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Short Dignity and Patient Care: An Islamic Perspective
Spirituality and the Care of the Patient
BY IMAM DR ABDULJALIL SAJID, The Sussex Muslim Society Trust UK
Muslim Chaplain; Imam, Brighton and Sussex Universities NHS Hospital Trust; Muslim
Chaplain – Imam, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust.
The Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony
The Brighton Islamic Mission,
8 Caburn Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 861972
Email: [email protected]
Islamic view of Health: Health is indeed a favour that we take for granted. We should express
gratitude to God for bestowing us with health, and we should try are up most to look after it. God has
entrusted us with our bodies for a predestined period of time. He will hold us to account on how we
looked after and utilised our bodies and good health. From an Islamic perspective health is viewed as
one of the greatest blessings that God has bestowed on mankind. It should be noted that the greatest
blessing after belief is health, as narrated in the following Hadith: The final messenger of Allah
(Subhanahu Wa Taala -SWT), Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessing of God be upon him –
PBUH) mounted the pulpit, then wept and said, "Ask Allah (SWT) for forgiveness and health, for after
being granted certainty, one is given nothing better than health." (Related in Tirmidhi).
Muslims view God as the originator of all actions. This belief may have an impact on their view of
illness or disease. Disease may be seen as the will of God, a test of faith. In turn, a Muslim patient may
believe that healing only occurs through God’s will. Many Muslims will not make definite statements
about the future without including the phrase In sha Allah, which means “God willing.” On the one
hand, believing Muslims, through illness, achieve purification of sins and they rise in their degree with
God on the other. Thus they do not utter any curses but do their best and seek medication. They know
that everything, good or bad, is from God. They even, out of politeness ascribe the bad things to
themselves and the good things to God. They are, thus, patient and submissive to the will of the Lord.
It has been narrated that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him – PBUH) said:
"No one will be allowed to move from his position on the Day of Judgement until he has been asked
how he spent his life, how he used his knowledge, how he earnt and spent his money and in what
pursuits he used his health" (Related in Tirmidhi) The Holy Prophet of Islam (Peace and blessings be
upon him – PBUH) once said:
“Take benefit of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before
your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free-time before your
preoccupation, and your life before your death”.
The preservation of this God’s blessing of health can only be achieved through taking good care of one’s
health and taking every measure to maintain and enhance it. With this in mind every Muslim should
make sure they undertake all necessary actions which are conducive to the preservation of good health.
Healthy living is part and parcel of Islam, introduced with the inception of Islam more than 14 centuries
ago. Furthermore, the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah outline the teachings that show every Muslim how to
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protect his health and live life in a state of purity. Numerous examples in Islam instruct its followers to
live a healthy life.
Islamic view of illness/disease: Muslims receive illness and death with patience and prayers. They
consider an illness as atonement for their sins. They consider death as a part of a journey to meet God.
However, they are strongly encouraged to seek medical treatment when required. Illness is a test from
God Almighty in which He tries both committed and non-committed believers alike. On the one hand,
believing Muslims, through illness, achieve purification of sins and they rise in their degree with God on
the other. Thus they do not utter any curses but do their best and seek medication. They know that
everything, good or bad, is from God. They even, out of politeness ascribe the bad things to themselves
and the good things to God. They are, thus, patient and submissive to the will of the Lord. Disease is a
deviation from the norm,but is curable. The cure should be sought but cure is not always available. The
Holy Prophet of Islam (Peace and blessing of God be upon him – PBUH) once said: “Allah (Subhanahu
Wa Taala -SWT) never creates a disease without providing a cure for it. The cure is known to some
people and is unknown to other” (Ahmad and Ibne Haban). “For a believer, suffering from sickness is
not just a reality but also a philosophy that comes with blessings. He knows that Allah (SWT) in His
mercy will expiate some of his sins if he remains patient through it”. The Holy Prophet of Islam
(PBUH) said:
“No Muslim is afflicted with harm because of sickness or some other inconvenience, but soon God
Almighty will remove his sins for him as a tree sheds its leaves”. (Bukhari)
When Muslims recover from illness they are indeed grateful to those who helped them; but their
greatness gratitude is to God Almighty the giver, sustainer and taker of life. If Muslims are told by
their doctor that they are terminally ill and that they will die soon, they never lose hope, because they
know for sure that the decision is not with doctors but with their Creator. Many a time a miracle
would take place and the hopeless case turns out to be the most hopeful one. Not only this but I
remember how one patient of this category survived and the doctor died. This happened several
times. For Muslims, same as others, death is a tragedy; but once it approaches and they could do
nothing to prevent it, they are screne and submissive to the Will of God. This spirit is based on taking
the life after death seriously and believing that ours is only the prelude to the everlasting life of bliss
for believers and perpetual suffering and punishment for unbelievers. This is in brief the Islamic
philosophy on illness.
Seeking Treatment for illness/diseaseis strongly recommended by the Holy
Prophet of Islam (Peace and blessings be upon him – PBUH):
In his book Zad Al-Ma’ad, Ibn Qayyim Aljawziah said that it was the Sunnah of Holy Prophet
Mohammed, (Peace and blessings be upon him – PBUH), to seek for himself medical treatment when he
got sick. He also recommended it for others. It was also the Sunnah of his companions to do the same.
Imam Muslim in his compilation of hadeeth devoted an entire chapter titled, “Recommendation to Seek
Medical Treatments: For Every Disease there is a Cure.” Imam Bukhari also devoted a chapter titled,
“Medicine.” In both of these references, strong evidences are presented to show that it was the norm and
the rules of prophet Mohammed, pbuh, and his companions to seek medical help from Muslim and nonMuslim doctors. Here are some of these references:
1. It was reported that Prophet Mohammed, (Peace and blessings be upon him – PBUH) sought for
himself medical help from Alharith Bin Kaldah, who was not a Muslim.
2. Imam Ahmed narrated a hadeeth by Ayesha in which she said that when Prophet Mohammed, (Peace
and blessings be upon him – PBUH), got sick with several symptoms we called several doctors for him,
Arabs and Non-Arabs. She meant Muslims and Non-Muslims.
3. In an ‘agreed upon Hadeeth,’ meaning a hadeeth narrated by most authentic two books of hadeeth
(Bukhari and Muslim), Ataa said that Abu Hurirah said that Prophet Mohammed, pbuh, said, “Whatever
disease Allah sent down, He sent a cure for it.”
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In Mosnad Al-Imam Ahmed it is reported that Zeyad Bin Elaqa said that Osama Bin Shareek said that
while he was sitting with Prophet Mohammed, pbuh, some Bedouins came and asked Prophet
Mohammed, pbuh, “Should we seek medical help for our diseases?” Prophet Mohammed, pbuh, said,
“Yes! O, you the servants of Allah! Seek medical help for your diseases because there is not a single
disease that Allah sent down without sending a cure with it, except one disease.” They asked, “What is
it?” Prophet Mohammed, (Peace and blessings be upon him – PBUH), said, “Alhiram (aging)”
There is an addition for this statement mentioned in another Hadeeth narrated also by Imam Ahmed in
which Prophet Mohammed, pbuh, said, “Allah did not send down a disease except that He sent a cure
for it, whether people know it or not.”
It is reported also in Sahih Muslim that Ibn Azzubair reported that Gabir Bin Abdullah reported that
Prophet Mohammed, pbuh, said, “For every disease there is a cure. If the medicine happens to find the
right circumstances and conditions, the patient will be cured with the permission of Allah.”
These Hadeeths open a wide door of hope for every patient including those with rare diseases that do not
have a cure yet. They state clearly that there is a cure for every disease. It is the duty of doctors and
pharmacists to work hard to find a cure for every disease and to seek God’s help and support. The cure
is there; they just have to work hard to find it. This fact motivates both the doctor and the patient and
provides hope for both of them to work hard and never to give up hope. In his book ‘Ad-Deen AlKhalis,’ Imam Mahmoud Alsubky commented on the last Hadeeth narrated in Sahih Muslim by saying,
“The Hadeeth shows that it is the Sunnah of prophet Mohammed, pbuh, to seek medical help and this is
the Math’hab (following a school of thought) of the majority. It stands against those of the extremist of
Sufism who say leave everything to God and He will take care of it.
Care for weak, vulnerable, disable and sick are mandatory in Islam:
In Islamic teachings cares for the weak, vulnerable sick person and mandatory upon Muslim society and
give them privileges that are not given under normal circumstances. It is regarded in Fiqhi term Fard-eKifaya which means if no fullfil these duties then all Muslim Commyunity are sinner individually.
Therefore it is important upon a Muslim Society to select people who should take care of weak,
vulnerable sick and disabled persons. There are several privileges for such person:
1. For example, if a person is sick, he or she would not be required to fast in Ramadan. A sick person is
allowed to make up for these days after the month of Ramadan by either making up for these days or by
feeding a needy person for each missed day. This relief is also given to a pregnant lady, a mother who is
breast feeding, or a traveling person. The Holy Qur’an stated in verse 185 of Chapter 2 (The Holy
Qur’an Surat Al-Bakarah 2:185), “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Holy Qur’an, a
guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So
whoever of you witnesses the month, he or she must observe fasting that month, and whoever is ill or on
a journey, the same number of days that he or she did not fast must be made up from other days. Allah
intends for you ease and He does not want to make things difficult for you. He wants that you must
complete the same number of days and that you must magnify Allah for having guided you so that you
may be grateful to Him.”
Ibn Katheer said, “The verse indicates that ill persons who are unable to fast or fear harm by fasting, and
the traveler, are all allowed to break the fast. When one does not fast in this case, he or she is obliged to
fast other days instead. This verse also indicates that Allah allowed such persons, out of His mercy to
make matters easy for them, to break the fast when they are ill or traveling, while the fasting is still
obligatory on the healthy persons who are not traveling.”
2. If a person is sick, he or she can make Tayammum instead of Wadu (Ablution before ritual prayer).
Wadu is ablution, in which a person washes before prayers with pure water his or her hands, mouth,
face, ears, hair, and feet. A sick person who might find it difficult to stand or sit to do the washing or if
the water might hurt him or her is allowed to make Tayammum instead. In Tayammum, a person
touches the sand or a wall made of brick and then wipes his hands and face instead of doing the full
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washing with water as described above. Allah (SWT) said in verse 6 of Chapter 5 (The Holy Qur’an
Surat Al-Ma’eda 6:5), “O you who believe! When you stand (intend) to offer the prayer, then wash your
faces and your hands up to the elbows, rub your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles. If you are in
a state of sexual impurity, purify yourselves (bathe your whole body). But if you are ill or on a journey
or any of you come from the toilet or you have touched women and you find no water, then perform
Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allah does not intend to place you
in difficulty, but He intends to purify you, and complete His favor upon you that you may be thankful.”
3. A sick person is permitted to pray sitting down or leaning or even laying instead of standing. He or
she would be allowed not to prostrate if prostration is going to cause him or her pain. In this case,
bending the head instead or even blinking the eye would compensate for bowing down and prostrating.
4. In performing pilgrimage (Hajj), a sick person is relieved from doing several things that others are not
allowed. For example, a sick person is allowed to have a ride instead of walking between the mountains
of Al-Safa and Al-Marwa. In addition, someone else can perform the Hajj on behalf of the sick person.
5. A sick person would be relieved from making Jihad in case the country is engaged in war. The Quran
stated in verse 17 of Chapter 48 (Surat Al-Fat’h), “No blame or sin is there upon the blind, nor is there
sin upon the lame, nor is there sin upon the sick.”
Consideration of the Common Good and Ease for People in the Islamic Law:
It is important to understand that the practice of Islam (Shari’ah) is built on achieving the best for
Muslims in general and the common good for human life. It carefully cares for the interest of the people.
The examples mentioned above show that when there is a conflict between the interest of the Muslim
and his religious duties, Allah relieves him or her from these duties and finds alternatives for him or her.
The whole Shari’ah from which the Islamic law is derived is based on this fact. As Ibn Qayyim
Aljawziah said, “Shari’ah is built on achieving the best for the human and if any matter turns from good
to bad or from making it easy to making it difficult, then it is important to know that this is not from
Islam but from the people and their understanding of Islam.”
The Islamic law is based on ease not hardship. It is equally important to remember that this is how Allah
wants his religion to be and this is what his prophet Mohammed, pbuh, wanted Islam to be. At the end of
the verse 185 of Chapter 2 which talked about fasting and how Allah relieved the sick and the traveler
from fasting, Allah ended the verse by saying, “Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to
make things difficult for you.”
At the end of verse 6 of Chapter 5, which talked about ablution for prayer, Allah concluded it by saying,
“Allah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His favor to
you so that you may be thankful.”
Also, Allah said in verse 27 and 28 of Chapter 4 (The Holy Qur’an Surat Al-Nisa’a 4:27-28), “Allah
wishes to lighten (the burden) for you. And the Human being was created weak.”
Imam Ahmed recorded Anas bin Malik saying that Allah’s messenger, pbuh, said, “Treat the people
with ease and don’t be hard on them; give then glad tidings and don’t fill them with aversion.”
It is reported also in Bukhari and Muslim, the most authentic books of Hadeeth, that Allah’s messenger,
pbuh, said to Mu’az Ibn Jabal and Abu Musa when he sent them to Yemen: “Treat the people with ease
and don’t be hard on them; give them glad tidings and don’t fill them with aversion; and love each other,
and don’t differ.” Ibn Katheer also mentioned that the Sunan and the Musnads compilers recorded that
Allah’s messenger, pbuh, said, “I was sent with the easy Islamic Monotheism.”
Islamic necessities in general and medical necessities in particular: The Rule of Necessity The Holy
Qur’an stated that when one’s life is in danger, regular religious duties are put on hold and a Muslim is
allowed to break these regular rules in order to save his or her life. This is known in the Islamic law as
the rule of necessity. It states: “Necessities make the prohibited un-prohibited.”
According to this rule, if a Muslim is in danger of dying because of hunger and he or she cannot find any
food except that which is prohibited in Islam such as pork, he or she is allowed to eat it to save his or her
life. All scholars agree on this fact. They only disagreed on how much a person is allowed to eat in this
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case, whether he or she can save some for other meals, and other similar details. Similarly, if one is in
danger of dying out of thirst, then he or she would be allowed to drink alcohol if this were the only
option available to him or to her though drinking alcohol is a major sin in Islam that has a severe
punishment. Under these circumstances, the Muslim is not sinful and Allah is Most Forgiving, Most
Merciful. On the contrary, this person will be sinful if he died because he did not take the necessary
action to save his life. Similarly, if one’s life is in danger, and the only way to save his life were to give
him a medicine that contains alcohol, then he or she should take this medicine.
This rule is mentioned several times in the Quran. For example, in verse 3, Chapter 5 (The Holy Qur’an
Surat Al-Ma’eda 5:3), Allah listed the kinds of meat that are prohibited for Muslims such as pork, dead
animals, etc. At the end of this verse Allah said, “But as for him/her who is forced by severe hunger,
with no inclination to sin (such can eat these above mentioned animals), then surely, Allah is OftForgiving, Most Merciful.”
In the interpretation of this verse, Ibn Katheer said, “Therefore, when one is forced to take any of the
impermissible things that Allah mentioned to meet a necessity, he is allowed and Allah is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful with him. Allah is well aware of His servant’s needs during dire straits, and He will
forgive and pardon His servant in this case.” He went on and quoted a hadeeth narrated by Imam Ahmed
in which the companions of Prophet Mohammed, pbuh, asked him, “O messenger of Allah! We live in a
land where famine often strikes us. Therefore, when are we allowed to eat the meat of dead animals?”
The prophet, pbuh, replied, “When you neither find food for lunch and dinner nor have any produce to
eat, then eat from it.”
In verse 173 of Chapter 2 (The Holy Qur’an Surat Al-Baqara 2:173), Allah (SWT) said, “But if one is
forced by necessity without willful disobedience or transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him.
Truly Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Commenting on the last part of this verse (then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allah (SWT) is OftForgiving, Most Merciful), Ibn Katheer wrote: “Sa’eed Bin Jubayr said, “Allah is pardoning for what
has been eaten of the unlawful, and merciful in that He allowed the prohibited during times of
necessity.” Masruq said, “Whoever is in dire need, but does not eat or drink until he dies, he will enter
the Fire.” This indicates that eating dead animals for those who are in need of it for survival is not only
permissible, but required.”
Health Diet and Balanced Nutrition is Must:
Various verses and texts within Islam promote the eating of healthy wholesome food and eating in
moderation. God clearly states in the Holy Qur’an:
“Eat of the good things which We have provided for you. (The Holy Qur’an 2:173) Eat of what is
lawful and wholesome on the earth.(The Holy Qur’an: 2:168)
A healthy nutritious diet must also be balanced, in order to maintain the balance that God has established
in all things, this is addressed in the Holy Qur’an when God says:
“And He enforced the balance. That you exceed not the bounds; but observe the balance strictly; and
fall not short thereof.” (The Holy Qur’an 55:7–9)
As we know, eating excessively causes harm to our systems. Many aliments are related to uncontrolled
eating habits such as, diabetes, vascular diseases, stroke, heart attack etc. It has been said that the
‘stomach is the home of ill health’ and is usually responsible in some way to ill health. Islam teaches us
to eat moderately:
“Eat and drink, but avoid excess”. (The Holy Qur’an: 20:81)
Over indulgence and wasting of food are further dissuaded in the Hadith of the of the Messenger of God:
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‘ No human being has ever filled a container worse than his own stomach. The son of Adam needs no
more than a few morsels of food to keep up his strength, doing so he should consider that a third of his
stomach is for food, a third for drink and a third for breathing’ (Ibn Maja)
The Value of Saving Human Life:
Islam respects the human life and considers it a major sin and a heinous crime to intentionally end it.
Verse 32 of Chapter 5 (The Holy Qur’an Al-Ma’eda 5:32) stated, “Because of this (the son of Adam
killed his brother in transgression and aggression), We ordained for the children of Israel that if anyone
killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he/she
killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he/she saved the life of all mankind.”
Islam urges its followers to be kind to their parents. God says in the Holy Qur'an: We have
enjoined on man kindness to one’s parents. (The Holy Qur'an 29:8) The Prophet prohibited "holding
on greedily to money and asking for it persistently, being unkind to mothers and burying young girls
alive", as was the habit of certain Arabian tribes before the advent of Islam. The Holy Prophet
(PBUH) said: "Cursed be he who is unkind to his parents". No one can be unkind to his parents than
one who exposes their health to unnecessary risk. Similarly, Islam instructs parents to take care of
their children, and instructs both husband and wife to take good care of each other, laying particular
emphasis on a man’s duty to look after his wife. The Holy Prophet said: "Do take good care of
women”. (Agreed upon by as reported by Abu Huraira). He also said: "My Lord, I place particular
importance on the rights of the two weak groups: orphans and women” (Narrated by Al-Nasa’i
following Abu Shourayh). He also said: "Your wife has a [human] right against you and your children
have a [human] right against you. Give to every one their rightful claims". In another hadith, we read:
"Your household has a [human] right against you” (Narrated by Al Bukhari following Wahb ibn
Abdullah). The Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) explains the concept of mutual responsibility within
the family, when he says: "A man is guardian of his family and he is responsible for them. A woman
is guardian of her husband’s house and children, and is responsible for them”. (Agreed upon as
reported by Abdullah ibn Amr).
Forbidden to neglect weak, vulnerable and sick:
To neglect the rights of parents, wife or children and not to take good care of their health and not to take the
necessary measures to prevent their exposition to illness are certainly forbidden, on the basis of the following
Qura'nic statements: You shall not kill your own children. (The Holy Qur'an 6:151) You shall not kill anyone,
for that is forbidden by God, except through the due process of justice. (The Holy Qur'an 6:151) Losers are
those who in their ignorance stupidly cause the death of their own children. (The Holy Qur'an 6:140) No
mother shall expose her own child to harm, nor shall any father expose his child to harm. (The Holy Qur'an
2:233) Imam Ibn Hazm comments on this verse: "There is no doubt it is the child that parents are forbidden to
harm". God also says in the Holy Qura'n: Consult together with all reasonableness. (The Holy Qur'an 65:6)
Ibn Manzour says in his commentary on this verse: "It is the duty of each one of the parents to show
reasonableness when consultation takes place with regard to what happens to the child". Let us remember that
this verse comes within the context of divorce. It means, therefore, that the divorced parents should consult
with each other in order to protect the interests of the child. In the same context, the Holy Prophet of Islam
(PBUH) said: "It is a sufficient harm for any man to allow his dependence to perish” (Narrated by Abu
Dawood and others following Abdullah ibn Amr).
A man runs the risk of illness or injury if he leaves himself exposed to their causes, or by not taking the
necessary precautions to prevent them, or by not taking proper care of his health. Islam has given us the
necessary directives to steer away from all such risks, making it a duty of every Muslim:
To be keen to do whatever is beneficial to his health, such as eating well, but not too much, and doing
exercise to keep fit. People must also take the necessary care of every part of the body and have
sufficient rest. They should do this in response to the Holy Prophet’s statements: "Be keen to do what
is beneficial to you”.(Narrated by Muslim and Ibn Majah following Abu Huraira.)
 To take all preventive measures to guard against illness, for prevention leads to health protection, as
the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) said: "He who protects himself from evil shall be spared its
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effects" (Authenticated by Al-Khateeb in his history following Abu Huraira).That includes keeping
away from whatever may cause illness, such as illicit sex, homosexuality and all lewd and immoral
conduct. God says in the Holy Qur’an: Do not approach adultery, for it is a gross indecency and an
evil way. (The Holy Qur'an 17:32) He also says: Do not approach any immorality, open or covert.
(The Holy Qur'an 6:151) In reference to the people to whom the Prophet Lot was sent, the Holy
Qur’an quotes him as saying to them: You lust after men instead of women. Truly you are people
given to excess. (The Holy Qur'an 7:81) In a hadith (Related by Ibn Majah and Al-Baihaqi following
Jaber ibn Abdullah.) theHoly Prophet(PBUH) is quoted as saying: "The worst thing I fear for my
community is the practice of the people of Lot". (Narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawood following
Umm Salama)
Prevention also includes keeping away from ithm (harm). God says: Abandon all ithm (harm),
whether done openly or in secret. (The Holy Qur'an 6:120) Ithm, as Rasheed Reda says in his
commentary on the Holy Qur’an, includes: "All that is harmful to self, property or anything else. The
worst of these are social vices". Ithm also includes intoxicants and drugs. God says: They ask you
about intoxicants and gambling. Say: There is great ithm in both. (The Holy Qur'an 2:219) He also
says: Believers! Wine and games of chance, idols and divining arrows, are abominations devised by
Satan. Turn away from them. (The Holy Qur'an 5:90) This last command is the strongest expression
of prohibition. The Prophet "has prohibited every type of intoxicating and narcotic substances".He is
quoted as saying: "Every type of intoxicant is forbidden; every narcotic substance is forbidden.
Whatever causes intoxication when taken in a large quantity is also forbidden to take in small
quantities. Whatever influences the mind is forbidden". (Narrated by Abu Nouaym following Anas
ibn Huzayfa)
Preventive measures include keeping away from patients who are ill with infectious diseases and
vaccination against communicable diseases is a great measure of prevention.
To take every care to prevent injury. This is based on several hadith instructing people to make sure
they do not expose themselves to any cause of harm or injury, such as: "If you have to sleep while
travelling by night, avoid the main road, as it is the track of animals and the refuge of pests”
(Narrated by Muslim following Abu Huraira). When you go to bed, shake your sheets. You never
know what they may have inside” (Agreed upon following Abu Huraira.). The Prophet also said:
"Put out lamps when you go to bed, shut the doors, close the water-skins and cover water and food
containers” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari following Jaber. ). In another hadith, he alerts people to the
danger of fire, saying: "Fire is like an enemy to you: put it out before you sleep” (Agreed upon as
reported by Abu Musa.). He also said: "Whoever sleeps on the roof of a house which has no wall has
no claim to make (for social insurance) if he comes to any harm”(Narrated by Abu Dawoud
following Ali ibn Shaiban.). The Holy Prophet (PBUH) also "discouraged staying alone, urging his
followers not to stay at night in a house alone and not to travel alone” (Narrated by the Iman Ahmad
following Ibn Amr).
