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40 Sacred Hadith on Archery

c700x420.jpg1 From the collection of Sahih Muslim
On the authority of `Uqbah bin `Amr, may Allah, exalted be He, be well-pleased with him, who said, “I heard The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty upon him, say while he was delivering a sermon from the pulpit – minbar,

“Prepare to meet them with as much strength as you can afford,
verily, strength lies in archery,
verily, strength lies in archery,
verily, strength lies in archery.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken in Truth

2 From the collection of Sahih Muslim

On the authority of `Uqbah bin `Amr, may Allah be well-pleased with him, who said,
“I heard the Holy Prophet, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, say

“Lands will be thrown open to you and Allah will suffice you against their evil, but none of you should give up sporting with his arrows, and you shall know.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken in Truth

3 Selected by at-Tabarani

On the authority of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah’s favour be upon him, who related,
“The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him, said,

“You must use archery, for it is good for him who engages in warfare.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

4 Related by Abu ash-Shaykh and Ibn Abi Dunya

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, Allah Almighty’s favour be upon him, from The Holy Prophet, may Allah the Exalted bless him and give him peace, who said,

“Learn the throwing of arrows, and do not be averse to it, for the area between the two targets holds a garden of the gardens of paradise.”

and the Messenger has spoken truly

5 Chosen by ad-Daylami in his Musnad

On the authority of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who related that The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
“Learn the casting of arrows and the Qur’an.”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

6 Narrated by al-Bayhaqi the Sunan

On the authority of Abu Rafi’, may Allah be pleased with him, who related, “I asked The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, `Do children have rights over us as we have rights?’ The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, replied,

“Yes, the father has the same legal obligations towards his son as the son towards him.” And he said, “The rights of the son over his parent is that he should teach him writing, swimming, and the casting of arrows and that he should leave him in a good legal inheritance.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

7 Selected by ad-Daylami

On the authority of Jabir, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who narrated, “The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, said,

“Teach your sons the shooting of arrows!’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

8 Selected by Abu ash-Shaykh

On the authority of Abu Qilaba, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who narrated, “The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, said,

“Teach your young boys both archery and swimming.’”

9 Selected by Abu ash-Shaykh and others
On the authority of al-Qa’qa bin Abi Hidr, may Allah be well-pleased with him, who said, “The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, said,

“Dress like the Ma’d, adopt rough clothing, wear simple garments, surpass one another in jousting, and walk barefoot.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

10 Abu Da’ud and others

On the authority of `Uqba bin `Amr, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who related, “I heard The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, say, 
“Verily, with one arrow Allah almighty will admit three individuals into paradise :
the maker of the arrow who fashions it with good intent,
the archer who shoots this arrow and
the person who gathers it up (after it has been shot).’”

and the Holy Prophet has spoken truly

11 Selected by Abu ash-Shaykh

On the authority of Najiya, may Allah’s favour be on him, who related, “With a quiver in my hand, I was passing by an old man sitting by the gate of Bani Sulaym. He spoke to me and said, `Will you sell me the arrows you hold in your hand or not?’ I said, `I will sell it.’ And the old man said, `Verily I shall buy it, though I can no longer shoot it. Then he said to his servant girl,

`Oh slave girl, go check my quiver and tell me whether it is full up or not! 
For I heard The Holy Prophet, may Allah send peace and blessings upon him, say,

“Attend to your quivers!’”

12 Related by an-Nasa’i and al-Bayhaqi

On the authority of `Ata ibn Abi Rabah, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who narrated, “I saw Khalid bin Abdullah and Jabir bin `Amru-l-Ansari, may Allah Almighty’s favours be upon them both, casting arrows. As one of them wearied, the other said to his companion, `You have grown weary of casting arrows, but I have heard these words from The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, who said,

“Everything that is done without the remembrance of Allah (Dhikrullah) is vain distraction and idle play, but for these four accomplishments :

a man walking between the two points of the archery ground, training his horse, learning how to swim and jesting with his family.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

13 Reported by al-Qarrab

On the authority of Abu ad-Darda’, may Allah Almighty shower His favours on him, who narrates from The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, who said,

“All games are idle play but three things :
the riding of horses,
the casting of arrows,
and a man playing with his wife ;
And of these the most beloved to me is the casting of arrows.”

