I was 10 years old when I was visiting the War Museum in Cairo. As part of my usual mischief at that time I took the chance that no one was noticing me and tried to lift one of the swords with one hand in order to hold it up in the air and wave it around like they do in the movies. To my surprise it was very heavy and I needed both hands to just lift it up and barely hold it in the air for a few seconds. I thought to myself, those people in the past must have been much more well built than us. However as I grew up and read more through the Qur'aan and anthropology I came to understand that people have been more or less of our same built since after the people of 3Aad. That was a surprise to me. As I looked further into the lifestyle of people before the industrial age I learnt that they used their bodies extensively to perform everything they needed to do to make their way through this life on earth. Contrastively, our generation and a couple of generations before it have become so pampered and depend mainly on machines and mechanical aids throughout most of our daily activities.
On the other hand I was always amazed by the sahaba's willpower and continuous vigor when comparing it to that of people of the present age.
While I was raised to believe that sports and physical activity are all a waste of time, I used to feel invigorated and inspired with more willpower during and after episodes of running, swimming or practicing various sports. Then suddenly I realized that this physical activity, which we miss nowadays and replace by various mostly useless sports, was one of the important inspirational sources of their continuous vigor and tireless activity. Only then I realized the importance of the wise advice that CUmar Ibnul-Khattaab gave us when he told us to teach our children swimming, archery and hourse-riding. They are useful and goal oriented physical activites that promote the full development of a sound and healthy mind, body and soul.
May Allaah grant us all sound hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
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