To take suitable medicine when ill. The Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) said: "Seek medical treatment,
for God has not created an illness without creating a cure for it".(Narrated by Al-Bukhari in Al-adab
al-mufarrad following Usama ibn Shareek)
It is the duty of all Muslims towards the members of their household to:
Take all necessary measures to prevent illness. This includes keeping them away from any source of
infection, as well as their vaccination, as necessary, in order to immunize them against
communicable diseases. When parents are complacent with regard to the vaccination of their
children, they expose them to harm, which God has forbidden them to do. Similarly, a foolish or
ignorant action from either parent could expose their child to death and make them losers, as God
says: Losers are those who in their ignorance stupidly cause the death of their own children. (The
Holy Qur'an 6:140)
 Do their best to provide them with the means of healthy living, such as good food and to teach them
the habit of eating moderately and to do exercises which keep them fit.
 Seek medical treatment for them when they fall ill.
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One of the worst hazards to which children may be exposed is for one of their parents to be a smoker,
which means that they are forced to breathe in the smoke of cigarettes and are exposed to all the
illnesses that smoking causes. It is no exaggeration to say that this is doubly forbidden as it means, in
effect, neglect of the child’s right to be protected against illness, and a forceful exposure to risk when
still young and defenceless.
 The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever does not show compassion to our young ones does not
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belong to us"(Narrated by Al-Bukhari in Al-adab al-mufarrad )
One of the most essential aspects of compassion to young ones is to protect their health and to prevent their
illness. Among the most important measures to protect a child’s health is breast-feeding for the first two years
of its life, because that gives the child the best possible nourishment, enhances its immune system, and helps
to provide reasonable birth spacing since breastfeeding often serves as a means to prevent conception. God
says in the Holy Qura'n: Mothers shall breast-feed their children for two whole years if the parents wish the
sucking to take its full course. (The Holy Qur'an 2:233) God also says: Its weaning comes in two years. (The
Holy Qur'an 31:14) Similarly, the pledge of loyalty which Muslim women gave to the Holy Prophet (PBUH)
contained the all important clause that they …shall not cause the death of their own children. (The Holy
Qur'an 60:12)
Do not harm yourself or cause any harm to others and seek Cure of a Disease:
God Almighty says: You shall not kill yourselves. (The Holy Quran: 4:29) He also says: Do not expose
yourselves to ruin. (The Holy Quran: 2:195) The Holy Prophet(PBUH) said: "There shall be no inflicting of
harm on oneself". Similarly, it is not permissible to a Muslim to expose himself to the risk of illness or injury
in any way or form. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: "No believer may humiliate himself". When he was
asked how any person would humiliate himself, he said: "By exposing himself to risks with which he cannot
cope" (Narrated by Ibn Majah, Ahmad and Al-Tirmizi following Huzayfa) Once the Holy Prophet of Islam
(PBUH) said: “There shall be no infliction of harm on oneself or others". The disease transmission is not
lawful for a Muslim to transmit diseases to his brother, or to be complacent in this connection. Nor is it
permissible for him to cause the spread of disease in the society. All that is incorporated in the all embracingrule which forbids all harm. The Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) ordered that "no infected person should come
close to a healthy one"(Agreed upon as reported by Abu Huraira). "No disease is to be communicated and no
belief in evil omen entertained" as a prohibition rather than a denial of disease transmission and belief in evil
omen. (Narrated by Al-Bukhari following Abdullah ibn Amr and Anas ibn Malik).
This understanding is further supported by another hadith which states: "No belief in omen is to be
entertained, but the best of that is good omen". (Narrated by Al-Tirmizi following Abu Khizama) This is
certainly not a denial of belief in omen; otherwise, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) would not have added that the
best omen is the good one. It is rather discouragement and indeed a prohibition of entertaining belief in any
omen whatsoever. This understanding fits in well with the last part of the same hadith which instructs us to
"run away from a person who has leprosy as one would run away from a lion". One person in the audience was
confused because he understood the Holy Prophet’s statement as a denial of the whole idea of disease
transmission. He asked the Holy Prophet: "You see one camel that suffers from mange, and soon all the
camels will have the same illness". The Prophet’s answer to him shows his caution that people may wrongly
attribute things to anyone or any cause other than God. He said: "That is God’s will; otherwise, who caused
the first camel to become mangy". Thus the Prophet corrected a misconception. This is further supported by
the Holy Prophet’s answer to a question put to him in the following form: "When we supplicate for recovery
or take medicine or take some preventive measures, does any of that repel what God has willed?" He
answered: "They are part of the operation of God’s will"
This is again forbidden, as the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: "There shall be no infliction of harm on oneself or
others". He also said: "God will inflict harm on anyone who harms others". Speaking to his companions, the
Holy Prophet (PBUH) once said: "By God, he is not a believer". They said, "Who is this ill-advised loser,
Messenger of God?" He said: "The one whose neighbour does not feel safe against his designs”(Agreed upon
as reported by Abu Huraira). Commenting on this hadith Imam Ibn Taimiyah said: "If this is the case when a
neighbour simply does not feel safe against evil which may be perpetrated by his neighbour, what would it be
like when such evil designs are actually perpetrated, in addition to that feeling of unsafety?" The Holy Prophet
of Islam (PBUH) said: "When you restrain yourself from harming others, your action constitutes an act of
benefaction that is credited to you” (Agreed upon as reported by Abu Zarr). The Arabic term ‘aza’ is used
frequently in this connection and most people use it as synonymous with causing harm. That is a mistaken
usage. ‘Aza’ is much lesser than harm. It includes any material or moral annoyance and anything which
disgusts or offends. If such matters are prohibited, causing harm is even more so. God says in the Holy Qur'an:
Those who annoy believers, men or women, without having deserved it, assume the guilt of slander and
commit a clearly sinful action. (The Holy Qur'an 33:58) The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever believes in God
and the Last Day must not offend his neighbours (Agreed upon as reported by Abu Huraira).
It is not permissible, therefore, for a Muslim to smoke in a confined place, or when he travels in a car, bus, or
plane. By so doing, he causes harm to his neighbours and exposes them to the risk of this evil substance.
While he must not smoke even when he is alone in order not to expose himself to various killer diseases, the
8
prohibition is much stronger when smoking affects others as well. A person sitting next to you in a plane or a
bus is your neighbour, and one who is close to you in a public place is your neighbour, and one who is inside
your house or flat is a closer neighbour. God has ordered us to be kind to near and distant neighbours and to
fellow travellers. The same applies to a person who throws rubbish in front of his house. It is annoying to
neighbours and passers by. It equally applies to one who lets the effluent of his plant or factory run into
streams or rivers. To all such unsafe practices the ruling which prohibits causing harm or annoyance applies.
The Holy Prophet said: "Whoever offends Muslims in their roads deserves their curses” (Narrated by AlTabarani in Al-kabeer). The Holy Prophet of Islam (Peace and Blessings be upon him- PBUH) warned most
emphatically against exposing any individual in society to any annoyance or harm. He also instructed his
followers to take all precautionary measures to prevent that. An example is the hadith: "Whoever passes
through our mosques or markets carrying arrows should grasp them well with his hand so that he does not
accidentally inflict injury on any Muslim”(Agreed upon as reported by Abu Musa).
The Muslim Patient: Every human being is bound to feel ill sometime and somehow. A Muslim does not
panic when afflicted with any sickness because his belief in the mercy of God, his faith in destiny and his faith
enjoining forebearance and patience, all these elements give him strength to stand fast and endure his ordeal.
However, he is supposed to seek treatment in response to the Prophet's (Peace and Blessings be upon himPBUH) order. By accepting the Holy Prophet's (PBUH) statement that there is a cure to every disease, the
Muslim patient builds up a strong hopeful attitude that helps him and his doctor to resist the disease and
overcome it. There is a great diversity of culture among the approximately 1.6 million Muslims who live in the
United Kingdom. The cultural traditions of African, South Asians, Arabs, Turks, Eastern Europeans and
others might influence the way in which any particular Muslim in the United Kingdom responds to illness and
other life crises. Sacred texts and traditions, particularly the Holy Qur'an and the Sunna-the example of the
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)-are the primary sources for a shared spiritual or religious response to illness
among Muslims.
According to the Holy Qur'an, all human beings ("children of Adam") have been granted dignity by
God: "We have dignified the children of Adam, and borne them over land and sea, and provided them
with good and pure things for sustenance, and favored them far above a great part of Our creation (The
Holy Qur'an 17:70)." The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said that Adam was created
in God's image; dignity and nobility are part of each human's birthright. Although the Holy Qur'an
recognises that humans are easily tempted, it rejects the notion of original sin. In Islam, humans are not
"essentially" sinners, rather, each human is born pure and is inclined towards goodness. In Islamic
theology, society bears a heavy responsibility for suppressing and distorting the natural goodness of
each human. In the end, however, every person should choose a life of goodness for themselves; this
individual act of choice is the key to human dignity, and what raises humans above others of God's
creation.
Although Islam places great emphasis on each person's individual responsibility to choose right over
wrong, it does not recognize individualism in a sociological sense to be a good thing. A sense of
responsibility for family, neighbors and community is highly emphasized in Islamic ethics and law. For
example, adults are legally responsible in Islamic law for the economic support of their parents if they
are in need. In most cases, the same responsibility entails for grown siblings. Muslims are therefore
socialized with a strong belief that human society is only possible through mutual support and
dependency. Shame is avoided by making assistance to the ill and needy a legal and moral
responsibility of others, not an act of charity.
Many verses of the Holy Qur'an, verses that are read and recited throughout the lives of Muslims, urge
us to remember that all humans begin their lives helpless and end their lives helpless. As long as we do
not deceive ourselves that we are the creators of our own lives, and as long as we remember that all
power is a gift from God, we will not become devastated when we lose our strength. "It is God who
created you in a state of weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength, gave you
weakness and grey hair. He creates what He wills, and He is the all-knowing, all powerful (The Holy
Qur'an 30:54)." Dignity is experienced by recognizing our dependence on God, not by projecting a
false independence that inevitably will be lost.
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In Islam, sickness can be expiation for sins, an opportunity that God bestows upon those He loves. The
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, "Whenever God wills good for a person, He subjects him or her to
adversity." Islamic tradition reports the great suffering and adversity experienced by most prophets,
including the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) , who suffered in his final illness. Dignity, therefore, is not
lost by acknowledging or expressing pain and suffering.
Muslims believe in life after death; consequently, a Muslim's sense of self is not limited to identification
with the physical body. Indeed, our identity is not limited even to our intelligence nor our spiritual
awareness at the end of our lives-for many people lose control not only over their bodies, but even their
minds in their final stages of illness. A Muslim is identified with the choices and actions he or she made
throughout his or her life. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him- PBUH) taught that
the choices we made freely in this life can continue to affect other people, animals, and even the earth as
long as the world continues to exist. As we affect and influence earthly life, even after our physical
deaths, it is clear that individual human identity can never be reduced to a feeble mind or body.
In addition to these theological positions, there are a number of Islamic practices that reinforces that
reinforce the dignity of people who are suffering illness. First, it is not permitted to force any person to
experience a treatment they do not want. Islamic tradition narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
was angry at his family when they forced him to drink some medicine as he lay weak on his bed in the
last days of his fatal illness. Indeed, when he regained some strength for a short time after that, he made
his family drink the medicine themselves-to experience how humiliating it is to be forced to take a
medicine one does not want.
Islamic law supports the dignity of those who are ill by recognizing their continuing obligation to
remember God and worship Him as much as they are able. As long as they are conscious, even the bedridden must perform the five daily ritual prayers. If a Muslim is too weak to stand, he or she can sit. If
a Muslim is too weak to sit, he or she can lie down. Even a paralyzed Muslim is required to pray by
imagining the movements of prayer and moving his or her eyes in the proper direction, at the proper
times. By requiring the continued performance of acts of worship, to the extent that a person is able,
Islam refuses to allow ill adults to be reduced to the level of children, who lack such obligations. Adults
are recognised as essentially competent, as long as they are lucid.
