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Every
Illness Has A Cure: The
Islamic Perspective Every illness has a cure Praise be to Allah, Knower of all ailments
and their hidden cures. May peace and salutations be upon His first
prophet Adam, His final prophet Muhammad and all the prophets that came in
between Amen! (Amen!). Muslims like so many others believe in a
creator. We believe that we were sent into this world as vicegerent of
Allah. The Holy Quran informs us that man and jinn were created for the
worship of Allah. After death we shall all be resurrected on the Day of
Judgment and we shall be judged according to our deeds. Therefore our principle of life is: "He Alone has the keys of the unseen
treasures, of which no one knows except Him. He
knows whatever is in the land and in the sea; there is not a single leaf
that falls without His knowledge, there is neither a grain in the darkness
of the earth nor any thing fresh or dry which has not been recorded in a
Clear Book." It further says in the Quran: Medication: There are many Ahadith (traditions of
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him (pbuh) which encourage the Muslims to
seek medical treatment. Some of them are mentioned below: Abu Hurayrah narrates that The Prophet pbuh
said: Usamah ibn Shuraik narrated: Taking proper care of ones health is
considered by the Prophet Muhammad pbuh to be the right of the body. The Prophet not only instructed sick people
to take medicine, but he himself invited expert physicians for this
purpose. From this brief beginning one would gather that Imaan (faith) and Tawakkul (trust) have to be the uttermost important part of a Muslim's belief. Hence, problems, illnesses or troubles of life, should be very easy to cope with. But, since this material world has been classed as Darul Asbaab (A world of means) it is necessary to take medication for one's illness. In most cases Mufti's would give a ruling of suicide for one who died in the event of not taking medicine. We all would be required by Shariah (Islamic Law) to have trust in Allah but search for the cure, which would be classed as the highest grade of Tawakkul - Trust in Allah. Dr Shehzadi Munir a retired psychiatrist says: "I found it very easy to practice on religious people because you direct their emotions to a certain pillar and the best pillar to have faith in is Allah - God, the Maker of the Universe." To stop a person falling in the trap of
worry and anxiety we have been advised that: "Imaan (Faith) is
between fear and Hope!" Is it a Punishment? One cannot stipulate that he is a sinner,
hence he is being punished; Some people believe that we are born
sinners and therefore religion is to blame for the psychological condition
of the patient. Islam teaches that man is born pure from sin; it is only
later in life that he does good and becomes better or does evil and
becomes worse. What is the position of a mentally ill patient in Islam? Islamic Law rules that the insane are
excused they will have no reckoning and all their sins will be forgiven.
"Allah burdens not an individual more than his capability" Mufti Shafi on the above verse comments
that: A person's actions can be divided into two categories, voluntary and
involuntary. They will be reckoned for the voluntary actions but the
involuntary ones are excused. Islam is very compassionate and
understanding towards human nature, hence we have been told from the very
outset that: "Mankind has been created weak" In other words if you do indulge in
abomination, one should not become disorientated, but rise above the
situation and turn to his Lord in repentance, for indeed He is Al-Gaffar
(Most Forgiving) Ar-Rahman (Most Merciful). Islam never ceases to encourage repentance
for those who transgress! A sinner is not allowed to mention the name
of the committed sin (when seeking forgiveness) because in doing so he
will torment the heart which is forbidden. This teaches us that Islam is
very understanding towards the sinners let alone the mentally ill. In this day of modern medicine, man has
discovered that mental illness is mostly a pathological, genetic or
organic illness. It can also be a reactionary affect to socio-cultural
dilemmas like divorce, separation etc. Sometimes mental illness in patients has a
cultural influence hence, an ill patient of England would sometimes see
Isa (Jesus) pbuh, an African would see spirits but the Asian would see
Jinn's, magicians etc. Why the suffering? When a person is in pain or suffering
either he is a good person and his place in Jannah (Heaven) is elevated or
else he is a sinner whose sins will be forgiven through this illness. Abu Hurayrah has narrated from Prophet
Muhammad pbuh that: "Whenever a Muslim is afflicted by illness,
continuous pain, anxiety, grief, injury or by a thorn with which he is
pricked. Allah causes this to be an atonement for his sins." Abu Saeed Khudri and Abu Hurayrah narrates
that the Prophet pbuh said: "No fatigue, disease, sorrow, sadness,
hurt, or distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives
from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that." Patients' Rights God, The Lord of Honour and Glory, will say
on the Day of Judgement: Abu Musa Ashari narrates that the Prophet
(pbuh) said: Amulets and Pendants There is a misunderstanding in some
communities that Islam discourages medical treatment and classes
psychiatric illness as the spell of Devils and associates it with evil so
they try out different Taweez (amulets and pendants). This is a thing,
which can be found in some communities who have been heavily influenced by
