Question:
Doctors say that certain patients should not eat certain foods; for example, those who have high sugar or high cholesterol. But sometimes we desire those foods and we eat them anyway. Because of the harm caused to the body, will Allahﷻ punish us in the Hereafter?
Answer:
What does Allahﷻ say in the Qur’an? In Surah 4, verse 29, Allahﷻ says: “Do not destroy yourselves. Do not kill yourselves.”
Likewise in 2:195 there is a verse meaning: “Do not throw yourselves into destruction with your own hands.” So, two verses exist in the Qur’an with this meaning. What does this tell us?
A Muslim should avoid things that cause harm. From this we may derive the principle that harmful things must be avoided. But “harm” has two situations.
There are things that are harmful to every human being. For example, poison. Whoever drinks poison will die. Something that harms everyone is unquestionably ḥarām.
But some things are not harmful to everyone. In fact they may benefit most people. Yet for certain individuals with certain weaknesses or illnesses those same things can cause harm.
So the question becomes: for that individual, does it become ḥarām? If he consumes it or uses it, does he become sinful?
For example, diabetes. Doctors tell diabetic patients not to consume certain foods. If a person knows that eating a certain sweet will raise his sugar levels, yet out of desire he eats a large amount of halwa, what happens? Suppose his sugar level was around 200 and after eating it rises to 400. This clearly causes harm. Does that count as a sin?
Generally speaking, if something harms you, you must avoid it. Harmful things should be avoided by everyone, and especially by those to whom they are harmful. The basis of the prohibition is well-being. The purpose is that you should not be harmed. So if certain foods cause harm to certain patients, they must avoid them.
For example, if someone has severe cold, cough, and congestion, can he eat ice cream? Ice cream may be acceptable for some people, but for someone in that condition it will worsen the illness. Therefore he should control himself and eat it later when the illness has passed.
If instead he eats it out of desire and causes harm to himself, then Allahﷻ will hold him accountable for knowingly bringing harm upon himself. If a person did not know that something was harmful, that is different. But today many of these harmful effects are widely known. However there is another point.
In modern medicine there are ways to prevent the harm. For instance, someone with diabetes may take insulin or medication that balances sugar levels. If a person eats something sweet but also takes insulin that prevents the sugar level from rising dangerously, then he has taken a protective measure. In that situation there is no sin.
Suppose you eat halwa but you also take insulin. The insulin reduces the sugar level in the blood. The sweetness increases sugar, the insulin decreases it, and the levels remain balanced. If you create such protection against harm, then it is not sinful. The basic principle is harm. If it harms you, you should avoid it.
Consider an example: if someone is about to stab you with a knife, you should not present your chest. But if you wear protective armour, a knife cannot harm you. In the same way, although something may normally harm you, if you create protection against that harm then it becomes permissible.
Because we live in a time with medical treatments, if there are methods to prevent the harm caused by certain foods, and you use those methods, then consuming those foods will not be sinful. That is how this matter should be understood.