Modesty and Privacy: Physical modesty is an important part of Islamic ritual life and Muslim
culture as a Muslim is not allowed to expose his or her body. It is very important for health care
providers to respect the different norms of modesty Muslim patients may have, in order to preserve their
dignity. Many people, not just Muslims, feel uncomfortable waiting in a hospital hallway on a stretcher,
covered only by a thin sheet. For many Muslims, however, this degree of exposure is exceedingly
abnormal and embarrassing. Allowing a Muslim woman extra time to put a scarf over her hair or
allowing a Muslim patient to use an extra sheet for better concealment of the body can help maintain
these patients' sense of dignity. Muslims, especially the older generations and women, will generally be
quiet and shy on a ward. They will need extensive periods of quiet and privacy to wash, pray and
meditate on their condition. They are also likely to have visitors who may come to pray with them, and
again privacy will be required. Many of the routine ward procedures such as taking temperature or
blood-pressure readings and washing may be considered invasive. Talk to your patient to establish how
they feel; draw the curtains around the bed while carrying out these procedures if that helps them to feel
more relaxed. The patient may need a clean sheet to cover with while praying. For the sake of modesty,
the man will cover at least from the waist to the knees, and the woman will cover her entire body except
for the face and hands The Holy Qu'ran clearly defines this and also details the family members in front
of whom she may appear without her head cover Islam is often misunderstood by some people who
believe that it degrades andoppresses women. In fact, according to the Holy Qur'an men and women are
equal and should be treated as such.
In all of the above scenarios, three Islamic privacy issues arise. These are as follows:
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1. Khalwa: This is an Islamic term referring to a man and a woman staying together alone in a secluded
place away from the public eye. A Muslim woman is not allowed to stay in a secluded place with a man
who can qualify to marry her from a religious perspective. This excludes fathers, brothers and uncles
others for example. This measure is taken as a precaution to prevent sexual harassment or any unwanted
relationships. Prophet Mohammed, pbuh, is reported to have said, “When a man sits alone with a woman
in a secluded place, Satan will be the third party.” Here comes the rule of “protection is better than
treatment.” This is a well-known Islamic rule.
2. Awrah: This is an Islamic term referring to allowing others to see the private parts of one’s body.
Private parts are not restricted to the male and female genital parts of the body. They extend much more
than that within the Islamic definition. In public, this Awrah should be covered. The limit of Awrah for a
man is any part of his body between the knee and the belly. For a woman, it is all the body except the
face, the hands and the feet. The rest of the body should be covered including the head. That is why
Muslim women always wear the scarf when they go out or when they receive guests at home who are
not first degree relatives, those to whom it is prohibited to marry.
3. Touching and Shaking hands with opposite gender:Touching such as shaking hands and tapping
shoulders is not allowed in the Islamic culture.When nursing a Muslim patient, especially of the
opposite gender, avoid direct skin-to-skin contact, as this is likely to distress them. Wherever possible,
healthcare staff should wear disposable gloves, or place a cloth between the patient and themselves. Try
to avoid unnecessary contact with a patient, such as shaking hands or patting them. Some Muslim
scholars consider it prohibited and some allow shaking hands under certain conditions. However, as a
general rule, one should avoid shaking hands with Muslim women or tapping shoulders. Any physical
contact is not allowed. However, for medical treatment, it will be permitted as needed.
In medical treatment settings, these three restrictions are subject to violations due to necessities and
emergencies. In fact, these restrictions are considered three of the most important rights of any Muslim
patient. The doctors and the administration of any hospital should take every precaution to protect the
rights of every Muslim patient by having these three rights preserved during medical treatment. To
preserve the rights of the Muslim patient is to have an environment in which Khalwa is not permitted;
Muslim scholars request the presence of an assistant when medical examination or treatment is done.
For a female Muslim patient, it is preferable to have the husband and/or a female nurse present during
examination if a male doctor is doing the examination. If a doctor cannot find a nurse to be with him
when visiting a female Muslim patient, then the doors of the room should not be totally closed. This
would insure that the right to privacy from the Islamic perspective is preserved.
In order to preserve the second privacy right of Muslim patients, which is the covering of the Awrah, the
general ethical rules used in the medical field apply. Doctors should only expose the parts that need to
be examined and/or treated. The rest of the body should be covered. The doctor and those who are
assisting him or her are committed to the highest standards of ethics. They will not look lustfully and
they will not sexually abuse any patient.
Male/Female interaction during medical treatment
On the issue of Male/Female interaction during medical treatment, in his book, “Addeen Alkalis,”
Imam Al-Subky summarized the views of Muslim scholars on this issue. He said that it is preferable and
recommended that a Muslim male physician should care for a Muslim male patient and a Muslim female
physician should care for a Muslim female patient. However, if this (ideal situation) is not possible or if
doing so would not bring the desired results, then it is permissible that a Muslim male doctor examines
and cares for a Muslim female patient and a Muslim female physician cares for and examines a Muslim
male patient. If a Muslim physician is not available or if there is a non-Muslim physician who provides
better or specialized medical services, then it will be permissible for him or her to care for and examine
the Muslim patient, male or female. Muslim scholars emphasized the order described earlier, which is:
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1. A Muslim male doctor examines and cares for a Muslim male patient. If a male Muslim doctor is not
available or is not able to provide the services needed to treat a male Muslim patient, then a male nonMuslim doctor; and if not available, then a female Muslim doctor; and if not available, then a female
non-Muslim doctor.
2. A Muslim female doctor examines and cares for a Muslim female patient. If a female Muslim doctor
is not available or is not capable of providing the services, then a female non-Muslim doctor would do
the job. If she is not available, then a male Muslim doctor; and if not available then a male non-Muslim
doctor.
It should be noted that these rules are followed under normal circumstances. Hospitals should be
prepared to apply these rules. However, in case of emergencies, saving the life of the patient should take
priority over any other rule. It is considered sinful if one delays saving the life of a mother who is
delivering her baby because a female doctor is not available. The Islamic rule that says, “Necessities
allow the prohibited’should be applied. Not applying this rule is a violation of the Islamic law that can
hold a person liable in court.
Here I would like to draw your attention to the verdict that was issued by the Islamic Fiqh Assembly of
Makkah Al-Mukkramah (IFAM) on this Issue. The IFAM is a well-recognised council of Muslim
scholars assigned by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to answer Fiqh questions
(questions related to how to apply Islamic law to different issues). IFAM is well recognised by the
United Nations and by its all Muslim representatives there. The question asked was: “Is it possible for a
female Muslim patient to expose her Awrah (private and sensitive part of her body) in front of
male Doctors for medical treatment? What is the situation if it is difficult to find a female doctor to do
the examination and treatment? The answer was given during the 14th annual meeting held in Makkah
Al-Mukkramah in 1995. The answer is also given in verdict number 85/12/85 issued on the meeting held
on 1-7/1/1414 of the Islamic calendar. The answer states the following: In principle, it is necessary to
cover the Awrah and no one should see it except for a strong reason. Exposing the awrah for medical
reasons is well recognised from a religious standpoint. It is important that a female Muslim doctor
examines and treats a female patient. If female Muslim doctor is not available, then a female nonMuslim doctor should do the job. If a female non-Muslim doctor is not available, then a male Muslim
doctor should do the job. If not available, then a male non-Muslim doctor should do the job. It is
important to note that the husband or one of her close relatives or a trustworthy woman should be
present during the medical examination. The doctor should expose and look only to the necessary part
that needs examination or treatment. The verdict also mentioned that it is important that the
administration of hospitals take the necessary steps to ensure that privacy rights of patients are well
preserved. Those who violate these rights should be held accountable. In addition, those in charge
should amend all the laws and regulations to accommodate the ethics and values of the Islamic law. In
addition, each hospital should assign or hire a Muslim specialist to handle such issues.
Health Guidelines from the Holy Qura'n and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet:
The Holy Qur’an is not a book of medicine or of health sciences but in it there are hints which lead to
guidelines in health and diseases. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) has set as an example to the mankind so
his traditions in matters of health and personal hygienic are also a guide for his followers. We start our
discussion with the following verse:
"Everything good that happens to you (O Man) is from God; everything bad that happens to you is from
your own actions". (The Holy Qur’an 4:79)
Therefore, the pathology (disease) is defined by the famous pathologist William Boyd as physiology
(natural state) gone wrong. It is our tampering with natural process that leads to unnatural outcomes.
Human body can be compared to some degree with a machine created by man. The fascinating tape
recorder has many mechanical and electronic parts but life does not come to it till electrical current is
passed through. Similarly, in the components of human body there arc the anatomic parts and fluids but
12
also the spirit (the soul). As the care of a machine requires keeping it clean, giving it some rest, and
passing electricity of proper voltage, and using it carefully and wisely, so are the requirement for the
body and of the body as whole.
Before we come to the physical care of human body, let us talk about the spiritual care:
The spiritual care involves the acts of worship. There are no equliant of Arabic terms in Englaish. The
problem is that Iman cannot be translated into belief, nor Salaat into prayer, Nor Wadu into washing
hand, face and feet nor; Sawm into fasting nor Zakat into charity nor Hajj into pilgrimage to Makkah AlMkrramah. T'hey are entitles in themselves.
A. Iman (Faith or Belief): The belief in God is the first and foremost important need for spiritual
stability. Belief in God includes belief in his aU attributes, his angels, his books, the day of judgement,
the heaven and hell and belief that - all good and bad is within his reach. Imam Rumi has called faith
being superior to prayers. In illness, according to Imam Ghazai, the awareness of God increases and man
becomes closer to God by realizing his own weakness. Without true belief, neither our prayer, nor
charity, nor fasting nor pilgrimage will be accepted. The essence of belief is to rid ourselves of all false
Gods around us, or within us, and to worship no one except God alone.
B. Salat (Ritual Prayers): There are three health aspects of Salat
I. Wadu: Washing all the exposed areas of the body, hand, feet, face, mouth, nostrils etc. Five times a
day is a healthy preventive procedure. Hand washing is being emphasized more and more in hospitals
now in order to prevent spread of germs. However non-Muslims did not know that hand- washing is so
important - it has been ordered in the Holy Qu'ran (5:7) 1400 years ago. And for complete cleanliness
bathing is advised (The Holy Qur’an 4:43). Cleanliness is considered "half of the faith." The Holy
Qur'an, the holy book, prohibits eating pork or pork products, meat of dead animals, blood and all
intoxicants. Fasting from dawn to dusk daily for one month a year brings rest to the body and has many
medical values. Meditation and prayers bring psychological tranquility.
2. Recitation of the Holy Qur’an: Has a healing effect on body, mind and heart. These healing effects
are due to the effect of sound (Echo) and the meaning. The letter Alif resounds unto the Echoes to heart
and the letter YA resound unto Echoes to the pineal gland in the brain.
"O Mankind: There has come to you a direction front your Lord and a healing for the (disease) in your
hearts - and for those who believe a guidance and mercy!!" (The Holy Qur’an 10:57)
"We sent down in the Holy Qur’an that which is healing and a mercy to those who believe: to the unjust
it causes nothing but loss after loss". The movement in Salaat are mild, uniform, and involve all muscles
and joints. The caloric output is desired to keep the energy balance." (The Holy Qur’an 17:82)
Facing the Ka'aba: The Muslim prays facing in the direction of the Ka'aba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
This is a small, square house of prayer which was built by the prophet Abraham. This symbol of
monotheism and the unity of mankind is the most ancient house of prayer of the monotheistic faith. In
some cases, the incapacitated patient might require physical assistance in positioning his chair or bed in
the direction of the Ka'aba for prayer.
Bowing & Prostrating: As mentioned above, bowing and prostrating symbolically to God are essential
parts of the Muslim prayer. If necessary, this may be done sitting, lying down, or even mentally,
depending on the patient's degree of incapacitation.
Interruptions: While praying, the Muslim recites the Holy Qur'an aloud or silently, praising God,
bowing and prostrating to Him. All attention is directed towards the worship of God, and your patient
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will continue his prayer until finished. The Muslim prayer takes approximately five to ten minutes to
complete.
Spiritual Comfort: After explaining some of the basics of Islam faith and its practices for the spiritual
health, let us now turn to the maintenance of the physical structure in which the spirit resides. In times of
distress or illness, the Muslim finds the greatest solace and comfort in the remembrance of God. The
severely ill person, who might be distracted by his pain, greatly appreciates a companion who can read
the Holy Qur'an to him and remind him of God.
(A) Nutrition: Allah loves his creations so much that he is concerned even with what we eat and put in
our body. Our muscles, bones, lungs, liver, brain and secretions are made from the raw product we feed
it. If we provide the factory with junk raw products, the factory will not produce tough bones, strong
muscles, good pump (heart) and clean pipes (vessels).
