“SEWAK and CIGARETTES”

A remedy for an epidemic

Theory by Dr Rami M. Diabi

Diploma of Public health

What is Sewak or Sewak or Miswak ?

Persica Salvadoria Plant -1-

New technology in Quit Smoking By SEWAKING

(Sewak or Miswak or teeth brush Plant )

Sewak ( Persica Salvadoria Roots as its sold in Mecca)

Preface:

Islamic Civilization has shown through history up until the present time, which many scientific roots stem from Islamic teachings. The teachings of Islam have cleared ignorance from the sights and minds in spite of the continuous conspiracies against it.

Many great accidents and analysis tell us that humanity will witness another age of Islamic sciences’ shining guidance very soon. Globalization has led humanity and all its different nations, like one small boat, out to the middle of the sea and left it there with no way to find its way back. It has been left at a point of a Tobacco epidemic, economical crises, wars, global hunger etc, without any global solution to get it back.   The only guiding light to lead humanity back to shore is Islam. It has all the solutions and could gain unimaginable progress with clear historical practical evidence of its honesty and truth to all human nations.

One of the biggest challenges humanity currently faces is the Tobacco epidemic. As I have mentioned previously on this subject, the Tobacco industry is the main hidden commercial provider for most of the global technologically invented tools to aid smokers to quit smoking.

The TI (TobaccoIndustry) is like a saw cutting money out of the hands of those who smoke and those who want to quit. Cheating all of them so that they remain in the ‘nicotine addiction country’ unable to get out of its oppressive grip, trapped in a vicious cycle. He is brainwashed into thinking that he can not get out of this techno-slavery ‘NICOTINE ADDICTION’ by using his own human power, that he can not  escape from  the capitalistic power of the TI and its commercial lobby on his own, but that he has to spend, spend, spend on their ‘stop smoking aids’  to help him quit smoking. Whatever way you look at it the TI makes money. If you smoke and buy their tobacco products, they profit from your addiction. If you want to quit smoking, and buy their ‘stop smoking aids’ like patches for example, they profit from that.

Well, Islam is here once again to play its historical rescue role for humanity as it did in the past. 

The first slavery phase of humanity was ended by Islam, at the time of the famous justice Caliphate, Omar Bin Abdul Azeez  (raa), nearly 1400 years ago.

The second slavery phase led by the TI through its invention of “Nicotine” will be ended soon, insha Allah, by an amazing Islamic solution. Islam has the solution for all the problems humanity faces. I’d like to remind you, dear readers, of what Bernard Show, the famous British philosopher said: "if Mohammed (saw) was alive amongst us, he would solve the complex problems in international economy nowadays in a very easy way and just in a few  minutes of his thinking time while he is drinking his morning coffee”.

 I can say in the same way, Mohammed (saw) gave the solution for the tobacco epidemic before he left this life.  While he was dying he used a great herb called, Persica Salvadorian to clean his teeth. It was used as a toothbrush in the form of a stick called (Sewak or Miswak). This being one of his last acts has given all humanity a great scientific signal, which in my opinion is the light at the end of the last period of TIs’ dark tunnel.

The continued orders of the Prophet Mohammed to use this herbal tooth brush did not only bear a great Tobacco control message inside it, but it is also used in the great project of the UAE forest ministry of Abu Dhabi. Because this plant has a very unique attribute in stopping the deserts expanding and invading the earth, Abu Dhabi has now invaded the desert by 100 miles by planting 2 million Persica Salvadoria  (the sewak tree).  Scientifically, this plant has been discovered to have important, unique and special specifications, it can live and survive in lands of salty water and it can be irrigated with salty or sea water.

Although they are many, I will not talk here about the hundreds of scientific researches that have been done on this natural Islamic treasure (in both east and west), but I will concentrate on the unique Tobacco control effect of the roots of the sticks and some of its unique health benefits.

