useful for all as every Muslim should be a healthy Muslim.

About the Authors

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Muhamad Hamim Bin Abdul Rahim

At the age of 23, he went to Hajj with his parents and sister. It happened the same year he started his career as an educator. A couple of years later, he married his fiancée of 2 years and at the age of 41 he and his wife were blessed with their 5th child. He received his professional qualification from Nanyang Technological University in the field of Physical Education and Sports Science and several years later continued overseas to complete his degree with honours in the same field at Loughborough University, United Kingdom. During his career, he was attached briefly to Alexandra Hospital and the Health Promotion Board where he learnt the issues surrounding weight management. In 2017, he enrolled himself in a coaching course in Strength and Conditioning awarded by the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association and passed with a level one certification. That same year, he completed and passed a Sports Nutrition Course conducted by Academy of Sports and Exercise Science. The course is approved by the American Council of Exercise. In 2014 he won the Work Life Star Award conferred by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices for his ability to balance both career and family and individual pursuits. He is an