"O you mankind: Eat of what is lawful and good on earth. (The Holy Qur’an 2: 168) "Eat of the things
which god has provided for you lawful and good, but fear God in whom you believe". Forbidden to us
are dead meat, blood and flesh of swine ((The Holy Qur’an 5:4) and intoxicants ((The Holy Qur’an 5:93;
2:219 and 5:91) Science so far has not confirmed any beneficial effects to the prohibitions.
(1) The blood and meat of the dead could be full of germs and other harmful elements like antibodies.
The pork meat is high in cholesterol, salt and may have worms, and alcohol and other intoxicants cloud
our mentation, our inhibition and interfere with our normal capacity of judging good and bad. Therefore,
a person under the influence of alcohol may want to take off his dress, engage in unlawful sexual acts,
become violent and abusive without even knowing what he is doing. On medical damages due to
alcohol, whole books have been written.
(2) The second component in nutrition (after Permission of the lawful and probation of the unlawful) is
the moderation in the lawful.
Obesity is a major tragedy in the world today, a form of malnutrition, affecting million of people, of all
age. 99% of obesity is due to overeating. Allah advises as to be moderate in quantity. "But waste not by
excess for God loves not the wasters." The Holy Qur’an 7:31)
"Eat of the good things we have provided for your sustenance, but commit no excess therein, lest my
wrath should justly descend on you, and those whom descends my wrath do perish indeed." The Holy
Qur’an 20:81)
According to one Hadith of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) we are advised to leave one third of our
stomach empty after finishing the meal. I understood this Hadith only when I broke my blender/mixer in
the kitchen after stuffing it to the top and then turning the machine on. After all, what is stomach, if not a
blender, grinder, mixer and food processor, all in one!!
Certain types of food i.e. fruits are especially emphasised in the Holy Qur’an (The Holy Qur’an 36:57,
43:73, 16:67, 50:68) "And the fruits of date palm and grapes you get wholesome drink and nutrition:
Behold in this is a sign for those who are wise." (The Holy Qur’an 16:67)
Fruits are low in calorie, high in vitamins and minerals, and fiber and sugar is fructose and not sucrose. In a recent
study by Dr. Anderson fructose has been shown to cause no rise in blood sugar and even lowers the high blood
sugar of diabetics. Honey is fructose.
(3) Cleanliness: Allah is pure and likes purity. He is clean and likes cleanliness. Therefore, cleanliness of body
and mind is stressed in the Holy Qur’an (The Holy Qur’an: 4:43, 5:7). Miswak (brushing teeth) is not a new
invention of last 200 years. This was stressed as part of our daily routine by Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). He also
advised us on flossing (khilal) as now being advised by all the dentist. In fact, he is known to have said that if it
was not hardship for Muslims, he would have advised miswak before each prayer i.e. 5 times a day. Cleanliness
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of our mind is prerequisite for total creaminess (body and mind). Cleanliness is considered 'half of the
faith'. The Holy Qur'an prohibits eating pork or pork products, meat of animals who have not been
slaughtered in the halal manner, blood and all intoxicants. Fasting from dawn to dusk daily for one
month per year brings rest to the body and has many medical values. Meditation and prayers bring
psychological tranquillity. In general, Muslims prefer to wash in running water. If possible, allow your
patients to use a shower for washing; however, if one is not available, or they are not able to use one,
then providing a bowl and a jug of fresh water is a good alternative. As mentioned above, Muslim
patients will need to be provided with clean fresh water to complete their wudu (ritual ablutions) before
prayer.
Value of exercise in maintaining health: Though we do not find much in the Holy Qur’an about
specific exercise, or any spesific recommendation on health care, however the Prophet's (PBUH) Iife
was full of good recommendationsas he advised all Muslims to teach their children swimming, archery
and horse riding. He himself used to walk at fast pace even race with his wife, Ayesha (may allah be
please with her -RA. Most importantly, he used to work with his hands whether at home, in the kitchen,
or with his companions collecting wood for fire, or fighting during wars etc. It is a pity that Mwe have
become sedentary and, I because of excessive consumption of starches, obesity have crept.
The State of disease: Many of the common chronic illnesses, coronary heart disease, hyper-tension,
diabetes, peptic ulcer disease, obesity and depression have also common man-made etiology, that is rich
food, too much food, too much salt, too much sugar, smoking, stress and alcoholism. If we give up
excessive salt, sugar and cholesterol from our diet, and do not drink and smoke, and be active, it is
possible that - the pump (heart) won't be rusted from inside.
What should a Muslim do when disease is confirmed
A. Accept it as a will of God as kaffara for his sin, and ask him to remove the affliction.
"If God touches thee with affliction, none can remove it- but He: if He touches thee with happiness He
has power over all thing." (The Holy Qur’an 6:17)
B. Many Muslims won't seek early medical attention, contrary to the Prophet's practice and teaching. In
Christianity there is a sect believing in faith healing who have let their members die rather than go to the
physician.
Usamah Bin Shareek Reports "I was with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and some Arabs came to him
asking "O Messenger of Allah, do we take medicine for any disease.-"-He said, "Yes, 0 You servants of
Allah take medicine as Allah (SWT) has not created a disease without creating a cure except for one.
They asked which one, he replied old age'.
C. Increase your knowledge of health and disease, of medications and side effects. This knowledge is
not a monopoly of doctors. You can have it, and use it in preventing the illness, recognizing it early
when symptoms appear, seeking early medical attention, then monitoring the course of disease,
implementing the treatment (i.e. knowledge of diet for diabetics) and recognizing side effects of the
medicine. Those of my patients who do as the above, make me very happy that I can trust their health to
them as they do trust it to me.
In summary, our healthy body is a gift from God, we are the trustees, we should not misuse it, nor
provide wrong raw product for the factory and should keep superb maintenance of this delicate and
sensitive machine, in order to enjoy it will be the container of our soul.
A doctor shares with the patient the two main characteristics: the faith in God and destiny, and the
conviction that there is a cure for every disease But the doctor must have something more; he is
supposed to know, or at least try to know, the proper diagnosis and the proper cure. He must be aware of
his mission or commission entrusted to him in his capacity as the agent of healing. Being an agent, he
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believes that the act of healing is not entirely his, but it depends on God's will. It seems to me that
medical doctors are more aware than others of the divine power and God's will. They meet every day
with cases where destiny plays the major pan and they encounter the most unexpected results. Our
Prophet (PBUH), on the authority of Yasir, says: "For each disease there is a cure; and when the (fight)
treatment is given, the disease is cured by the Will of Allah", (cited by Ahmad and Muslim).
The art of healing, which is called the medical profession in modern language, has been highly respected
all through the ages. For a long period in human history this was closely correlated with religious
leadership. Since the advent of Islam 1400 years ago, medicine has become a science subject to human
intelligence and discovery. But what is it that makes a Muslim doctor different from other non- Muslim
doctors? From the technological and scientific points of view, all doctors fall in one category. However,
when it comes to practice, the Muslim doctor finds himself bound by particular professional ethics plus
his Islamic directives issuing from his belief. In fact, the Muslim doctor - and I mean by this that doctor
who tries to live his Islam by following its teachings all through - such a doctor is expected behave
differently in some occasions and to meet greater responsibilities than other non-Muslim doctors.
1. The Public Responsibility: A Muslim doctor is supposed to belong to a Muslim community where
there is some common cause, common feelings and mutual solidarity. "Believers are brethren" ((The
Holy Qur’an 49: 10) God also says:
"And hold fast all of you together to the Rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves: and
remember Allah's favor on you, for you were enemies and He joined your hearts together, so that by His
Grace you became brethern..." (The Holy Qur’an 3: 103)
The implication is the Muslim doctor is a member in a Muslim community where the same body of the
individual is crucial for its survival and development. T'he doctor has a big say and great weight in
influencing his patients and in righteously guiding their orientation. Besides, he should be actively
involved in propagating true Islam among Muslims and non- Muslims. Almost all Christian missionaries
depend on medical doctors when approaching alien masses, taking advantage of the humanistic service
doctors render to poor diseased people. In a country like this where we live, the best missionary service
to be render-ed by a medical doctor is to behave aU the time in accordance with his Islamic teachings, to
declare his conviction, and to feel proud of it. Then he serves a good model that would convince others
and gain their hearts.
2. Faith and healing: By accepting the fact that Allah is the healer - and that the doctor is only an agent,
both patients - irrespective of their creeds - and their doctors, fight their battle of treatment with less
agony and tension. I think it is an established fact that such spiritual conviction would improve the
psychological state of the patient and boost his morale, and thus help him overcome his physical
weakness and sickness. There are many examples where faith played a miraculous part in the process of
healing. In my opinion, a Muslim doctor must make of faith the backbone of his entire healing
procedure.
3. Reprehensible, Prohibited and Permissible Acts: More than any other professional, the Muslim
medical doctor is confronted more frequently with questions regarding the Islamic legitimacy of his
activities. There are almost daily controversial problematic issues on which he is supposed to decide:
e.g. birth control, abortions, opposite sex hormonal injections, trans-sexual operations, brain operations
affecting human personality, plastic surgery changing physionomy, extra-uterine conception, etc. The
Muslim doctor should not be guided in such issues merely by the law of the country. He must also find
the Islamic answer and rather adopt it as much as he can. To find the answer is not an easy matter,
especially if the doctor himself has no reasonably solid background in the field of Islamic teachings.
Yet, to gain such knowledge is very simple and would not consume much time as generally presumed.
In general, every Muslim must have a preliminary knowledge of what is reprehensible and what is
prohibited. There is no difficulty nowadays to obtain a few reference books about our Shari'ah and to
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find out the answers to most - if not all - our medical queries. The most preliminary study to the Islamic
science of "Usul" would give the doctors the main principles of analogy, 'Qias', preferentical application
Istihsan) and jurisdictic initiation (Istihsan). The importance of such knowledge becomes conspicuous
when the subject of the issue is purely technical and thus lies beyond the reach of the normal religious
scholar. Besides, there are many secondary questions that arise in, the course of dealing with patients
where the personal judgement of the doctor is the only arbiter. There, as always, the doctor needs a
criterion on which he can build his code of behavior and the ethics of his medical procedure.
Some Additional Islamic Health Practices:
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Regard for sanctity of life is an injunction
Circumcision of male infants is recommended. Circumcision occurs early in life, but at no
particular age. The practice varies culture to culture. Female circumcision is not an Islamic
practice.
Blood transfusions are allowed after proper screening
Assisted suicide and euthanasia are not permitted
Muslims prefer no post-mortem or Autopsy unless required by law normal legal procedures must
be observed, and these should be explained to the next of kin.
Maintaining a terminal patient on artificial life support for a prolonged period of time in a
vegetative state is not encouraged
Abortion is not permitted except to save the mother's life. Miscarriages due to biomedical factors
are not considered abortions as these occur without human interference. If it is reliably
established that the continuation of a pregnancy will result in the death of the mother then an
abortion is allowable. The mother's life takes precedence over the unborn baby because the
mother is already established in life with duties and responsibilities.
Transplantation is allowed in general with some restrictions.
Artificial reproductive technology is permitted between husband and wife only during the span
of intact marriage.
While Islam opposes homosexuality, it does not prohibit Muslim physicians from caring for
homosexual patients.
Genetic engineering to cure disease is acceptable but not cloning. Applications such as diagnosis,
amelioration, cure or prevention of genetic disease are acceptable and commendable. The main
concerns about genetic engineering are concerns about where this could lead in the future.
According to the Holy Qur'an mothers feed their babies for a period of two years.
For organ donation, the wishes of the patient and next of kin should be ascertained,and consent obtained.
Defining Illness, Health, and Disability:
Anthropologists and sociologists have thoroughly discussed the range of meanings given to illness,
disease, and disability across and within the world’s cultures. Disease is a deviation from the
norm,but is curable. The cure should be sought but cure is not always available.
Disability is a subject not widely talked about amongst Muslims and a number of
misconceptions are at the origin of this silence. What is Islam’s approach to disability? What
do the sources, the Holy Qur’an and Hadiths, say about disability?
Healthy person: This applies to a person who functions and behaves normally, without
complaining or seeking any kind of help. The majority of Human Beings are considered
“Healthy” even though we all suffer from some minor pains, bruises, wounds, insect bites,
allergies heat burns, heartburns, etc
Disabled person: This applies to a person who has lasting deficiency that becomes more of a
hindrance than a form of a sickness. Disability is a permanent condition, whereas a health
condition often can be cured.