14 ad-Daylami

On the authority of Ibn `Umar, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with them both, from The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, who said,
“What an excellent diversion for a man is the casting of arrows; and whoever 
leaves archery after having learnt it, he has rejected a gift of grace.”

and the Holy Prophet spoke truly

15 Selected by ad-Daylami

On the authority of `Abd-ur Rahman ibn Shumasa that Qusaym al-Layth said to `Uqba bin `Amr, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, as he was walking back and forth between the two targets (on the archery ground) “How is it that you keep going between these two points, whereas you are already an old man?” To this `Uqba replied, “Were I not for this world that I heard from The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, I would not take this upon myself.” And he said, “I heard him say,

“Whoever learns archery, only to later abandon it, he is not one of us.’”

16 Selected by Abu ash-Shaykh

On the authority of Ibn `Umar, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with them both, who narrates that The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, once missed a certain man. The Holy Prophet, upon whom be blessings and peace, said,

“Where is that missing person?

And one of them said, “He has gone gaming.”

And The Holy Prophet, Allah’s peace and Blessings upon him, said,

“What have we to do with games!”

And one man said, “O Prophet of Allah! That man has gone to cast his arrows.”

Thereupon The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, said,

“The casting of arrows is not one of the unlawful games; indeed, casting arrows is the very best of your pastimes.’”

17 Narrated by Abu ash-Shaykh

On the authority of Abu Hurayra, may Allah be well-pleased with him, who recalled, “The Holy Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, said,

“The casting of arrows is a share and a characteristic of the shares of Islam.’”

and the Holy Prophet has spoken truly

18 Reported by Abu ash-Shaykh

On the authority of Abu Umama, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who said, “The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,

“Men have not drawn anything but that the bow had an advantage over it, and more.”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

19 at-Tabarani

On the authority of Saiyidina Ali, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who relates, “On the morning of Ghadir Khumm The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, wound my turban and its end fell down upon my shoulder. Then he said,

“Verily, the Lord, exalted be His Majesty, assisted me on the day of the battle of Badr and on the day of the battle of Hunayn with angels, and they were with this turban wound in this manner.”

Then the Holy Prophet, may Allah Almighty send peace and blessings upon him, went on to say,

“Truly the turban is a barrier between the Muslims and the idolaters.”

Then he donned his armour and, while holding an Arabian bow in his blessed hand, his eye fell upon a man who had in his hand a Persian bow. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, said to him,

“Put that away from your hand and take this Arabian bow and these spears of metal; Allah in His exalted Majesty will then support your faith and make you firm in faith and establish you in the land.’”

20 Narrated by al-Bayhaqi

On the authority of Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be well-pleased with them both, on the authority of The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, who said,

“My love necessarily goes to whoever moves back and forth between the two points (the shooting place and the target of the archery field) with an Arabian bow, not with the bow of Chosroes (Persian kings).”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

21 Related by at-Tabarani
On the authority of Abi Darda’, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, on the authority of The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, who said,
“Everyone who walks between the two points of the archery field will have 
merited the reward for a good deed for every step he takes.”

and the Holy Prophet has spoken truly

22 Selected by Abu ash-Shaykh and ad-Daylami

On the authority of Abi Darda’, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, on the authority of The Holy Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, who said,

“Whoever removes his wrap from his shoulders and walks between the two targets of the archery field, will receive the reward for the freeing of a believing slave for every single step.”

and the Holy Prophet has spoken truly

23 Selected by Ibn Abi ad-Dunya

On the authority of Abdullah bin Jarad, may Allah be well-pleased with him, who said,

“The Holy Prophet, may Allah bless him and give him peace, liked shooting arrows between the two targets, and he used to run along with his Companions.”