Firstly, the sewak is useful in preventing diseases of the mouth as it has an effect in the mouth and on the gums. The roots of the Persica Salvadoria contain thiosyanate, it has a very important anti-decay effect. You can read the "Sewak" book available in the Arabic language by Dr. M. Ali  Albar*.

Secondly, it has been stated in Islamic literature that  Ibn Omar (raa) used to prescribe Sewak boiled in water as a natural contraceptive for women who are going to Hajj or Umrah although further research needs to be done on this, insha Allah.

According to Dr. Muhammad Al Khateeb from Yemen, an ex-representative of WHO, at the 1998 Tobacco Control Conference in Kuwait, ‘smoking is the first step to all other ethical diseases such as: drugs, alcoholism, crimes, stealing and pornography’.

After academically proving the high efficacy of Sewak as a ‘quit smoking’ aid we can say, insha Allah,  that Sewak was created by Allah, the only Creator, as a remedy for the illness, cigarette addiction, which is the main subject for this theory ‘sewak the remedy for cigarette addiction’. To clarify more I should say here that, in Islam there is a rule that says, ‘Allah created illnesses by the remedies and each illness has a remedy, but not all remedies are discovered by people’.

If our academic research gains success due to the many supporting facts strengthening its results, insha Allah, we can analyse and admire, at length, the Prophet (saw’s) choice to leave this life using sewak. It was a great scientific sign for humanity and our research will prove and strengthen the nature and mercy of the great international Islamic message.

Let’s conclude this section by saying, at least theoretically for now, that Sewak is the major public health tobacco control tool in history. It is cheap, accessible, has many great health benefits and has a very unique value when used as a tooth brush. Spreading and marketing the Sewak, in mass media tools, is the main essential social security strategy, in my opinion, for all global future generations.

 “Sewak and Cigarette Theory”

There is a Cure for Every Illness

The basics of the theory:

1-The common dependence of both “sewak and cigarette” is not chemical but mechanical. This is supported by Doraid Lahaam, the famous Syrian comedy actor, as he stated in the WHO’s video of the ‘International No Tobacco Day’, May 31 2002.

In most cases of cigarette addiction, the major aspect of addiction is not a chemical addiction, but the mechanics of the continuous movement of the hand towards the face, nose or beard. In a hadeeth (saying or action) of Prophet Muhammad (saw) he said, ‘Ten things are from natural instinct (physiological term ‘built in’ or programmed to do): sewak, trimming pubic hairs, trimming nails etc…’

I believe that many habits that happen between the face and hand, such as  playing with the beard, nose, biting fingernails, scratching or itching somewhere on the face etc…, explain these physiological trends which I consider to be  practical explanations of the above hadeeth, another proof of Muhammad’s prophethood.  

Smoking has taken the place in society of one of these habits as a response to the hidden orders (programmed in humans) of the Creator, to use the sewak. Big difference here is that smoking is unhealthy and kills brain cells while the sewak is healthy and helps in the function of the brain.

2. Sewak is well known as a successful quit smoking aid. Besides its unique values in public and oral health, it is inexpensive and widely available in all Muslim countries.

3- I prescribed the sewak as a quit smoking aid in my smoking cessation clinic in Aleppo from 1995-1999 and in other countries up until till now. Successfully, even if the smoker didn't quit smoking fully after using the sewak, in most cases a reduction in his smoking rate varied between 10-80%.  The best results were if the sewak was kept inside the cigarette box, so the smoker found an alternative to play with when wanting to play with a cigarette.

(I advised my patients to use the hot and fresh green sticks taken from the roots of the sewak because of its very unique and lovely taste, not from the branches as the Sudanese do.  The hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (saw) says: ‘Sewak is a satisfaction of Allah, good flavour for the mouth.’)

4-Hundreds of cases of smokers quitting cigarette smoking were reported in many Muslim countries and it’s publicly known that the sewak is an efficient quit smoking aid.

