The 8th Imam-asws says: Bodies remain healthy due to reduced meal intake.
وَ عَنِ الرِّضَا ع أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَوْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ قَصَّرُوا فِي الطَّعَامِ لَاسْتَقَامَتْ أَبْدَانُهُمْ
And from Al-Reza-asws having said: ‘If only the people had reduced in the meal, their bodies would have been straight’’.[1]
وَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ: لَيْسَ الْحِمْيَةُ مِنَ الشَّيْءِ تَرْكَهُ إِنَّمَا الْحِمْيَةُ مِنَ الشَّيْءِ الْإِقْلَالُ مِنْهُ
And from Abu Abdullah-asws having said: ‘The dieting from the thing isn’t leaving it. But rather, the dieting from the thing is the reducing from it’’.[2]
وَ عَنِ الْعَالِمِ ع قَالَ: الْحِمْيَةُ رَأْسُ الدَّوَاءِ وَ الْمَعِدَةُ بَيْتُ الدَّاءِ وَ عَوِّدْ بَدَناً مَا تَعَوَّدَ
And from the Scholar-asws having said: ‘The dieting is chief of the medications, and the stomach is a house of diseases, and restore the body to what is its norm’’.[3]
الْمَحَاسِنُ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ جَدِّهِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ رَاشِدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع عَشَاءُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ بَعْدَ الْعَتَمَةِ فَلَا تَدَعُوا الْعَشَاءَ فَإِنَّ تَرْكَ الْعَشَاءِ خَرَابُ الْبَدَنِ.
(The book) ‘Al Mahasin’ – from Al Qasim Bin Yahya, from his grandfather Al-Hassan Bin Rashid, from Muhammad Bin Muslim,
‘From Abu Abdullah-asws having said: ‘Amir Al-Momineen-asws said: ‘Dinner of the Prophets-as was after the darkness, so do not leave the dinner, for neglecting the dinner ruins the body’’.[4]
الْمَحَاسِنُ، عَنِ النَّوْفَلِيِّ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ: أَوَّلُ خَرَابِ الْبَدَنِ تَرْكُ الْعَشَاءِ.
(The book) ‘Al Mahasin’ – from Al Nowfaly, from the one who mentioned it,
‘From Abu Ja’far-asws having said: ‘The first ruination of the body is (due to) neglecting the dinner’’.[5]
الشِّهَابُ، قَالَ ص تَعَشَّوْا وَ لَوْ بِكَفٍّ مِنْ حَشَفٍ فَإِنَّ تَرْكَ الْعَشَاءِ مَهْرَمَةٌ
Al Shihaab –
‘He-saww said: ‘Have dinner and even if it be a handful of dry yeast, for neglecting the dinner ages (a person, i.e., weakens)’’.[6]
وَ مِنْهُ، بِإِسْنَادِهِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ: طَعَامُ اللَّيْلِ أَنْفَعُ مِنْ طَعَامِ النَّهَارِ
And from him, by his chain,
‘From Abu Abdullah-asws having said: ‘Food at night is beneficial than food at daytime’’.[7]
وَ مِنْهُ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ وَ هُوَ الْخُتَّلِيُّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ دَرَّاجٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَوْماً يَقُولُ مَنْ تَرَكَ الْعَشَاءَ لَيْلَةَ السَّبْتِ وَ لَيْلَةَ الْأَحَدِ مُتَوَالِيَتَيْنِ ذَهَبَتْ مِنْهُ قُوَّةٌ لَمْ تَرْجِعْ إِلَيْهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْماً.
And from him, from his father, from Suleyman, from Ahmad Bin Al-Hassan, and he is Al Khutaly, from his father, from Jameel Bin Darraj who said,
‘I heard Abu Abdullah-asws saying one day: ‘One who neglects the dinner on the night of Saturday and the night of Sunday consecutively, strength would go away from him, not returning to him for forty days’’.[8]
وَ مِنْهُ، عَنِ النَّضْرِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ صَامِتٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أَخِي شِهَابِ بْنِ عَبْدِ رَبِّهِ قَالَ: شَكَوْتُ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَا أَلْقَى مِنَ الْأَوْجَاعِ وَ التُّخَمِ فَقَالَ تَغَدَّ وَ تَعَشَّ وَ لَا تَأْكُلْ بَيْنَهُمَا شَيْئاً فَإِنَّ فِيهِ فَسَادَ الْبَدَنِ أَ مَا سَمِعْتَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَقُولُ- لَهُمْ رِزْقُهُمْ فِيها بُكْرَةً وَ عَشِيًّا.
And from him, from Al Nazr, from Ali Bin Samit, from a son of a brother of Shihab Bin Abd Rabbih who said,
‘I complained to Abu Abdullah-asws of what I was facing from the pains and the indigestion. He‑asws said: ‘Have lunch and dinner and do not eat anything between the two for in it is spoiling of the body. Have you not heard Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic Saying: and for them would be their sustenance therein morning and evening [19:62]’’.[9]
الْمَحَاسِنُ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ هَاشِمٍ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ نُعَيْمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ: يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُؤْمِنِ أَنْ لَا يَخْرُجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ حَتَّى يَطْعَمَ فَإِنَّهُ أَعَزُّ لَهُ
(The book) ‘Al Mahasin’ – from Ibrahim Bin Hashim, from the one who mentioned it, from Al Husayn Bin Nueym,
‘From Abu Abdullah-asws having said: ‘It is befitting for the Momin that he does not go out from his house until he eats, for it is more honourable for him’’.[10]
13- كا، الكافي عِدَّةٌ عَنْ سَهْلٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حَسَّانَ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ بَكْرٍ قَالَ كَانَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلُ ع كَثِيراً مَا يَأْكُلُ السُّكَّرَ عِنْدَ النَّوْمِ.
(The book) ‘Al Kafi’ – A number of our companions, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, from Ali Bin Hassan, from Musa Bin Bakr who said,
‘Abu Al-Hassan-asws the 1st used to frequently eat the sugar at sleep time’’.[11]
[1] Bihar Al-Anwaar V 78 – The Book Cleanliness – Ch 2 H 30 e (Chapters on Funerals)
[2] Bihar Al-Anwaar V 78 – The Book Cleanliness – Ch 2 H 30 f (Chapters on Funerals)
[3] Bihar Al-Anwaar V 78 – The Book Cleanliness – Ch 2 H 30 g (Chapters on Funerals)
[4] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 63 The book of plants – Ch 7 H 6 (Chapters on praise and condemnation of food)
[5] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 63 The book of plants – Ch 7 H 10 (Chapters on praise and condemnation of food)
[6] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 63 The book of plants – Ch 7 H 23 (Chapters on praise and condemnation of food)
[7] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 63 The book of plants – Ch 7 H 26 (Chapters on praise and condemnation of food)
[8] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 63 The book of plants – Ch 7 H 18 (Chapters on praise and condemnation of food)
[9] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 63 The book of plants – Ch 7 H 5 (Chapters on praise and condemnation of food)
[10] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 63 The book of plants – Ch 7 H 3 (Chapters on praise and condemnation of food)
[11] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 48, The book of History – Musa Al-Kazim-asws, Ch 5 H 13