their family traditions and cultures. The Prophet pbuh used amulets but when
needed he always took medicine. Abu Said Khudri narrates that The Prophet
pbuh said: "Once when the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) fell ill,
Gabriel came and asked: O Muhammad, are you ill? The Holy Prophet answered
in the affirmative. Gabriel Said: I blow on you in the name of Allah from
everything that troubles you and from the evil of every soul and the evil
look of every envier. May Allah restore You to health. I blow on you in
His name." Muslim Aishah narrates that: Whenever
Allah's Apostle paid a visit to a patient, or a patient was brought to
him, he used to invoke Allah, saying, "Take away the disease, O the
Lord of the people! Cure him as You are the One Who cures there is no cure
but Yours, a cure that leaves no disease." Aishah narrates that: During the Prophet's
fatal illness, he used to recite the Mu'auwidhaat (Surah Al-Falaq and
Surah An-Naas / Quran chapters 113 and 114) and then blow his breath over
his body. When his illness was aggravated, I used to recite those two
Surahs (chapters), blow my breath over him and make him rub his body with
his own hand for its blessings." (Ma'mar asked Az-Zuhri: How did the
Prophet used to blow? Az-Zuhri said: He used to blow on his hands and then
passed them over his face.) Abdul Aziz narrates that: Thabit and I went
to Anas bin Malik. Thabit said, "O Abu Hamza! I am sick." On
that Anas said, "Shall I treat you with the Ruqya (Amulet) of Allah's
Apostle?" Thabit said, "Yes." Anas recited, "O Allah!
The Lord of the people, the Remover of trouble! (Please) cure (Heal) (this
patient), for You are the Healer. None brings about healing but You; a
healing that will leave behind no ailment." The Prophets' Sunnah (Tradition): Anas ibn Malik narrates that: A woman who
had a defect in her brain, said: Allah's Messenger, I want to talk to you.
He said: Mother of so and so, choose on which side of the road you would
like to stand and talk, so that I may fulfill your need. He stood with her
on the sidewalk until she spoke to her heart's content. This shows that the Prophet pbuh never
discriminated between the sane or insane. As long as this woman conversed
with him patiently he continued to listen. Anas used to tell of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) that he would visit the sick. Don't Discriminate! 'The prophet in his visits did not
discriminate against ailing people. He
even visited sick non-Muslims.' Traditions of The Early Muslims: During the Islamic period attempts were
made by the Muslims to provide appropriate facilities and assistance to
sick people. The ten years (13/634-23/644) under the rule of the second
Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, saw many public welfare works in the Islamic
State. The Caliph was so concerned for the welfare of ailing people that
he accompanied a team of physicians with the army proceeding towards
Persia. Ibn Tulun Hospital Benjamin of Tudela, a Jewish historian, who
visited Baghdad in 556/1160 found at least sixty medical institutions
there and wrote regarding Sultan Salah al-Din. "All are well provided
for from the king's stores with spices and other necessaries. Every
patient who claims assistance is fed at the king's expense until his cure
is complete. There is another large building called Darul Maraphtan in
which are locked up all those insane persons who are met with during the
hot season, every one of whom is secured by iron chains until his reason
returns when he is allowed to return home they are regularly examined by
the king's officers appointed for this purpose and when they are found to
be possessed of their reason again they are immediately liberated. All
this is done by the king in pure charity towards all those who come to
Baghdad either ill or insane, for the king is a pious man and his
intention is excellent in this respect." Bimaristan al-Salihani Ayyubi: "This hospital is one of the prides of
Salah al-Din. This is a magnificent and beautiful palace. The rooms are
most elegant; in each room beds are spread, on which mattresses and
pillows are placed in an orderly manner. There is a separate room for the
dispensing of medicine and for this purpose chemists and compounders have
been appointed. For lunatics, there are separate houses, which include a
vast courtyard." First European Mental Hospital It is
interesting to note that the brothers of St. John built the first European
mental hospital in the 15th Century C.E. at Valencia in Spain. This
European institution was based on a similar institution in Cairo and
modelled on the Bimaristan of Baghdad (which was built in
136-158/754-775). The same brothers were later summoned to France by Marie
de Medici to to build psychiatric hospitals at Charenton and the Charite
at Senlis. Conclusion We believe that each illness has a cure but
it is unto man to research and find the cure. Let us pray to Allah that He
strengthens our faith for the peace and tranquility that are such vital
ingredients for us being an ideal society. The advice of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh "Allah, The Most Merciful, has mercy on the merciful therefore, be merciful upon the dwellers of the earth. He will have mercy upon you Who is in the heavens." Hadith A message of The Holy Quran: (c) 2000 Mawlana Sikander Khan Pathan In: A H Crisp (ed) Every Family in the Land: Understanding prejudice and discrimination against people with mental illness. (c) 2000 the Editor and Robert Mond Memorial Trust. |