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The English word “disability” was first used at least 500 years ago in the legal field. Since the
1960s, along with impairment, handicap, and disablement, it has been placed on an international
battlefield of words, as specialized meanings have evolved in the rehabilitation field. Discussions
have resulted in several classification of terms, the most useful being the International Classification
of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps (ICIDH) and ICIDH-2, followed by the International
Classification of Functioning and Disability, or ICF (World Health Organization, 2001). Meanwhile,
in Western nations, the more common uses of terms have shifted somewhat. It is appropriate to
assume that professional providers of rehabilitation and health care services should be familiar with
the recent semantic changes in the field of health and disability. In popular usage, the terms disability
and health are hardly one and the same but certainly do overlap. For example, some illnesses (lack of
full health) lead to disabilities, or at least to impairments, which can be disabling under certain
conditions.
The effects of some chronic conditions count as disabilities in some legal and insurance contexts. In
addition, some people with disabilities are as healthy as most non disabled people most of the time
but may suffer from disease or have an illness and then recover with or without treatment, or
the illness may exacerbate their disability. For example, it is believed that “children with disabilities,
particularly those with visible disabilities, are frequently assumed to be in frail health and unlikely to
survive into adulthood”. For some individuals and groups, especially in democratic environments
where the human rights of all are respected, difference is a healthy sign of potential growth. In some
Muslim societies, however, difference may generate fear, and fear may generate more difference,
thus leading to the public exclusion of those perceived as different from the norm.
It also is important to consider the range of meanings that various disability related terms have in
English, and then to broaden their definitions to recognize that in other cultures or religions, such as
Islam, the semantic range may be constructed differently. As just one example, some languages or
cultures may lack a generic term such as disability or may have a broader generic term that embraces
both illness and disability. Another aspect of this complexity is seen in the overlap and differences in
the use of the terms among professionals and in comparison with popular usage. Some scholars have
discussed the recognition of ambiguity and linguistic difficulty in the Islamic terms for illness and
disability, whose research is widely recognized, notes that early Arabic languages had separate words
for specific disability categories, and that generic modern terms are used as equivalents for the
disabled. For example, she suggests that the words marid and marad, as used in the Holy Qur’an,
may have constituted a generic term covering both the sick and the disabled.
The term [chronic] health condition (e.g., diabetes, heart problems) might be less stigmatizing in
Muslim communities than the term disability, he responded, “I think a health issue is less
stigmatizing ia Muslim community. Disability is a permanent condition, whereas a health condition
often can be cured.” We offer this example not to simplify the complexity of these terms but to share
a perspective from a Muslim who has a disability. Without a doubt, the amount of stigma associated
with terms such as health and disability, or their equivalents in languages other than English, are
likely to vary among many cultural and ethnic groups using Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi, Pushto,
Sindhi, Baluchi, or smaller local languages or the dozens of other languages spoken by Muslims. The
point is that many terms are in current use. Some are more blunt than others, some are rural and some
urban, and they range across a spectrum of what might be considered politically correct or incorrect.
In other words, it is wise to be cautious about the way these terms and concepts are used or portrayed
to avoid reducing them and their users to a simplistic level of thinking.
As a Muslim Chaplain, I asked participants of a workshop to share their views on disability. The
results were very interesting and led to a debate on whether God was responsible for disability or not.
Some argued that disability could only be explained through science and in particular medical
science, and others argued that disability could be considered in three different ways: it can be seen
as a trial, a test from God, a gift or a curse. Here is one of the most interesting answers one
participant gave:
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“Disability is a test and anyone can make of his/her disability what he wants it to be: some will
fight against their fate and keep wondering why they have been stricken in this way, and others
will put their fate in the hands of God and their faith will increase. These latter will get the
rewards both in this life and in the hereafter…”
A few studies have been conducted in order to analyse the content of the Holy Qur’an and Hadiths on
the subject of disability. According to Tarek Hatab and Maysa Bazna, “by examining the primary
sources of Islamic teaching -the Holy Qur'an and Hadith- we find that the concept of disability, in the
conventional sense, does not exist in the Holy Qur’an. Rather, the Holy Qur’an concentrates on the
notion of disadvantage that is created by society and imposed on individuals who might not possess
the social, economic, or physical attributes that people happen to value at a certain time and place.”
What the Health Care Providers Can Do for Their Muslim Patients
* Respect their modesty and privacy. Some examinations can be done over a gown.
* Provide Muslim meals (Halal or Vegetarian).
* Allow them to pray if they can and read the Qur'an.
* Inform them of their rights as patients and encourage a living will.
* Take time to explain tests, procedures and treatment. Many Muslims are new immigrants and may
have a language problem.
* Allow their Imam to visit them.
* Allow the family to bring food if there are no restrictions.
* Do not insist on autopsy or organ donation.
* Always examine a female patient in the presence of another female.
* Allow the family and Imam to follow Islamic guidelines for preparing the dead body for an Islamic
funeral. The female body should be given the same respect and privacy as she was living.
* Identify Muslim patients with word Muslim in the chart, name tag or bracelet.
* Provide same sex health care person (MD or RN) if possible.
* Preferable no male in the delivery room except the husband.
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With Best Regards,
Yours sincerely,
Wassalam
Imam Sajid
Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid
Imam Brighton Islamic Mission since September 1976;
Muslim Chaplain – Imam, Brighton and Sussex Universities NHS Hospital Trust since 1977;
Muslim Chaplain – Imam Sussex Univeraity and Brighton University since 1978;
Chairman Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony UK (MCRRH);
President National Association of British Pakistanis (NABPAK) since September 1999;
President Religions for Peace UK and Deputy President of European WCRP -Religions for Peace
since 2000;
Chairman Taskforce for European Inter-cultural Dialogue since September 2000;
Chairman Muslim Marraige Guidance Council (MMGC) since October 1980;
Chairman Islamic Food and Nutrition Council – (IFANC) since November 1978;
Deputy President and International Secretary World Congress of Faiths (WCF);
Adviser to European Council of Religious Leaders/Religions for Peace (ECRL);
Adviser to the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) Europe and International Affairs Committee
(EIAC) since 2006;
Hon Secretary Ethnic Minorities Reprersentatives Council (EMRC) since Oct 1980;
Hon Seretary Sussex Muslim Society Trust UK since September 1982;
Hon Secretary Al-Hijrah Trust UK (A registered Charity NO: 1018850) since 1997;
Link Officer Brighton and Hove Interfaith Contact Group (IFCG) for National and International
Inter-faith matters since 2000;
26
European Representative of World Council of Muslims Inter-faith Relations (WCMIR) since
1999;
8 Caburn Road , Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0)
7971 861972 Email: [email protected],
Appendix One
GUIDELINES OF MUSLIM PATIENTS
By Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid, Muslim Chaplin-Imam to BSUH
The Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony
The Brighton Islamic Mission,
8 Caburn Road Hove BN3 6EF (UK) Tel: 01273 722438
Mobile: 07971861972 Email: [email protected]
Introduction: Muslims living in any part of the world are expected to conform to the Divine Code
derived from the Qu’ran (the Holy Book) and the practices of the Holy Prophet of Islam which are
called Sunnah. A visit or short stay in the hospital may create anxiety even in an ordinary patient. The
impact on a Muslim who is anxious not to violate any Islamic injunction can be quite disturbing.
Modesty: Modesty is an obligation and nudity is viewed as offensive in Islam; consequently the
Muslim, male and female, is extremely shy about being naked and very reluctant to expose private parts
(awrah), though it is permissible in Islam on medical grounds. In accordance with Islamic teachings,
Muslims are accustomed to being examined by a doctor of their own sex. In the event of this not being
possible, it is necessary to show understanding and respect for the Muslim’s great concern for modesty
and deeply entrenched anxiety and embarrassment when being examined by the opposite sex in, for
example, an antenatal check-up, childbirth or a gynaecological examination. Muslim women
traditionally cover themselves from head to foot, men from waist to knee.
Religious and Spiritual Care: It is psychologically and spiritually vital for a Muslim to have the
opportunity of observing religious duties such as the five times daily prayers, and of receiving facilities
for ablution, bathing, etc. Muslims pray five times a day, although illness is not an excuse to miss
prayer, women at the time of post-natal discharge and monthly periods, and those who are mentally ill or
deranged are exempt. Cleanliness and purification are essential before ritual prayer. If use of water
endangers the patient’s health or impracticable in prevailing circumstances, the patient can take recourse
to the concession of Tayammum – a symbolic act of purification from stone or dust of any object such
as a wall. Those who are not very sick must fast during the holy month of Ramadan. This is the practice
of self-discipline and sharing and understanding of the suffering of poor people.
Muslim Food: Muslims can only eat halal food. Alcohol and all other intoxications are prohibited in
Islam. Lamb, beef, goat, chicken and buck deer are allowed provided they are killed according to
Muslim religious rites. Muslims are forbidden to eat pork or anything containing pork products, the
blood, animal fats, carrion, carnivorous animals or animals not ritually slaughtered. Fish and vegetables
are permitted. Hands are washed before eating.
Death: Rituals are very important for patient and family. After death patient’s face is to be turned
toward right shoulder. Turn the bed facing Makkah (127˚ SE), close eyes of the patient and cover the
body with a white sheet which conceals the whole body. Muslim priest (IMAM) or family members will
arrange washing and wrapping of the body. Muslims are always buried, never cremated, and should be
buried as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours. Post-mortems are only allowed if required by
law.
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Appendix Two
Etiquettes of visiting the sick:
An Islamic Prespective
BY IMAM DR ABDULJALIL SAJID, The Sussex Muslim Society Trust UK
Muslim Chaplain; Imam, Brighton and Sussex Universities NHS Hospital Trust; Muslim
Chaplain – Imam, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust.
The Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony
The Brighton Islamic Mission,
8 Caburn Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 861972
Email: [email protected]
One of the many beauties of Islam is that it is a way of life that corresponds with a human being's
natural disposition in every aspect of life. Amongst these things that a human naturally feels is mercy
and compassion for the sick. Hence, Islam has placed a great deal of emphasis on bringing these
qualities into our lives. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him) stated
in one hadith:
Show compassion to those on earth, the One in the heavens will show mercy upon you."
Visiting the sick is from amongst those responsibilities and duties that a Muslim must fulfil. Imam
Bukhari has transmitted a hadith in his Sahih from Sayyidina Abu Huraira (Radhiallahu anha) that our
beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him) said:
"The rights of one Muslim over another Muslim are six." Someone asked, "What are they?" The Holy
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him) replied, "When you meet him you greet
him with salaam (peace), when he invites you, you accept his invitation, when he consults you in a
matter, you give him sincere advice. When he sneezes and praises Allah, you ask Allah to have mercy
on him. When he is sick, you visit him and when he passes away you accompany him i.e. you join in his
janazah (funeral)."
These actions create love of bonding within the Muslims. Furthermore, the Muslims in essence are like
one body as mentioned in an authentic narration of Rasulullah. If one part of the body hurts the entire
body hurts. Our consolation will not take away the sickness from our Muslim brother or sister, but it
may lift his spirits and make him happy.
Just as our Rasulaullah Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him) has guided us on how to
conduct ourselves in every sphere of our lives, he has also guided us regarding the method of visiting the
sick.
While fulfilling this revered act, the vistor should keep some things in mind so as to discharge his
obligation in a successful manner. The visitor should call before hand to find out if it would be
appropriate to visit at a specific time or to find out when it would be best to visit. The visit should be
brief so that the ill person does not become burdened by the presence of the visitor. Sheikh Abdul Fatah
Ghudda the renowned scholar of Syria writes in his book, 'Islamic Manners':
28
"The length of the visit should not be longer than the time between the two sermons of Friday. In this
respect, it was said that the visit should be long enough to convey salaams and wishes, to ask the sick
how they are doing, to pray for their recovery and to leave immediately after bidding them farewell."
Also, one should try to avoid asking the details of the illness or discomfort the sick by talking about the
illness. He should pray for the sick, for verily the rewards for such an act are great. Imam Bukhari and
Muslim have transmitted a hadith from our beloved Mother Aesha (Radhiallahu anha) who said:
"If someone fell sick, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him) would pass
his beloved hand over the sick person saying the following prayer: 'O Allah! Lord of mankind, take
away the suffering; bring about recovery, only your cure takes away illnesses'."
