Health Chart

Disease and Cure

“Perfect health” is a wish that humans crave for. They know that they can never attain this state of perfection, if only because they cannot conceive what is “perfect”. Accordingly, they satisfy themselves with a relative “good health”, where the individual would be living without imminent suffering or pain. As living organisms, humans are subject to genetic and environmental influences that affect the functioning of their organs. Any negative effect would cause a disease.


The force of life inexorably urges living organisms to resist disease which constitutes by definition an obstruction to the fulfillment of the ultimate objective of the ailing organism. Not only humans who live for some purpose in life but one dare say every particle has a role and is commissioned to undertake it to the best of its ability. This innate tenacity in all organisms to function in accordance with their respective eternal laws ministering their roles and missions is a part of what the Qur‘an terms as “Tasbeeh”.


“The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His Glory: There is not a thing but celebrates His praise, and yet you understand not how they declare His glory. Verily He is oft- forbearing most forgiving.” (17: 44)


Both words “glorifying” and “praising” in the above verse have been used by translators to imply “Tasbeeh”, but they should be construed to mean the conformity with the laws enacted by Allah to administer the ideal relationships among all beings in course of their functioning and performance. When there is any disturbance to our deviation from the inherent discipline of Tasbeeh, then there is a disease. In humans, such a disease can be pure moral (psychological), pure pathological, or moral-cum-pathological.


When a person goes astray in his behavioural conduct, or when he contracts a virus infection, or where the cholesterol in his blood increases to the extent that affects his meditative faculties and behaviour, this person is accordingly considered sick. To cure him, an appropriate course of treatment must be followed. The person who is qualified to judge whether a person is suffering from a “disease” as such, and who assumes the functions of healing is called a medical “doctor”.


To help understand the role of the Muslim doctor, let us have a general idea about the texts in the Qur‘aan and Hadith relating to the ubject. Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala talks in the Qur’an about moral disease and cure in several surahs (chapters). He says:


“O mankind! There hath come to you a direction from your Lord and a healing for the (disease) in your hearts, - and for those who believe, a guidance and a mercy.” (10:57)


The “direction” in this verse to the Qur`an itself, it is considered a sure cure to any moral or psychological disease that may afflict true believers.


“It (Qur`an) is a guide and a healing to those who believe.” (41:44)

There is no doubt that genuine belief in Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala can be the best cure for most of our psychological disturbances. It brings peace to our hearts as one reckons to his Creator and resigns in Him.


“But He guideth to Himself those who turn to Him in patience, - Those who believe, and whose hearts find peace and satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction and peace.” (13:27-28)


Moral disease has been frequently expressed as disease in the heart. For instance, depicting the psychological picture of the Hypocrites (Munafiqeen) Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala says:


“In their hearts there is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease: and grevious is the penalty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves).” (2:10)


Transgressors, unbelievers and ill-intentioned individuals suffer from a moral weakness - a disease in their hearts. This term has been repeated about thirteen times in the Qur‘an.


From the physical point of view, there are many verses that mention the ill and the patient, giving them due license from some commissioned obligations and prescriptions. For instance, the ills allowed not to keep the fasting during Ramadan, (11:184), not to observe the usual ablution (4:43), not to abstain from cutting his hair during the pilgrimage (11:196), not to respond the call of Jihad (9:91) etc. In general, the ailing person is treated as a special case and is given the due chance for recovery and is always given special treatment and licenses.


It is granted that Allah (swt) is the Ultimate Healer. Ibraheem alayhissalaam arguing with his people about the omnipotence of Allah (swt) said:


“... (Allah) who created me and it is He who guides me, who gives me food and drink, and when I am ill, He cures me...” (26:80)


However, Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala states the need for treatment by ascribing a healing potentiality to honey produced by bees:


“...there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men... “(16:69)


The Hadith, as usual, gave us striking revealing facts concerning disease and cure. Our Prophet (Pbuh) informed us that the general rule is that there is a cure to every disease, whether we are aware of it or not. We know at present that our cells produce antibodies to fend against the agents of disease: the viruses and virulent bacteria. Homeopathic philosophy is based on helping the body to overcome the disease by giving the sick very small doses of drugs that would stimulate the same symptoms in a healthy person if given in large doses.


In simple words, the well established Hadith narrated on the authority of Ibn Maso’ud “Allah (swt) has not inflicted a disease without prescribing a cure to it, known to whoever knows it, and unknown to whoever does not know it.” (cited by Ahmad of Nayl-al-Awtar, 5:9, p. 89), this Hadith is a confirmation of the natural law of auto-resistance of self-defense. It indicates as well the necessity for discovering cures to our diseases.

“And do not kill yourselves; indeed, Allah is ever Merciful to you”. (4:29)


A general rule of the Islamic Shar’iah (law) is that to ingest anything that may cause injury, illness or death, either quickly or gradually, is forbidden (haram). Any form of self-injury is discouraged, nor is one permitted to harm another.


This understanding is based on the premise that a person is not entirely his own master; his life, health, wealth, and all that Allah has bestowed upon him belong to Allah, and he is on this earth to fulfill a trust with Him, hence he is not permitted to destroy or diminish any of it. This also extends to the earth, everything in and on it, and the environment.


Smoking is known to damage the smoker’s health, those around him as well as the environment. Even the packet displays a health warning that smoking KILLS.


“And do not be cast into ruin by your own hands”. (2:195)


In Islamic communities there is a major guaranteed method of seeking advantage and combating corruption, which is the promotion of good (maarouf) and the censure of abominations (munkar). This is an obligation that goes beyond mere education and information availability and involves checking that the information is actually put to practical use.


Every Muslim who knows, for example, that smoking kills and knows the harmful effects it produces regards it as his duty to inform others about it and make every other member of his community aware of the dangers of smoking. But things do not stop at that. He even considers it his duty when he sees someone smoking to ask him, in a gentle manner, to stop because smoking is harmful to the smoker. He also points out to him that if it is permissible for a person to harm himself, which it is not, it is a greater sin to cause harm to others.


The Prophet (Pbuh) forbade causing harm to individuals and to the community, as he said: “There shall be no infliction of harm on oneself or others”.


He also forbade any injury to one’s neighbor, any neighbor, whether in residence, public transport, public places, or offices. He said: “Whoever believes in God and the Day of Judgment should not hurt his neighbor”.


The same attitude is adopted by every responsible Muslim towards a person who pours the waste of his factory into waters that are for common use or into other areas of the common environment, or indeed towards any person who contributes in any way to the pollution of the environment. Enjoining what is right and good and forbidding what is wrong and evil, which is a fundamental principle of Islam, ensures the vigilance of every member of an Islamic community to make sure that the law is enforced, the common interest is guarded, and every source of corruption is blocked. Islam makes the protection of the environment and censure of its corruption a duty of the righteous society.

“Do not waste life or property.” (Bukhari)


Health promotion is the basic stage in protecting human health, or let us say, it is primary prevention. It is the first and the most important thing to do. To protect people from falling victim to a disease is to spare them much suffering, and to spare their tissues and organs much damage and undesirable consequences. Furthermore it saves society a heavy bill.

“Do not harm yourself or others.’’ (Ahmad and Ibn Majah)


All measures that aim to ensure the early detection of any ailment and the immediate intervention to check it fall under secondary prevention. There is also tertiary prevention, which includes the procedures followed to minimize the consequences of handicaps and disabilities should they occur, to reduce the suffering resulting from any incurable ailment, and to improve a patient’s ability to adjust to living with such incurable impairment. All this is classified as rehabilitation. What is mentioned concerning health is applicable to the environment to a great extent.