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| Health and Sickness
according to Islam Prof. Dr. Mahmud Es'ad Cosan Allah (swt) gave us endlessly favours and
blessings that we can't even count. Thanks to them we live happily;
without them we would have perished instantly. And even if we spend all
our lives for praising Allah just for one single blessing, we wouldn't be
able to thank Allah properly. Our health is the most important favour and
one of the greatest blessings of Allah on us. This body of ours is a great
and superb creature. There are many organs inside and outside of our body
- billions of cells and tissues, extremely well-ordered systems and
mechanisms, continuous and orderly functions and progresses, biological
phenomena and activities that repeat themselves continually in perfect
order, our mysterious and marvelous brain, tireless heart, fine nervous
system, circulatory systems, physics laboratory lungs, chemical factory
liver, kidneys that contain millions of filters, bone structure that is an
engineering marvel, layers of assorted muscles that cover all these, skin,
eyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, sweet speaking tongue, organs to
produce new generations, endless mind, limitless and countless senses,
wonderful system of reflection, discovery, inventions, arts.... How come all these go like clockwork and
their harmony doesn't become depraved, nothing goes wrong; and how come we
stay healthy for many years without having a breakdown? How come an
extensiveness, vastness, deepness, abundance, intricacy, complexity,
interdependence, partnerships and togetherness of this magnitude lasts for
life in a perfect manner? Because of these difficult conditions,
misfortune, breakdowns, and sickness should be ordinary happenings and
expected to happen any moment. But it's not so! Health is a very amazing state, an
extraordinary miracle! We personally have nothing at all; there is
absolutely someone who is guarding and taking care of us. Every single
moment we exist and live with the help of the Almighty and Absolutely-Wise
Allah - every single moment we are repaired and re-created, until such
time as He wishes.... But there is also death beside life, and
sickness beside health. There IS! Because
it is necessary and full of wisdom! Sickness is the messenger of death,
and the reminder and denouncer of the Hereafter! What would have happened
to the world if death never existed? Death is a discharge, a salvation; a
new and different birth; the end of the longing and meeting again the
Beloved.... Health is a blessing, sickness is an
examination. It is necessary to praise Allah for the blessings, and to
show endurance during examinations. Many people don't know but sickness is a
blessing according to Islam for the faithful servant, for a patient and
well-behaved Muslim who doesn't flare up or rebel, and for those adept and
graceful servants who know that sickness comes from Allah, and who don't
oppose the destiny or complain. There are many rewards and recompenses for
the sick, their sufferings are compensated with spiritual honour and
gifts. Our Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w.) said: The sick person's sleep is considered as
worship and his moaning as litany of praise to Allah. He is rewarded as
though he is performing his usual prayers when he was healthy although he
is unable to do so now. His supplications are accepted, his sins are
forgiven, all his mistakes and wrong-doings recorded in his book are
deleted, and he is told `Very well, start your new life with an absolutely
clean book!' Sickness wakes people up from heedlessness,
guides them to give up their sins, makes them think about the Hereafter,
leads them to pious foundations; makes them more thankful to Allah, and
teaches them the necessity of taking better care of their health and
making better use of their life - something they didn't realize before,
teaches them to understand other sick and pained people better, to feel
sorry for them and to help them; and rises their ranks and degrees higher
in the Hereafter. I wish you all good health, truth,
happiness, and peace in religion, in this world and the Hereafter; quick
recovery for my sick and pained brethren from Almighty Allah, and wish
them to have brave endurance and bountiful rewards. May Allah bless my loyal, faithful, compassionate, self-sacrificing brethren in the medical profession who dedicated their lives to the ideal of seeking remedy for the pain of those in suffering, and give them high material and spiritual ranks and degrees, great earthly and spiritual rewards, and increase their numbers, and make them victorious and superior over the non-believers and the unjust.
From a pamphlet published by the Islamic
Science, Culture, and Art Association, Queen Street, Auburn, N.S.W. 2144,
Australia. Phone/Fax: (02) 9646 2158 |