Back to search
The question

What is the religious ruling on a person who eats and sleeps excessively, and how can they remedy that?

Share this answer

Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Scholars disliked excessive eating and sleeping, unless it led to harm, in which case it becomes forbidden. Excessive sleep often arises from excessive eating. Ibn al-Jawzi said: "Satiety leads to bodily flabbiness, laziness, excessive sleep, and dullness of mind. Overeating diminishes intelligence and brings about difficult illnesses." The moderate approach is not to eat until one desires it, and to remove one's hand while still desiring the food. The ultimate good approach is: "a third for food, a third for drink, and a third for breath." The cure for these two ailments is by reducing food intake and striving against the self. Ibn Muflih said: "Hunger is among the best remedies for curing repletion diseases." Al-Tabarani narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Fast, and you will be healthy."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy