How to Control the Appetite?

Question

A question about controlling one's appetite and the role of fasting in managing it. [AR_ID:3074]

Answer 1

Peace be upon you.

Controlling the appetite is considered one of the best forms of worship. Imam Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him) said: "The best worship is the chastity of the belly and the private parts." (1) Indeed, nothing has been worshiped by Allah better than this chastity, as he also said: "There is no worship more beloved to Allah than the chastity of the belly and the private parts." (2)

Islam places great emphasis on this matter, making a man's jealousy over his honor a sign of a balanced and faithful personality. These two forms of chastity are considered the best acts of worship because sins become more active when the belly is full. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) said: "The two hollow parts that lead my nation to hellfire the most are the belly and the private parts." (3)

The appetite of the belly prevents a person from thinking rationally and systematically about obtaining food and respecting the rights of others, leading them to commit sins and wrongdoings to satisfy it. Moreover, it is a source of many physical and moral diseases to the extent that it becomes an idol that controls all of one's behaviors.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Whoever is protected from the evils of his belly, tongue, and private parts is protected from all calamities." (4) Controlling these two appetites leads to the forgiveness of sins, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: "Whenever a person desires a craving and suppresses it, preferring it over himself, Allah forgives him." (5)

Ways to Free Oneself from the Grip of the Belly's Appetite

Here are some guidelines to help free oneself from the appetite of the belly:

1- The food must be lawful: Allah says: ﴿O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is Him that you worship.﴾ (6) Allah links eating good things with the obligation to be grateful to Him.

In another verse, He emphasizes the permissibility of what He has made lawful for people, stressing its legality for believers. He forbids transgressing the rights of others, saying: ﴿O you who have believed, do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful to you and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like the transgressors.﴾ (7)

Lawful food here refers to everything that meets these conditions: what is earned through one's own effort and labor, as it is narrated that the one who works for his family is like a warrior in the path of Allah.

The wealth must have had its rights taken out, such as zakat and khums.

The food must be prepared in a lawful manner, such as being slaughtered according to the legal method if it is meat.

It must be pure from impurities and filth, all of which is detailed in the chapters of jurisprudence.

2- Eat when hungry and do not overeat: Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said to al-Hasan (peace be upon him): "Shall I not teach you four traits by which you can do without medicine? He said: Yes. He said: Do not sit at the table unless you are hungry, and do not leave the table unless you desire more. Chew well, and when you sleep, relieve yourself. If you practice this, you will do without medicine." (8)

One should train themselves to gradually reduce food intake and eat only enough to satisfy hunger, avoiding overeating, as it is from the devil.

The goal of breaking the appetite of the belly is moderation, which the Quran refers to when it says: ﴿... And eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.﴾ (9) Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: "Eating little is from chastity, and eating much is from excess." (10)

When hunger subsides and one does not eat to fullness, it becomes easier to worship, think, and work. Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Nothing harms the heart of a believer more than overeating, which leads to two things: hardness of the heart and the stirring of desires." (11)

3- Get used to taking only what you need from food: Food is meant to alleviate hunger and remove fatigue and weakness from a person. Therefore, it is very important to get used to eating only when necessary, not whenever food is available, and to eat only when hungry. It is narrated that Isa (peace be upon him) said: "O Children of Israel! Do not eat until you are hungry, and when you are hungry, eat, but do not overeat, for when you overeat, your necks become thick, your sides become fat, and you forget your Lord." (12) The principle governing individual behavior should be to use food for survival, not the other way around: "Eat to live, do not live to eat." This was the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Imams (peace be upon them). It is narrated that al-Ays ibn al-Qasim said: "I asked al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) about a narration that says: 'The Messenger of Allah never filled his stomach with wheat bread, is it true?' He said: No, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) never filled his stomach with wheat bread nor did he ever fill it with barley bread." (13)

4- Adhere to meal times: Narrations specify two meal times, no more, meaning two meals a day, one in the morning and another in the evening (breakfast and dinner). Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrated: "When he (peace be upon him) had lunch, he did not have dinner, and when he had dinner, he did not have lunch." (14)

It is also mentioned in al-Kafi that Shihab ibn Abd Rabbah said: "I complained to Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) about the pains and fullness I felt, and he said: 'Have lunch and dinner, and do not eat between them, for it corrupts the body. Did you not hear Allah say: ﴿Their provision therein will be morning and evening.﴾" (15)

There is also an emphasis on not skipping dinner, even if it is just a piece of date. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: "Skipping dinner is harmful." (16) It was reported from some people of Ahwaz that Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said: "In the body, there is a vein called dinner, which continues to call out until morning, saying: 'May Allah make you hungry as you have made me hungry, may Allah make you thirsty as you have made me thirsty.' So let none of you skip dinner, even if it is just a morsel of bread or a sip of water." (17) The narrations indicate the desirability of having dinner, especially for the elderly. Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "The elderly should not skip dinner, even if it is just a morsel."

However, it is disliked to sleep on a full stomach.

There are authentic narrations that express the dislike of being full, whether at night or during the day.

It was narrated from Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "Overeating is disliked." (18)

He also said: "Nothing is more hated by Allah than a full stomach." (19)

Indeed, a full stomach prevents a person from achieving spiritual perfection and entering the heavens, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "No one enters the kingdom of the heavens with a full stomach." (20)

5- Food should not be the greatest concern of a person: One should not constantly worry about eating meat and delicious food, as excessive meat consumption leads to hardness of the heart. Moreover, abstaining from it for forty days can cause bad character (22) because it is the master of food and should not be abandoned. However, it is important to organize one's eating habits and include other foods, as the body needs this variety.

May you be successful in all good.