What is well-being and how is it different from wellness?
What do you think of when I say wellness? I think fitness, broccoli, supplements, and “self-care”! Wellness gives me all the feels of this life – the dunya. All the things we try to do to “look and feel our best” in this life. Well-being – an attempt to translate the Arabic word عافِيَة (‘afiyah) – is a much more holistic concept – that in addition to mind & body, includes the spirit (ruh).
In Arabic, all words come from a 3-letter root. When you learn the root, you can gain layers of meaning by seeing what other words come from the same root and what they mean. ‘Afiyah comes from ‘ayn-fa-waw ع-ف-و . Most of the derivative words are somehow too related to health, recovery, wellness, and well-being. However, one of them عَفْو (‘afw) means : effacement, obliteration, elimination, pardon, forgiveness. How is that related? Let’s come back to that.
The word ‘afiyah comes in a well-known dua (supplication) that Muslims are supposed to make when we visit graves of our fellow Muslims. It goes:
السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ بِكُمْ لَلَاحِقُونَ ، نَسْأَلُ اللهَ لَنَا وَلَكُمُ الْعَافِيَةَ
“Peace be upon you all, O inhabitants of the graves, amongst the believers and the Muslims. Indeed we are, Allah willing, soon to follow, we ask Allah for ‘afiyah (well-being) for us and for you.”
Why are we praying for well-being for people that have already died? Because the Islamic concept of ‘afiyah is holistic well-being: mind, body, and spirit. And when our body dies, our spirit lives on. Unlike wellness, well-being is not just for this life, it is for the after-life too.
So that brings us back to the 3-letter root and how ‘afiyah is related to ‘afw (obliteration, forgiveness). There is a very famous dua that Muslims are supposed to recite in the last 10 days of Ramadan if they think it’s laylatul-qadr (the Night of Power).
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Allahumma innaka Afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee
O Allah, indeed You are Pardoning, [Generous,] You love pardon, so pardon me.
The concept of pardoning is different from regular forgiveness. When Allah ﷻ pardons us, He forgives our sins and obliterates them – meaning permanently removing them from our record of deeds and from our hearts. Every sin we commit harms us and leaves a stain on our heart. So when Allah ﷻ removes the record of that sin, He also removes the harmful effects of that sin upon our hearts and our lives, dunya and akhira. So by granting us His ‘afw, Allah ﷻ also grants us ‘afiyah! So that’s one way that these words are connected, and gives us insight into how important ‘afiyah is. That is why the Prophet ﷺ told us to ask for ‘afiyah.
Al-Abbas (R.A.), the Uncle of The Prophet Muhammed ﷺ, came to the Prophet Muhammed ﷺ and said:
“Ya Rasulullah, teach me a Dua.”
The Prophet Muhammed ﷺ said:
“O my Uncle, say:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَافِيَةَ
“ALLAHUMMA INNI AS’ ALUKA AL’AFIYAH”
Meaning: “O Allah, I ask you for ‘Afiyah.”
May this site aid us on our journey to find ‘afiyah. Ameen.