5. Control noise pollution

Noise is highly stressful and can lead to physical and psychological harm; it is probably the worst disadvantage of living in a big city or near a crowded or industrialized area. Constant exposure to high levels of noise causes gradual weakness in hearing capacities, affecting the ear drum and sometimes even damaging the auditory nerve. The negative effects of noise exceed this physical damage to the ears, and extend to more serious nervous system problems. The clamorous nature of a busy city life may lead to permanent agitation, moodiness, vexation, stress and headaches. Besides these effects on the central nervous system, noise has also been shown to affect the delicate balance of the body's hormones.

Studies show that exposure to noise increases the body's production of corticosteroids and adrenaline hormones. 367 These abnormally high hormonal levels lead to an increase in cholesterol and triglycerides levels, which in tum produces serious heart and circulatory problems in addition to many digestive system disorders. Islam teaches us that calmness relaxes the nerves and noise irritates them. Allah (~) says in His Quran: ( \ \ • : al.:,..... )'I •.;_,....) ( .. And offer your salah [prayer] neither loudly nor in a low voice, but follow a way between those) (Quran 17: 110) 367 World Health Organization, 1980. In the Qur' an we read the advice that the wise man Luqman taught his son; among other things, he told him: ( \ °' :.:.> L:....il •,;.,....) ( ..

And lower your voice. Verily, the harshest of all voices is the voice [braying] of the donkey) (Qur 'an 31: 19) The Prophet (~ ) liked to hear people reciting the Glorious Qur' an with beautiful voices; he said about Abu Moosa who had a sonorous voice: «This one has the gift of a pipe like those of Prophet David's family.» 368 He (~ ) advised Muslims to «Embellish the Qur' an with your voices.» 369 Quran and the Sunnah enjoin quietude as well as consideration for the comfort and feelings of others by avoiding anything that can hurt them, even a loud voice. They encourage contemplation, meditation, reflection and creativity, all of which need calmness and relaxed nerves. Our duty as Muslims 8t should be clear from the examples above that Islam emphasizes the importance of caring for the environment. Sadly, this sense of responsibility and respect for the environment seems to have diminished since the time of the rightly-guided Khulafa ' (Caliphs), so that the Muslim Ummah (community) has shamefully neglected its share of responsibility in caring for and preserving the earth's 368 Bukhari and Muslim. 369 Abu Dawood. natural resources and the other living beings that share this planet with us.

Only very recently have Muslims again begun to talk of conservation and preservation. It is hoped that Muslim individuals and their leaders will make up for those centuries of inaction and once more take the lead in proactively working to restore the earth's environmental balance. Each day ask yourself: What did I contribute today to the welfare of my environment? Did I recycle my waste? Did I plant a seed or economise on my water and electricity consumption?

Did I shop wisely? Did I clean my backyard, feed a stray cat or help in embellishing my neighbourhood? You will find something to add everyday and you will certainly feel good about your contribution. To stay healthy, we need a healthy environment on our planet, and its protection is the duty of each one of us. Intellectual Body 8 slam, perhaps more than any other religion, stresses the importance of learning for all humankind.

The first verse of the Quran that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad(;@) says, "Read!" ~ rrq, J;J iJ1 ct} ;, ~ zµ:[, ~ ct) ~ ~Jr 4; _;.\ 'J1t (o-\ :µ1 •J_r-) ~CE) Fj ~ zµ:{f);, ®fl\~ tSJi ~Read! In the Name of your Creator, Who has created [all that exists], has created the human from a clot [a piece of thick coagulated blood]. Read! And your Creator is the Most Generous, Who has taught [writing] by the pen [the first person to write was Prophet ldrees (Enoch)], has taught humankind that which he did not know) (Quran 96: 1-5) The principle of learning as taught by the Qur' an and the Sunnah is not limited to religious sciences, but extends to all aspects of human experience. This is very clear in many Qur' anic verses and in the Prophetic Hadith: ( ..

Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe and those who have been granted knowledge .. ) (Quran 58: 11) The Prophet (~ ) said, urging people to seek knowledge everywhere: «Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, Allah will ease his way to paradise.» 1 He (~ ) also said: «Whoever goes out seeking knowledge is in Allah's protection (or is striving for the sake of Allah) till he retums.» 2 The word knowledge is used in an absolute and unconditional sense to demonstrate that any science will be useful to society if it contributes to its development - whether spiritual, economic (material) or intellectual. I Muslim and lbn Majah. 2 Tirmidhi (he graded it as 'good, but at one point in its chain there is a single narrator'). In Islam, science is the Muslim's path to certainty about Allah's existence through His magnificent creations; that is why we are ordered to meditate and to think deeply about our creation and the creation of the heavens and earth. Science is also our way to carry out the purpose of our creation as vicegerents on earth. ('I"• : .~I•,;..,....) ~And [remember] when Allah said to the angels: I will create a vicegerent on earth .. ) (Quran 2: 30) Knowledge is our way to successfully inhabit and develop a harmonious lifestyle on our planet.

Our Muslim ancestors understood this intent very well and applied it as Allah and His Prophet (~) ordered; that is why they prospered and built the early Muslim civilization that flourished for centuries with justice, peace, knowledge and power. They were pioneers in all scientific fields: from medicine, chemistry, pharmacy, physics and mathematics to philosophy, sociology, astronomy, history and geography. This intellectual part of the human body is as essential to our life as food and water. Allah distinguished humans from other beings with intellect, power of choice and conscience. If one ignores any of these, a human will regress to the level of an animal, losing an essential aspect of his or her creation and disrupting the perfect balance of his or her health.

Use it or lose it! Qjcientist have known for years now that the brain and nervous system cells - unlike other body cells - do not multiply or regenerate: their number does not increase over time, and if some of these cells die away they are not replaced. Hold on now, do not panic: neurons (nerve cells) are completely different from other body cells; they do not deteriorate from excess use, on the contrary, the more you 'exercise' your brain, the sharper it becomes.3 deadritts From birth until the age of two years, human brain continues to develop and uo . ... generate new cells; that is why paediatricians stress the importance of essential fats in the infant's diet as they are the foundation for the nerve cells. After the second year of age, your brain becomes fully developed and the neurons you possess Nerve cell (neuron) now are the ones that you are going to use for the rest of your life. Still, the brain has a tremendous ability for regeneration.

It is true that the brain cells cannot increase in number anymore, but they still can increase their synaptic connections. These are the branching systems connecting the nerve cells together and through which information is transferred. The more synaptic connections, the faster the speed of information transfer and the easier will be your ability to retrieve any information when you need it. This marvellous capability is available to you at any age, providing that you give your brain the proper conditions. 4 The more we engage in intellectual activity, the more we learn and acquire new knowledge and constantly challenge our brains, the 3 Winston, 2004. 4 Restak, 1997. stronger the neuron stimulation will be to build more connections among them and speed up the transmission of impulses. Dhahabi wrote: "Any organ strengthens and becomes active when it is exercised regularly, and so does the mind; if you want to sharpen your memory and boost your intellect, increase learning, memorize the Qur' an, keep on thinking and meditating and persist in remembrance of Allah (dhikr).

" 5 So keep your brain active all the time. Your brain needs constant challenge - whatever your age. It needs new ideas and fresh experiences. Try engaging in a new learning task: in my own experience, the best brain and memory boosting exercise is learning and reciting the Holy Book, the Quran. Prophet Muhammad(~) said: «The person who recites the Qur' an and masters it by heart will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels in heaven).

And the person who exerts diligent efforts to learn it by heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward.» 6 Apart from its tremendous spiritual, emotional and psychological benefits, this gives your brain a wonderful challenge, enhancing neuron connections and increasing the density of brain receptor sites. Remember: «It will be said to the reader of the Qur' an (who had memorized it and acted upon it), "Read, ascend, and recite as you used to recite in life, for your status will be as high as the last verse you recite. ''>>7 5 Dhahabi, S. (\$."'.l.11 0~ iJ. if...lll ~ ..UI ~ \:J.i), 2004. 6 Al-Bukhari. - 7 Tirmidhi and Ai}med. Keep your brain healthy mere are nine ways to keep your brain healthy: