صراط عشق صراط عشق
Imam Al-Ridha (AS) recommended not to drink water during meals to those who want to stay away from stomach pain and should wait until they finish. The Imam (AS) continued by saying: “Whoever does that (drink water during meals) makes his body moist, his stomach weak, and his veins would not absorb the nutrients because water that is poured into the stomach right away with food causes a gap in the stomach (which damages the stomach) [1].”
Verily, the stomach is a sensitive organ, as most sicknesses start from the stomach and what it intakes. the Prophet (PBUH) stated: “The stomach is the home of diseases” [2]. In this advice from the Imam (AS) we can understand a simple eating change can affect our stomachs and health to the better or worse, depending on how we act. Instead of drinking water during meals, we should drink before or after, and some gastroenterologists state that it should be 30 minutes before or after meals.
1. Al-Risalah Al-Dhahabiah p.67
2. Tib Al-Nabi p.2