5. Advantages of Sewak versus the harmful disadvantages of cigarettes:

The unhealthy effects of smoking cigarettes are many:

a- All the respiratory organs are harmed because of direct contact of the smoke to the organs.  

b- Various cancers are caused by cigarette smoking, such as to the:  gums, mouth, larynx, lungs etc.

 c- Complications occur in the stomach and to nervous system. Sexual activity is affected. It causes discoloration to the teeth and sometimes fingers. It leaves behind a very bad odour on breath, clothes and hair, especially to the non smoker.

Smoking causes 1.5 million deaths of Muslims annually and 800 million US dollars is spent daily by the Muslim Nation to buy cigarettes. As a result, approximately 4 to 6 billion US dollars is spent on drugs in the Muslim world to combat the many diseases caused by cigarette smoking.

Idleb is a very poor district in Syria, teachers in this district are paid wages of around $100.00 monthly. A smoking teacher spends more than 40-50% of their income on cigarettes. (Dr. Wisam Mazik from Aleppo Research).

‘Verily spendthrifts are the brothers of satan.’ Qur’an 17:27

 The healthy affects of sewak are many:

a- Sewak plays a major role in protecting the larynx from laryngitis and other inflammatory diseases which affect the mucus membrane of the buccal cavity.

b- It has anti-depressive effects.

c- Sewak is an anti-carcinogenic agent proved in research from Pakistan.

d- It increases sexual desire because of its well known way of refreshing the mouth. Compare the foul odour emanating from the mouth of the smoker to the mouth of the sewak user.

e- The sewak plays an important role in eradicating the discoloration effects on the teeth, smell in the mouth and aids in the health of the larynx, stomach, etc.

f- Economically the sewak has many advantages: it’s consumable; it can benefit many areas of business such as: dental, herbal medicine (i.e. good as an effective gastric sterilizer), contraception, oral hygiene (i.e. in mouth wash, gargle and fresheners).

The sewak has been diagnosed as the most important remedy for the disease which has spread through the Muslim Nation, cigarette smoking.

 6. Prohibition of cigarettes and allowance of sewak from the Islamic viewpoint:

Allowance of Sewak:

Related by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): ‘Sewak cleans the mouth and satisfies God’– and in other sayings ‘ ... and gets the Satan out’.

Prohibition of Smoking:

‘And do not kill yourselves…’ Qur’an 4:29

7. The negative effects of smoking on the non smoker.

a- Inhalation of cigarette smoke from a smoker is called second hand smoke. It is unfiltered, poisonous waste that goes into the air around the smoker. There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke over 40 of which are known to cause cancer. Second hand smoke causes or aggravates asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems especially in children.

Remember, it is the parents’ responsibility to try to keep their children healthy and free from health hazards. Can you call yourself a responsible parent if you smoke in the same area as your children? As second hand cigarette smoke is proven to be harmful to health, especially children’s,  could we then perhaps call it a form of ‘child abuse’? Think about it.

b- Forest and house fires have been known to have been caused by careless cigarette smokers.

‘Those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, bear on themselves a glaring sin.’ Qur’an 33:58

 Summary:

The use of the sewak is definitely and with no doubt very healthy and beneficial for smokers and non- smokers.  Its unique quit smoking effect is to be proved very soon, insha Allah, by academic scientific research.

A comparison between some of the advantages of sewak and disadvantages of smoking cigarettes.

Comparison between sewak and the plastic teeth brush.

Comparison between hand feeding and spoon feeding.

References:

1.    Advices to Cease Smoking, late Kittany

2.    The Sewak, Dr. Mohd Ali Al Bar

3.    The first geographical committee of smoke ceasing, Kuwaiti society of smoke ceasing, 1998.

4.    Internet searching using the key words (Persica Salvadoria, Arak, Sewak etc…).

Dr. Rami M. Diabi

notice :

Many researches and new updated news on sewak is available on Arabic version of the theory( as I dont have any assistants to help me in this issue till now)