Islam emphasises good relationships, says Musaraf Hussain

Religion is more concerned with the safety of the soul than the health of the body, yet it recognises that souls have to live in bodies and those have to be healthy.

This is in fact one of the very important teachings of Islam. When you look at the underlying causes of many health problems, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, we know that 50-70 per cent of that is really due to stress, fears, anxieties and psychological problems. That is one area where faith can play a very important part.

A lot of research that has been done on the link between faith and health also points to this. Faith can make an enormous difference in solving a lot of these stress problems which is one of the underlying long term causes of a lot of cardiovascular diseases in particular.

Islam is primarily concerned with relationships, with oneself and with one’s Creator. These relationships are largely about acquiring moral values such as forgiveness. There is a strong link between being forgiving, light-hearted and kind, and being healthy. Doctors have recognised two types of people, the aggressive and the forgiving.

Religion is all about promoting the wellbeing of people at an holistic level. Your relationship with others is about social obligations. There is so much attention to it that you really do have to care about others. In fact the Prophet went so far as to say that if you want to live long lives, build good relationships with your relatives in particular.

Imam Dr Musaraf Hussain is the Principal of the Nottingham Islamia School.