24 Selected by ash-Shaykh

On the authority of Anas bin Malik, may Allah be well-pleased with him, who said, “I saw The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, chewing a bowstring of sinew, and he firmly spliced the end of his bow with it while he was fasting on a day of Ramadan.”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

25 Selected by an-Nasa’i
On the authority of Ka’b bin Murra, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who said, “I heard The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, say,

“Shoot! He whose arrows reaches the enemy, provided his arrow is shot in the way of Allah, Allah will raise him one level in paradise.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

26 Selected by at-Tabarani
On the authority of Anas, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, said,

“Whoever shoots an arrow in the way of Allah, will receive the reward of freeing a slave; and this is his ransom from the fire.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

27 Selected by at-Tabarani in his book `Al-Awsat’

On the authority of Anas, may Allah be well-pleased with him, who said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, said,

“He who shoots an arrow in the way of Allah, whether it falls short or reaches its target, his reward for his arrow shall be as the reward for the freeing of four people of the sons of Isma’il, had he freed them.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

28 Selected by at-Tabarani in his book `al-Kabir’
On the authority of Muhammad Ibn-ul-Hanafiya, may Allah be well-pleased with him, who said,
“I saw Abu `Amru-al-Ansari, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, on the day of Siffin, and he had taken the pledge of allegiance at `Aqaba and fought in the Battles of Badr and Uhud ; now he was bent over from fasting and he said to his servant boy, “Give me cover with the shield!” and the servant boy gave him cover so that he was thereby protected from his enemy whilst he drew the bowstring, weakly until he was hit by three arrows, shooting which he did not return. Thereupon he said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, say,

“If a person shoots an arrow for the sake of Allah and His good pleasure, regardless of whether his arrow reaches or falls short of his enemy, that shot will be a light going ahead of him on the Day of Resurrection.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

29 Related by al-Bukhari
On the authority of Abu Usayd as-Sa’idi, may Allah be well-pleased with him, on the authority of his father, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him, said,

“On the days of Badr and Hunayn, we joined ranks against the Quraysh and they have joined ranks against us; should they subdue you, go for your arrows.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

30 Selected by at-Tabarani

On the authority of Hussein Ibn as-Sa’ib Ibn Abi Lubaba, on the authority of his father, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who said, “It was the eve of `Aqaba or the eve of the Battle of Badr when The Holy Prophet, on whom be blessings and peace of Allah Almighty, spoke to those of the Ansar and the Muhajirin who were with him,

“How will you fight the unbelievers on the morrow?”

And `Asim Ibn Abi-al-Aflah said in answer to this, “O Messenger of Allah, first of all, we shall take up the bow and arrows; and if they have drawn close to us, up to two hundred cubits or around that distance, the shooting of a variety of bows begins ; and when they have drawn even closer, the shattering with stones, and when they have drawn yet closer within the reach of our lances, the play of lances begins until the lances are broken ; after that comes the contest of the swords, and this is the manner of battle, O Messenger of Allah.” Upon this The Holy Prophet, upon whom peace, said,

“Thus war is revealed to the people of faith.”

then he gave the command for it and said,

“He who engages in battle with the enemy, let him fight in the manner of Asim.”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

31 Upon which all (Traditions) are agreed

On the authority of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who said,
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah Almighty bless him and grant him peace, supplied me with arrows on the day of Uhud and The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, said to me,

“Shoot, oh Sa’ad, may my father and mother be your ransom!”

also on this authority, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, he said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah Almighty bless him and grant him peace, did not join both his parents (in this turn of phrase) for anyone else before me, and I was the first to cast arrows at the unbelievers.”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

32 Related by Abu ash-Shaykh and al-Hakim

On the authority of Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, said to me also on the day of Uhud,

“Oh Allah, guide his shot and grant his supplication”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

33 Chosen by al-Bukhari

On the authority of Salama bin al-Akwa’, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, that The Messenger of Allah, may Allah Almighty bless him and grant him peace, stepped out to the people of Bani Aslam, while they were staging an archery competition in the marketplace, and he said to them,

“Shoot, ye sons of Isma’il! For verily, your forefather was an archer; and I am with the tribe of so-and-so.”

Thereupon they hesitated, and The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, asked,

“What is it with you?”

and they said, “How shall we shoot while you are with the tribe of so-and-so?” and The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, said,

“Go ahead, and shoot, for I am with all of you.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

34 Narrated by at-Tirmidhi
On the authority of Abu Hurayra, may Allah be well-pleased with him, who said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings from Allah be upon him, spoke,

“No wager is permitted except with animals having soles (khuf or hooves – hafir) or with the casting of arrows (nasl).’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

35 Chosen by Abu ash-Shaykh

On the authority of Anas, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah Almighty bless him and grant him peace, said,

