For the past few centuries, ever since the “Enlightenment” era, and more specifically ever since the advent of Cartesian modern philosophy, we have been led to view our bodies in a very mechanistic way. Until relatively recently we have been taught that our bodies are composed of parts and we are sum of our body parts. This view of our bodies has in turn made us think and believe that each body part and organ is separate from another and when one organ or part is in pain then that part alone needs to be examined and checked.
Needless to say, this old perspective of our bodies has given ways to the opportunistic pharmaceutical companies to produce specific “healing pills” for each and every “broken” body part.
However, as our science advances and as we gain more knowledge into our human biology, a completely different perspective begins to shine through, a holistic one. We have come to realize that the health of each and every body part is directly related to the health of the whole body and we cannot simply divide our bodies into multiple parts and ignore some parts while focus on other parts.
For example, a skin problem may be related to an issue with our diet and our digestion system. Therefore, to cure our skin issue we need to first fix our diets and resolve our digestion issue.
In addition, from the brain perspective, each action that we take, each experience that we go through, each word that we speak, directly affects the neural networks of our brains and influences and shifts its maps and connections. Our brain directly manages our bodily functions and health, precisely through these neural networks, and each and every change in our brain results in a change in our consciousness and perception of the world. Our perception of the world in turn affects our choices and subsequently our actions in the world. To perform an action we require some body parts and tissues, which are in turn connected to other tissues and organs. Therefore, our actions not only depend on our body parts but they directly cause changes in those very same body parts as well as the whole body.
To simplify the matter and to connect it to the following tradition, imagine the action of speaking. What you speak, and the consequences of your words, causes a change in your neural networks in your brain, how ever minor this change may be. The more you repeat those words or if you persist in speaking in a specific manner, those same connections in your brain strengthen and solidify. These new or modified connections, in turn, result in the modification of other parts of the network in your brain.
Now, due to these changes, your brain is different than before, how ever subtle this difference may be. This change in your brain causes a change in your consciousness and perception, which is indirectly (or even directly) connected to your actions. Your actions and their consequences, in turn, are linked to your body parts, since you commit your actions via your body parts. Consequently, your actions could either be beneficial or harmful to your body parts. Now, if we trace back this path, we notice that it was indeed our spoken words or manner of speaking that resulted in either harm or benefits to the rest of our body parts, since it was our words and thoughts that changed our brains and hence our perceptions and hence our actions.
What I said may at first seem very confusing. However, if I could summarize and simplify what I said into one sentence, I would use a statement by biologist Gerald Edelman. He said, “our brains are embodied and our bodies are embedded in the environment.”
Think deeply about this statement as it is very important. Do not lose sight of this holistic perspective. Your brain is the product of the interactions between your body, your actions, your experiences and your environment. In other words, who you are cannot be separated from your actions, your experiences, your body and your environment.
From a religious perspective what this implies, and what Islam has repeatedly commanded is that if you desire to be on the right path, take care of your physical health, commit the right actions and be in the right environment.
Now, you may read the following tradition and not immediately realize its significance or even see the connection to what I just said. That is completely acceptable and I can certainly understand that.
What we can all quickly see is the moral lesson in this tradition. The moral lesson that immediately and readily stands out is that, watch over your tongue very carefully as its actions affect the health and status of your whole body.
Here’s the Authentic tradition.
Arabic text:
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ مِهْزَمٍ الْأَسَدِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ ع قَالَ إِنَّ لِسَانَ ابْنِ آدَمَ يُشْرِفُ عَلَى جَمِيعِ جَوَارِحِهِ كُلَّ صَبَاحٍ فَيَقُولُ كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتُمْ فَيَقُولُونَ بِخَيْرٍ إِنْ تَرَكْتَنَا وَ يَقُولُونَ اللَّهَ اللَّهَ فِينَا وَ يُنَاشِدُونَهُ وَ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا نُثَابُ وَ نُعَاقَبُ بِكَ
Farsi Translation:
على بن الحسين عليهما السّلام فرمود: در هر بامداد زبان آدميزاد بر تمام اعضائش مشرف شود و گويد: چگونه هستيد؟
گويند: اگر تو ما را رها كنى خوبيم و ميگويند: خدا را خدا را نسبت بما بياد آور و سوگندش دهند و گويند ما بسبب تو ثواب و عقاب بينيم.
English Translation:
Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Eissa from Ali ibn Al Hakam from Ibrahim ibn Mehzam Al-Asady from Abu Hamza from Ali ibn Al-Hussain, peace be upon him, who has said:
“The tongue of children of Adam oversees all body organs every morning. It asks the organs: How is your morning?
They say: good, if you leave us and they beseech it and say: By God by God remember us, they plead and they say: we get rewarded or punished because of you."
Source:
Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 115, Tradition #13
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