The doctor didn't wait for the sheikh to finish.

A wealthy merchant had invited both of them to dinner. His daughter was ill, and he had asked the sheikh to pray for her. The sheikh had begun to pray. He would read verses of the Qur'an, and ask his Lord to heal her — when the doctor cut him off.

"Are you crazy? What is this nonsense? Science has advanced enough for us to know words don't heal people, medicine heals people."

The sheikh looked at him for a moment. Then he screamed: "You stupid man! What do you know about the healing power of God's word?"

The merchant froze. The doctor blinked. It was as if his mind hadn't caught up to what his ears had just heard.

His face went red. "How dare you call me stupid!"

The sheikh raised his hand. "Oh, please forgive me for calling you stupid."

He paused.

"But did you notice what just happened? Simple words made you insanely angry. Your eyes went red. Your heart beat faster. Your adrenaline spiked. Your blood pressure rose."

"If words from a stranger can do all of that to your body then surely God's perfect words have the power to heal."

The Qur'an calls itself: shifa (healing). The word Allah chose is the same word used for medicine that works. And the speech that said "Be" and brought existence into being is not operating on the same scale as a stranger's insult at a dinner table. It is operating on the scale of the One who designed the body.

Reflect on this:

What words have I allowed to shape my emotional or physical state lately?

^{Share your reflections in the poll at the end of the email.}