“Whoever acquires a bow in the way of Allah, from him Allah the exalted fends off poverty and need through its blessings.”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

36 Selected by at-Tabarani in his book `As-Saghir’

On the authority of A’isha, may Allah be well-pleased with her, who said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

“There is no harm for any of you to take up your bow when you are overtaken by care, and thereby do away with your worries.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

37 Chosen by Abu ash-Shaykh

On the authority of Abu Khirash, may Allah be well-pleased with him, who said, “I heard al-Qasim relate about The Messenger of Allah, may Allah Almighty bless him and grant him peace, that he passed by some people shooting arrows with bows, and one of the Companions said, “I see that they have not yet prayed their obligatory prayers, which would be better than what they are doing,

O Messenger of Allah.” And the holy prophet, Allah Almighty bless him and grant him peace, then said,

“Their bows are better unless they miss the prayer time.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

38 Chosen by Abu ash-Shaykh

On the authority of Ibn `Umar, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with them both, who relates,

“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, spoke,
“The angels witness three things:
the wager of the horse-race,
the shooting with the bow,
and the pleasantry of a man with his wife.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

39 Chosen by at-Tabarani
On the authority of Rafi` bin Khadij, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who related, that he went out on the day of Uhud, and The Messenger of Allah, may Allah Almighty bless him and grant him peace, wished him to return to Medina, for he thought him to be too young. But his uncle told The Holy Prophet, that Rafi’ was an archer and a teacher of archery, whereupon The Holy Prophet, on whom be blessings and peace from Allah Almighty, permitted him to come along.

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

40 On the authority of Salama bin al-Akwa’, may Allah Almighty be well-pleased with him, who related, “I asked The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings from Allah Almighty be upon him, about the permissibility of praying with the bow and the leather quiver: was this permissible or not?” The Holy Prophet, may Allah Almighty bless him and send him peace, replied,

“Pray with the bow but leave aside the leather quiver.’”

and the Messenger of Allah has spoken truly

15 Safar 1440

Categories
Current Affairs articles

SOCIAL MEDIA & PATIENCE

sm

SOCIAL MEDIA & PATIENCE Mobile phone? ~~~~~~

Engineering Patience  … In An Age of Instant Gratification

I remember reading a book, and the kids in there were arguing over who got to sit near the window. 

I was confused. Why would they want to sit next to the window? 

I was accustomed to wanting to sit in the middle because that was directly in front of the vents blasting cold air from the AC. 

This was especially important if the car had been parked outside and had become an oven when you went to sit inside.

My dad used to do something that would drive me crazy. 

He would start the car and not turn on the AC. He would let the fan run, and tell us we could roll down the windows (which doesn’t do much when its 95 degrees Fahrenheit). 

I would plead with him to turn on the AC on max, and he would just sit there and tell me to relax. 

Once, with the creativity only a kid could muster, I told him “Allah blessed us with AC, so turn it on.” 

He explained that he was trying to teach us to relax, and to be patient.

This is how parents are. They see the ease with which we enjoy the world, and we lose sight of hardships others went through. 

In many places in the world, especially 20 years ago, air conditioning in a car was a major luxury item instead of a standard part of life.

Now when someone complains about a YouTube video buffering too slow (or not fast enough for HD), I feel like yelling at them to try using a 28.8kbps dial-up connection – the kind I had to grow up with.

In fact, a study of the viewing habits of 6.7 million people showed that people abandoned watching a video if it buffered for longer than two seconds. TWO SECONDS !!

Social media has made everything quicker. 

What used to be a 24 hour news cycle is now barely 30 minutes. 

The half-life of a tweet is less than 3 hours. 

With this quickening of pace, our expectations have changed as well. 

If someone doesn’t reply to an email within a few hours we get upset. 

If they don’t respond to a text message within an hour, we get impatient. 

There is a manufactured hurry to each of these interactions.

Patience and gratitude go hand in hand. 

Patience, as we famously know from the hadith, is at the moment calamity strikes. 

To have patience in that moment requires a gratitude mindset. 

It comes down to being cognizant and intentional about each situation – Am I exercising patience? 

Am I being grateful to Allah?

One way to reclaim this is to engineer moments of patience in our lives.

Sit at a red light without touching your phone. It’s only 30 seconds, but we are at the point now where the mere thought of that is agonizing for some. 

Sit down with your kids and just be bored for a little while. Reflect on what is around you and enjoy the quiet moments.

The fast pace of technology is now the norm. 

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But it does mean that sometimes we just need to sit in the car for a few minutes before turning on the AC – to give ourselves a small reminder and lesson.

FiqhOfSocial.Media – A Faith Based Guide to Navigating the Social Media Lifestyle

http://fiqhofsocial.media/

Categories
Muslim men

How smoking causes cancer

 

Butted out cigarette

Smoking is by far the biggest preventable cause of cancer. Thanks to years of research, the links between smoking and cancer are now very clear. Smoking accounts for more than 1 in 4 UK cancer deaths, and nearly a fifth of all cancer cases.

The good news is that many of these deaths are preventable, by giving up smoking. Speak to your GP or pharmacist, or visit the NHS Smokefree(link is external) pages for free advice and support to give you the best possible chance of quitting.

Which cancers are caused by smoking?

Chemicals in cigarette smoke enter our blood stream and can then affect the entire body. This is why smoking causes so many diseases, including at least 14 types of cancer, heart disease and various lung diseases.

cancers caused by smoking

Smoking causes more than 4 in 5 cases of lung cancer. Lung cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers, and is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK.

Smoking also increases the risk of at least 13 other cancers including cancers of the mouth,  pharynx (upper throat), nose and sinuses, larynx (voice box), oesophagus (gullet or food pipe), liver, pancreas, stomach, kidney, bowel, ovary, bladder, cervix, and some types of leukaemia Smoking could increase the risk of breast cancer, but any increase in risk is likely to be small.

More information about different cancer types.

What influences the risk of cancer from smoking?

Smokers have a much higher risk of lung cancer than non-smokers, whatever type of cigarette they smoke. There’s no such thing as a safe way to use tobacco.

Filters and low-tar cigarettes make little difference – your lung cancer risk is not lower compared to smokers of average cigarettes. This may be because smokers tend to change the way they smoke in order to satisfy their nicotine craving, for example by taking bigger puffs or smoking more cigarettes.

The more cigarettes you smoke a day, the higher your risk of cancer. If you aren’t able to quit completely, cutting down the number of cigarettes you smoke a day can be a good first step. Even light or social smoking can harm your health so keep trying to stop entirely.

Scientists have found that the number of years you spend smoking affects your cancer risk even more strongly than the number of cigarettes you smoke a day. For example, smoking one pack a day for 40 years is even more dangerous than smoking two packs a day for 20 years.

The serious damaging effects of smoking cannot be cancelled out by leading an otherwise healthy lifestyle, like keeping fit and eating healthily. The best way to reduce your risk is to give up smoking completely(link is external).

How does smoking cause cancer?

The main way that smoking causes cancer is by damaging our DNA, including key genes that protect us against cancer. Many of the chemicals found in cigarettes have been shown to cause DNA damage, including benzene, polonium-210, benzo(a)pyrene and nitrosamines.

This is already bad news, but it’s made worse by other chemicals in cigarettes. For example chromium makes poisons like benzo(a)pyrene stick more strongly to DNA, increasing the chances of serious damage. And chemicals like arsenic and nickel interfere with pathways for repairing damaged DNA. This makes it even more likely that damaged cells will eventually turn cancerous.

Smokers are also less able to handle toxic chemicals than those with healthy lungs and blood. Chemicals in cigarette smoke make it harder for smokers to neutralise or remove toxins, and can make their immune systems less effective too.

How long does it take for smoking to cause cancer?

It usually takes many years, or decades, for the DNA damage from smoking to cause cancer. Our bodies are designed to deal with a bit of damage but it’s hard for the body to cope with the number of harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke. Each cigarette can damage DNA in many lung cells, but it is the build up of damage in the same cell that can lead to cancer. However research has shown that for every 15 cigarettes smoked there is a DNA change which could cause a cell to become cancerous. This is why it’s better to give up smoking sooner rather than later.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/smoking-and-cancer/how-to-stop-smoking

 

Breathing in other people’s smoke, also called second-hand smoke, can cause cancer. Passive smoking can increase a non-smoker’s risk of getting lung cancer by a quarter, and may also increase the risk of cancers of the larynx (voice box) and pharynx (upper throat).

Second-hand smoke can cause other health problems too. Every year, second-hand smoke kills thousands of people in the UK from lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and the lung disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

How does second-hand smoke affect children?

Second-hand smoke is particularly dangerous for children. Children exposed to passive smoke are at higher risk of respiratory infections, asthma, bacterial meningitis and cot death. Second-hand smoke has been linked to around 165,000 new cases of disease among children in the UK each year.

For children, the majority of exposure to second-hand smoke happens in the home. Smoke can spread throughout the home, even if you open the windows. Almost 85 percent of tobacco smoke is invisible and smoke particles might also build up on surfaces and clothes, although the impact of this is not yet clear. If you are a smoker, smoking outside can help reduce your child’s exposure.

Is smoking in cars bad for passengers’ health?

Second-hand smoke can reach very high levels inside cars because it is a small enclosed space.

During your journey, children in the backseat will be exposed to average smoke levels around three times the European recommended air pollution limit. But the level varies depending on how much you smoke, if you have all the windows fully open or air con on. Peak levels can reach as much as 35 times this limit.

Since 1 October 2015 it has been an offence to smoke in a vehicle carrying anyone under the age of 18 in England(link is external) and in Wales(link is external).

Does second-hand smoke contain dangerous chemicals?

There are 2 types of tobacco smoke:

  • Mainstream smoke, which is directly inhaled through the mouth end of the cigarette
  • Sidestream smoke, which comes from the burning tip of the cigarette

Second-hand smoke is made up of sidestream smoke and exhaled mainstream smoke, mixed with the surrounding air.

Sidestream smoke is about 4 times more toxic than mainstream smoke, although people inhale it in a more diluted form. This is because sidestream smoke contains much higher levels of many of the poisons and cancer-causing chemicals in cigarettes, including:

  • At least 3 times as much carbon monoxide
  • 10-30 times more nitrosamines
  • Between 15–300 times more ammonia

What’s in a cigarette?

 

You may think a cigarette is just tobacco wrapped in paper, but it’s much more than that. When a cigarette burns it releases a dangerous cocktail of over 5,000 different chemicals. Many of these chemicals are poisonous and more than 70 may cause cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). And it’s not just the smoker who is exposed to these chemicals, because there are also high levels in the smoke coming off the tip of a cigarette while it burns. So anyone around the smoker breathes them in as well.

This page has information on some of the poisons in cigarette smoke that we know are linked to cancer. To learn more about the impact of these chemicals in the body, see our How smoking causes cancer page.

Chemicals can get into cigarettes in different ways. Some are found naturally in the tobacco plant, some are absorbed by the plant from the soil, air or fertilisers, and some are formed when tobacco leaves are processed or are added by the tobacco industry. Others form when a cigarette burns, so are only present in the smoke coming off a cigarette.

What's in a cigarette?

Many of the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco and cigarette smoke have other suprising uses too:

  • Benzene – an industrial solvent, refined from crude oil
  • Arsenic – a poison, used in wood preservatives
  • Cadmium and lead – used in batteries
  • Formaldehyde – used in mortuaries and paint manufacturing
  • Polonium-210 – a highly radioactive element
  • Chromium – used to manufacture dye, paints and alloys
  • 1,3-Butadiene – used in rubber manufacturing
  • Nickel – used to protect metals from corrosion
  • Vinyl chloride – used to produce plastic and vinyl products
  • Beryllium – used in nuclear reactors
  • Ethylene oxide – a disinfectant used to sterilise hospital equipment
  • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – a group of dangerous DNA-damaging chemicals, including benzo(a)pyrene
  • Ortho-Toluidine – used in the production of weedkillers
  • 4-aminobiphenyl and 2-naphthyl-amine – used in dye manufacturing until it was banned in the EU

And then there are tobacco-specific nitrosamines – a group of cancer-causing chemicals only found in tobacco.

This cocktail of chemicals is why there is no safe way to use tobacco and the best thing a smoker can do for their health is to stop smoking completely.

The free Stop Smoking Services help thousands of people quit every year, so if you are looking for the best possible chance of success, talk to your doctor or pharmacist or visit NHS Smokefree(link is external).

Shisha and other types of tobacco

 

paan with tobacco

Tobacco can be used in many different forms – but all are linked to cancer. There is no safe way to use tobacco.

Other tobacco products aren’t safer than cigarettes

Tobacco can be used in many different forms – but all are linked to cancer. There is no safe way to use tobacco.

  • Cigars and pipes are known to increase the risk of many cancer types including lung, mouth and upper throat, food pipe (oesophagus), voice box (larynx) and stomach. Smoking these products is just as bad for you as smoking cigarettes.
  • Roll-up tobacco contains the same cancer-causing chemicals as manufactured cigarettes. Roll-up cigarettes aren’t any safer than regular cigarettes
  • Smoking bidis, the most common form of tobacco in South Asian communities, also causes the same types of cancer as other tobacco products such as cigars.

Does smokeless tobacco increase cancer risk?

Smokeless tobacco includes a wide variety of products which can be used in different ways, chewed (‘dry chewing tobacco’), sucked (‘moist oral tobacco’) or inhaled (‘nasal snuff’). Scientists have shown that many forms of smokeless tobacco increase your risk of mouth, oesophageal (food pipe) and pancreatic cancers.

Most smokeless tobacco products in the UK are used by South Asian communities. In these communities, dry chewing tobacco is often used as part of a ‘betel quid’ or ‘paan’. These consist of a mixture of betel nut (or areca nut), slaked lime and various herbs and spices, wrapped in a betel leaf.

Betel nut itself can cause cancer, so chewing betel quids can cause mouth cancer even if no tobacco is added.

Most types of smokeless tobacco contains at least 28 different chemicals that can cause cancer. Smokeless tobacco users can be exposed to similar, if not higher, levels of cancer-causing tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) and nicotine than cigarette smokers. So, like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco is both dangerous and highly addictive.

Does shisha increase cancer risk?

Many people think shisha is harmless but this is not the case – shisha contains tobacco. Shisha, also called hookah or waterpipe, smokers inhale flavoured tobacco through a long pipe attached to a water bowl. Shisha smokers still inhale toxic cancer-causing chemicals and addictive nicotine.

A shisha pipe

Unlike cigarettes, shisha is burnt using charcoal so users can also be exposed to dangerously high levels of the poisonous gas carbon monoxide. Levels of carbon monoxide in the body from smoking shisha can be up to 17 times higher than from cigarettes and can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

Looking at all the evidence together suggests that smoking shisha could at least double your risk of lung cancer and may be linked to some other cancer types.

Does snus increase cancer risk?

Snus is a special type of smokeless tobacco that is used in Sweden. It is banned in most other countries in the EU. Snus is manufactured using a special process that considerably lowers the levels of TSNAs in the finished product. Because of this, snus may be less dangerous than other types of tobacco.

But it still contains these cancer-causing chemicals at a low level. Snus use has been linked to pancreatic cancer, but not mouth or lung cancer.

It is possible that snus could be used specifically to help hardcore smokers, who are unlikely to quit through other means, to stop smoking altogether. But so far the evidence is uncertain and the International Agency for Research on Cancer has concluded that smokeless tobacco should not be recommended for quitting smoking.

 

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/smoking-and-cancer/smoking-facts-and-evidence

Categories
Muslim men

“Giddy-up!”

Horse Riding

horse

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) rode horses, camels, mules and donkeys. He rode horses both saddled and bareback, and he used to make them gallop them on occasion. He used to ride alone, which was most of the time, but sometimes he would put someone behind him on the camel, or he would put one person behind him and one in front, so there would be three men on one camel. So he would sometimes let some men ride on his camel with him, and on some occasions he let his wives ride with him. The animals which he rode most often were horses and camels.

(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2565)

In a hadith narrated from Ibn Umar (R.A) in which our beloved Prophet said,

“Teach your children swimming, archery and horse riding”. In Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (s) said, “Practice archery and horseback riding.” The Prophet (s) said, “Any action without the remembrance of Allah is either a diversion or heedlessness except four acts: walking from target to target (during archery practice), training a horse and learning to swim.” (Reported by al Tabarani on good authority)

Horseback riding or horse riding referring to the skill of riding, driving, steeplechasing or vaulting with horses.This broad description includes the use of horses for practical working purposes, transportation, recreational activities, artistic or cultural exercises and competitive sport.

http://www.sunnahsports.org.uk/horse-riding.html