An effort should be made to inform the pious as to the state of the person sick. This is because the
prayers of the pious never go in vain. The whole experience of visiting the sick is full of reflection if
carried out according to the Sunnah. Furthermore, only through illness can we truly appreciate good
health from Allah. Sickness is a means of cleansing from Allah as well as a test from Allah. We pray to
Allah to cure the sick amongst us and give us the ability to practice this Sunnah of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him).
Ramadan Fact Sheet: For Hospital
Fasting in the month of Ramadan is obligatory on all adult Muslims. Many patients and staff will be
fasting or wanting to fast in Ramadan, which is expected to commence this year from around the
Monday the 1st of September 2008. It is important for NHS staff to be aware of and respect this
important religious obligation and how such beliefs may affect the different elements of care. This is
more important in hospitals where the services of a Muslim chaplain are not available.
WHAT IS A FAST?
The Fast lasts between dawn and sunset. It is compulsory for all healthy adult Muslims on reaching puberty; it
is a total fast, with complete abstinence from food and drink.
WHO IS EXEMPTED FROM THE FAST?
1. All those who are ill (physical or mental illness) or frail.
2. Pregnant and menstruating women.
3. Lactating women who have concerns about their own, or their child's health.
4. Travellers
(Despite being in the above categories, some prefer not to miss these Fasts with the possibility of greater
reward, as the rewards for fasts are limitless.)
WHEN IS THE FAST RENDERED VOID (BROKEN)?
1. Eating or drinking intentionally
2. Taking oral medication
3. smoking
4. Using vaginal and rectal pessaries
WHAT DOES NOT BREAK THE FAST?
1. Injections (intravenous, intramuscular and subcutaneous).
2. Bloods taken (thumb prick or intravenous).
3. Eye and ear drops.
4. Eating and drinking out of forgetfulness.
THE PATIENT'S PERSPECTIVE
1. The patient's choice should be respected and advice should be offered on medical grounds.
2. If possible, hospital appointments should be given at appropriate times (i.e. outside prayer times
– the Muslim patient will be aware of these times) or at the ending of the fast.
29
3. Arrangements for breaking of Fast – availability of quiet prayer space at prayer times would be
appreciated.
WHEN BEGINNING THE FAST - SUHUR
Wa bisawmi ghadinn nawaiytu min shahri ramadan
I intend to keep the fast for tomorrow in the month of Ramadan
WHEN BREAKING FAST - IFTAR
Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika aamantu [wa 'alayka tawakkaltu] wa 'ala rizq-ika aftarthu
O Allah! I fasted for You and I believe in You [and I put my trust in You] and I break my fast with
Your sustenance
["wa 'alayka tawakkaltu" is quoted in some books of knowledge - but not all, hence it is in brackets]
The following ahadeeth are from Saheehul-Jaami' of Shaikh al-Albani (r.a) pg. 1103-1104
-Abu Umaamah (ra) reported that Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Whoever recites Ayatul-Kursi
following every obligitiry prayer, nothing will prevent him from entering Jannah except dying."
- Ibn Masood (Radhiallahu anha) reported that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) "Whever recites the last 2
verses of Surah Baqarah in a night, they will sufice him."
- Anas (Radhiallahu anha) reported that the Messenger of Allaaah (s.a.w) said: "Whoever recited Surah
Kafiroon it will be equal to a quarter of the Quran for him, and whoever recites Surah Ikhlas it will be
equal to a third of the Holy Quran for him."
- Tameem as-Daaree (Radhiallahu anha) reported that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Whoever
recites (in prayer) with a hundred verses a night , it will written for him as devout obedience to Allah for
the night."
- Abu Sa'eed (Radhiallahu anha) reprted that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) Whovever recites Surah
Kahf on the day of Jumu'ah, light will be made to shine for him between the 2 Jumu'ahs (that Jumu'ah
and the one followingit)"
- Mu'aadh bin Anas (Radhiallahu anha) reported that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Whoever recites
Surah Ikhlas 10 times, Allah will build for him a house in Jannah."
Memorise these importnant dua (prayers) inshallah
1. The authentic dua to sat when breaking your fast: "Dhahabath- dhama-oo wabtallatil-urooq wa
thabatil ajru inshallaah" (The thirst has gone the veins are quenched and the reward is confirmed if Allah
wills)
2. The dua to say when seeking the night of Laylatul-Qadr: "Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbil-afwa
fa'fu 'annii" (Oh Allah You are the Forgiving snf Pardoning Who loves to forgive and pardon so forgive
and pardon me) [at-Tirmidhi and it is saheeh)
'Uthman ibn 'Affan (radiAllahu anhu) said, "Worrying about the dunya is a darkness in the heart, while
worrying about the akhirah is a light in the heart."
In the event of any sickness that makes people feel unwell, a person is allowed not to fast. The basis for
this is the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "… and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number
[of days on which one did not observe sawm must be made up] from other days…"[The Holy Qur'an
30
2:185]. But if the ailment is minor, such as a cough or headache, then it is not a reason to break one's
fast.
If there is medical proof, or a person knows from his usual experience, or he is certain, that fasting will
make his illness worse or delay his recovery, he is permitted to break his fast; indeed, it is disliked
(makrooh) for him to fast in such cases. If a person is seriously ill, he does not have to have the intention
during the night to fast the following day, even if there is a possibility that he may be well in the
morning, because what counts is the present moment.
If fasting will cause unconsciousness, he should break his fast and make the fast up later on. (alFataawa, 25/217). If a person falls unconscious during the day and recovers before Maghrib or after, his
fast is still valid, so long as he was fasting in the morning; if he is unconscious from Fajr until Maghrib,
then according to the majority of scholars his fast is not valid. According to the majority of scholars, it is
obligatory for a person who falls unconscious to make up his fasts later on, no matter how long he was
unconscious. (Al-Mughni ma'a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/412, 3/32;
al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaytiyyah, 5/268). Some scholars issued fatwaas to the effect that a
person who falls unconscious or takes sleeping pills or receives a general anaesthetic for a genuine
reason, and becomes unconscious for three days or less, must make up the fasts later on, because he is
regarded as being like one who sleeps; if he is unconscious for more than three days, he does not have to
make up the fasts, because he is regarded as being like one who is insane. (From the fataawa of Shaykh
'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, issued verbally).
If a person feels extreme hunger or thirst, and fears that he may die or that some of his faculties may be
irreparably damaged, and has rational grounds for believing this to be so, he may break his fast and
make up for it later on, because saving one's life is obligatory. But it is not permissible to break one's
fast because of bearable hardship or because one feels tired or is afraid of some imagined illness. People
who work in physically demanding jobs are not permitted to break their fast, and they must have the
intention at night of fasting the following day. If they cannot stop working and they are afraid that some
harm may befall them during the day, or they face some extreme hardship that causes them to break
their fast, then they should eat only what is enough to help them bear the hardship, then they should
refrain from eating until sunset, and they have to make the fast up later. Workers in physically
demanding jobs, such as working with furnaces and smelting metals, should try to change their hours so
that they work at night, or take their holidays during Ramadaan, or even take unpaid leave, but if this is
not possible, then they should look for another job, where they can combine their religious and worldly
duties. "And whoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out
(from every difficulty). And He will provide him from he could never imagine." [The Holy Qur'an 65:23 – interpretation of the meaning]. (Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 10/233, 235)
Students' exams are no excuse for breaking one's fast during Ramadaan, and it is not permissible to obey
one's parents in breaking the fast because of having exams, because there is no obedience to any created
being if it involves disobedience to the Creator. (Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 10/241).
The sick person who hopes to recover should wait until he gets better, then make up for the fasts he has
missed; he is not allowed just to feed the poor. The person who is suffering from a chronic illness and
has no hope of recovery and elderly people who are unable to fast should feed a poor person with half a
saa' of the staple food of his country for every day that he has missed. (Half a saa' is roughly equivalent
to one and a half kilograms of rice). It is permissible for him to do this all at once, on one day at the end
of the month, or to feed one poor person every day. He has to do this by giving actual food, because of
the wording of the aayah – he cannot do it by giving money to the poor (Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah,
10/198). But he can give money to a trustworthy person or charitable organization to buy food and
distribute it to the poor on his behalf.
31
If a sick person does not fast in Ramadaan, waiting to recover so that he can make the days up later, then
he finds out that his sickness is chronic, he has to feed a poor person for every day that he did not fast.
(From the fataawa of Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen). If a person is waiting to recover from his illness and
hopes to get better, but then dies, there is no "debt" owed by him or his heirs. If a person's sickness is
considered to be chronic, so he does not fast and feeds the poor instead, then advances in medical
science mean that there is now a cure, which he uses and gets better, he does not have to make up the
fasts he has missed, because he did what he had to do at the time. (Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah,
10/195)
If a person is sick, then recovers, and is able to make up the missed fasts but does not do so before he
dies, then money should be taken from his estate to feed a poor person for every day that he missed. If
any of his relatives want to fast on his behalf, then this is OK, because it was reported in al-Saheehayn
that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever dies owing
some fasts, let his heir fast on his behalf." (From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, volume on Da'wah,
806).
Where the death of a Muslim patient appears imminent, the relatives, or in their absence a member of
the local mosque committee, should be informed and be given facilities to perform the customary
religious rites.
At this stage, the simple practice which is followed is to sit near the bed of the patient and read some
verses from the Holy Qur'an to pray for the peaceful departure of the soul.
The patient on the point of death should, if possible, be turned to face in the direction of the ka'bah in
Makkah. (A south easterly direction in the U.K.) The patient should be turned onto their right side facing
south east. When a patient is unable to be turned, they may be placed on their back with the feet in the
south easterly direction and their head slightly raised.
If the patient is in a state of consciousness, those present at his bedside will encourage him to recite the
Shahadah - the declaration of faith: "La-ellaha ill lallahu, Muhammadur rasul lullah" (There is no God
except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah).
This is done to invoke the blessings of Allah and in the hope that Allah will accept his life as a Muslim
and forgive his sins in the hereafter.
When a patient has passed away, recitation of the Qu'ran ceases in their presence. Immediately after
death, relatives will want to:




Close the eyes of the deceased
Turn the body to the right and if possible towards the Qibla, the south easterly direction of prayer
Bandage the lower jaw to the head so that the mouth does not gape
Flex the joints of the arms and legs to stop them becoming rigid to enable washing and shrouding
At all times the deceased's body must be modestly covered. If no relative or community member is
immediately available, they will appreciate nursing staff undertaking the above.
The corpse should be handed over to the relatives or the Muslim community of the locality who will
make arrangements for the washing, shrouding and burial according to Islamic regulations.
Any tubes etc. or artificial limbs should be removed and incisions plugged so as to prevent or stem a
flow of blood. Muslims do not usually bury the corpse in a coffin, but if special circumstances apply or
if the law requires this, then Muslims will not object to this.
32
Islam requires that burial take place as soon as possible. Family and community members will be
grateful for the rapid release of the body. A post-mortem should not be carried out unless required by
law as this causes delay and distress.
In fact, post-mortems without the existence of compelling medical or legal circumstances amounts to
desecration of the body. It's for this reason that Muslims like to take custody of the remains as early as
possible.
There are different interpretations to organ donation and individuals may wish to contact their religious
leader (Imam/Mufti) for advice. If relatives or members of the Muslim community are not readily
available to take charge of the body, it may be kept in the hospital mortuary for a short period of time.
The female body should be handled by the female staff and the male corpse by the male staff where at
all possible. Funeral will take place within a mosque yard or such a room where the five daily prayers
are not normally prayed or at the graveyard.
Appendix Three
RITUALS AND TRADITIONS CONCERNING
CHILDBIRTH TO BE OBSERVED BY MUSLIMS
By Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid Muslim Chaplain; Imam, Brighton and Sussex Universities
NHS Hospital Trust; Muslim Chaplain – Imam, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust.
The Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony
The Brighton Islamic Mission,
8 Caburn Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 861972
Email: [email protected]
Muslims living in any part of the world, whether in a Muslim or a non-Muslim country, are expected to
conform to the Divine Code derived from the Holy Qur’an and the Traditions of Prophet Muhammad,
Peace and Blessings of ALLAH be on him. Accordingly, there are certain rules to be observed by
Muslims on the occasion of the birth of their children at home or in hospital. These are listed below:
1. Halal food is to be provided to the expectant mother.
2. The expectant mother is to be attended by a female doctor/nurse.
3. After the birth of the baby, it should be given a bath as soon as possible. Then, a Muslim man,
preferably a relative or Imam, should recite Azan (call to prayer) in the right ear of the baby and
Iqama (second call to prayer) in its left ear.
4. The baby’s head should be shaved within seven days of its birth. This tradition is known as
Nizafah. Parents, who can afford, are expected to give away in charity silver equal to the weight
of the baby’s hair. This is known as Sadaqah. Also, they should sacrifice one lamb/sheep for a
girl and two for a boy and distribute a third of its meat to the poor (the other third to the
relatives). This is known as Aqeeqah.
5. On the day of Aqeeqah, an Islamic name should be given to the baby by its parents or relatives.
This is known as Tasmiyah.
33
6. After the calling of Azan and Iqama (see note 3 above), a small drop of clear honey or paste of a
date should be gently rubbed in the palate of the baby. This is known as Tahnik.
7. Male babies should be circumcised, preferably within seven days of birth.
8. In case a caesarean operation is found necessary for childbirth, then a sterilisation operation
should not be carried out unless it is medically certified that future births will endanger the life of
the mother.
9. Breast feeding is compulsory for two years unless there are medical reasons which indicate a
serious health hazard for the baby or the mother.
10. In case of still childbirth, post mortem is to be avoided unless foul play is suspected.
11. As a general rule, the natural process of childbirth has to be allowed to function. However, in
case of a childless couple, the implantation of a fertilised embryo in the womb of a mother will
be permitted only if the sperm and ovum is from the married couple without the medium of a
sperm bank.
12. Abortion is strictly forbidden and can be resorted to only in the extreme case if it is found to be
the only way of saving the life of the mother.
13. Periodic attendance for antenatal care of the expectant mother should be by women.
14. In order to coordinate the services offered by health authorities and specific needs of Muslim
women, female interpreters should be employed, where necessary.
15. An Imam should be appointed in hospitals to guide and advise Muslim parents on various
matters including childbirth.
Appendix Four
Guidelines on using Medicine with Haram sources: A Religious
point of view
By Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid Muslim Chaplain; Imam, Brighton and Sussex Universities
NHS Hospital Trust; Muslim Chaplain – Imam, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust.
The Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony
The Brighton Islamic Mission,
8 Caburn Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 861972
Email: [email protected]
29 January 2009 06:46
Subject: Porcine products.
Dear Revd Peter Wells
Yes please It is important that Muslim patients are fully aware of the porcine products in
medicine. Please see booklet entitled "Informed Choice in Medicine Taking Drugs of
34
Porcine Origin & Clinical Alternatives" March 2004. The can be downloaded for
further details from
www.npc.co.uk/med_partnership/assets/drugs-of-porcine-origin.pdf
Many thanks for rasing the issue .
With Best regards
Yours sincerely
Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid
Imam Brighton Islamic Mission;
Muslim Chaplain - Imam, Brighton and Sussex Universities NHS Hospital Trust;
Muslim Chaplain - Imam, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust;
8 Caburn Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 861972
Email: [email protected]
2009/1/28 Wells, Peter <[email protected]>
Dr Sajid I am most grateful to you for your response. This is most helpful.
By way of ensuring that patient's are aware of the inclusion of porcine products in
medicine do you think that we should: help the Muslim community to know that this
practice exists, inform patients or wait until patients ask us? If patients are coming for
day procedures they would not routinely be asked their religion.
I would be grateful for your thoughts.
Peter.
Revd Peter Wells
Lead Chaplain
Bereavement Offices Manager
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
Eastern Rd, Brighton BN2 5BE
01273 696955 ext:7495
Wells, Peter <[email protected]>,
From: Imam Sajid [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 27 January 2009 18:58
To: Wells, Peter
Cc: Rev Dr Underdown, Steven
Subject: Re: FW: Porcine products.
Dear Revd Peter Wells,
Many thanks for this email.
Regarding Porcine and bovine surgical products, the Islamic prespective has been explained by the
Muslim’s most representative body called the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), and in particular by
Professor Dr Aziz Sheikh, Chairman, Research and Documentation Committee, Muslim Council of
Britain (MCB)'s booklet entitled "Informed Choice in Medicine Taking Drugs of Porcine Origin &
35
Clinical Alternatives" March 2004. The can be downloaded
from www.npc.co.uk/med_partnership/assets/drugs-of-porcine-origin.pdf
The foreword to this booklet has highlighted the importance of the concept of concordance in medicine
taking in improving the successful prescribing and administration drug treatments. In short, medicines
are more likely to be taken when there is an equal partnership between prescribers and patients.
It is important for healthcare professionals to be familiar with the related terminology. Islam's sacred
book is the Holy Qur'an, which is believed to be the divinely revealed word of God. This together with
the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of God be upon him) forms the
basis for the Shariah - the moral, social and legal framework of Islam. In Islam, forbidden food and
drink are termed haraam, whilst any food and drink that can be taken by a Muslim is termed halal.
The general principle of Shariah is that all food and drink is permitted (i.e. Halal) unless there is an
explicit prohibition. In brief Islamic principles are very clear that Muslims must use Halal (permissiable)
ingtredandets at all times. Law of necessity is only applied in dire extreme situations where there is no
other alternative avialbale for saving a life only after all other options have been exhausted; followers of
the Muslim faith are permitted to use porcine surgical products.
Islam prohibits acceptability and consuming of any porcine and bovine surgical implants products as
animal-derived surgical implants are not permitted such as Heparin. Heparin is one of the most
commonly prescribed drugs that is solely derived from pigs. The pigs are largely sourced from China,
and demand necessitates that about 30 - 150 million pigs a year are provided for the production of
heparin.
The Holy Qur'an prohibits the consumption of pork in no less than 4 different sections. Pork
consumption is referred to in The Holy Qur'an ref: 2:173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115.
"Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been
invoked a name other than that of Allah". [The Holy Qur'an 5:3] The above verses of the Holy Qur'an
are sufficient to satisfy a Muslim as to why pork is forbidden.
"Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine....." (The Holy Qur'an Surah
al-Ma'idah, 5: 53)
"...for he (the Prophet) commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them
as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure)..." (The Holy
Qur'an Surah al-A'raf, 5: 157)
Insulins derived from animal sources may also be referred to as 'natural' insulin and are made from
highly purified pancreas extracts from pigs and cows. Porcine insulin has a sequence of amino acids that
differs by only one to that of a human, where as bovine insulin differs by three. "Human Insulin" is not
derived from the human pancreas; instead it is prepared by one of two methods using modern molecular
technology
on a large scale.
1. It is possible to ensymatically modify porcine insulin so it resembles that of a human; this is
referred to as semi-synthetic insulin and can be identified by the letters 'emp'.
2. 'Human insulin' can also be made using recombinant DNA technology. The human insulin gene
is inserted into either yeast or bacteria andthen 'programmed' to make the human insulin
molecule, which may then be harvested on a large scale. This biosynthetic insulin can be
identified byone of the following suffixes: ge; crb; prb; pyr, each of these codes specifies the
precise method of genetic engineering by which the insulin is made.
36
It is not possible to identify any semi-synthetic insulins that are still in use, the majority of insulins
prescribed today being biosynthetic, with a small proportion of natural (pork or beef) insulins. Patients
that continue to use natural insulins are difficult to control following complicated regimens, or, have
shown hypersensitivity reactions to the recombinant type. There is also a small group of patients with
diabetes who have remained on early animal insulin, because of the level of control it has provided.
Despite the lack of debate and research, it would appear that medicines derived from sources that are
forbidden by Isamic faith could potentially present a dilemma for both patients and health care
professionals. The issue however is not straightforward, with faiths exercising judgement and exempting
such medicines in circumstances where there is no alternative and where there is a medical necessity.
This is the case in Islam and Judaism where porcine derived medicines may become temporarily exempt
from the laws of diet during the time of illness. The process of passing judgement generally requires
discussion by informed religious leaders who would interpret the religious scriptures and determine the
exemption. For example, in Judaism, porcine derived medication is only an issue with oral medication.
For further reading Please see "Informed Choice In Medecine Taking Drugs of Porcine Origin &
Clinical Alternatives" This can be downloaded from;
http://www.npc.co.uk/med_partnership/assets/drugs-of-porcine-origin.pdf
I hope above gives you some explanation to your question of porcine products and Islam. Please do not
hesitate to contact me if you need any further details.
With Best regards
Yours sincerely
Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid
Imam Brighton Islamic Mission;
Muslim Chaplain - Imam, Brighton and Sussex Universities NHS Hospital Trust;
Muslim Chaplain - Imam, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust;
8 Caburn Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 861972
Email: [email protected]
2009/1/27 Wells, Peter <[email protected]>,
Dear Dr Imam Sajid good morning to you. You will see from the email below that a question has been
raised about the inclusion of porcine products in a particular drug. I would very much value your
thinking on this and of any information / resources you can direct me to.
With thanks.
peter.
Revd Peter Wells
Lead Chaplain
Bereavement Offices Manager
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
Eastern Rd, Brighton BN2 5BE
01273 696955 ext:7495
Wells, Peter <[email protected]>,
37
....... has forwarded this document to me on the subject of the porcine origin of heparin and thus of low
molecular weight heparins.
This fact was pointed out to him by a drug rep.
These are obviously given parenterally and this would seem to be acceptable from what the document
states about the Jewish faith, certainly where there is no alternative and where the condition, if not
treated would threaten the individual's health.
It is not clear if the same applies to the Muslim faith.
For VTE prevention, there is a licensed alternative (hugely more expensive with other pros and cons) in
the form of Fondaparinux.
I am not sure if this is an issue that needs to be pursued further and would be grateful for some guidance
in this matter.
Thank you very much
"Wells, Peter" <[email protected]>,"Rev Dr Underdown, Steven"
<[email protected]>,
Appendix Five
Going into Hospital as an in-patient: Religious and
Spiritual Care of Muslim patients
By Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid Muslim Chaplain; Imam, Brighton and Sussex Universities
NHS Hospital Trust; Muslim Chaplain – Imam, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust.
The Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony
The Brighton Islamic Mission,
8 Caburn Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 861972
Email: [email protected]
Bis Millah HIR Rahma nir Rahim (I begin with the name of Allah the Merciful and the Mercy-giving)
Assh-hadu an la ilaha ill-lal-Lahu Wah-hadu la Sharika Lahu Wa assh-hadu anna Muhammadan
Abdu-hu wa Rasu-lu-hu. (I declare that there is no god but Allah, Allah is one and has no partner, and I
also declare that Muhammad is Allah's servant and His last Messenge.)
During illness, Muslims are expected to seek God's forgivenes for our human shortcomings, help with
patience and prayer, increase the remembrance of God to obtain peace, ask for full recovery, give more
in charity, and read or listen to more of the Holy Qur'an (the Muslim spiritual text). Muslim patients do
38
not consider illness to be a punishment from God. They also believe that dying is a part of living and an
entrance to the next life; a transformation from one life to another, a part of a journey, and a contract and
part of their faith in God. The Holy Qur'an says, "They (believers) say: To God we belong and to Him is
our return." (The Holy Qur'an 2:156).
O’ God Almighty remove the hardship. O’Lord of mankind grant me full cure from this illness. You are
the healer. There is no cure but from you, a cure that leaves no illness behind and grants good health and
safety. (Agreed upon Hadith – sayings of the Holy Prophet)
ٌ‫ﺷﻲْ ٍء َﻗﺪِﻳﺮ‬
َ ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ ُآﻞﱢ‬
َ ‫ﺤﻤْ ُﺪ َو ُه َﻮ‬
َ ْ‫ﻚ َوَﻟ ُﻪ اﻟ‬
ُ ْ‫ﻚ َﻟ ُﻪ َﻟ ُﻪ اﻟْ ُﻤﻠ‬
َ ‫ﺷﺮِﻳ‬
َ ‫ﺤﻤْ ُﺪ ِﻟﱠﻠ ِﻪ ﻟَﺎ ِإَﻟ َﻪ ِإﻟﱠﺎ اﻟﱠﻠ ُﻪ َوﺣْ َﺪ ُﻩ ﻟَﺎ‬
َ ْ‫اﻟ‬
Gratitude is for God and there is no god except God. He is alone and there is no god but He. He is alone;
no one is His partner; To Him belongs the kingdom and praise is for Him only and He has power over
all things. (Dua of the Holy Prophet as complied by Muslim, Hadith No: 2723)
‫ب ﻓِﻲ اﻟْ َﻘﺒْ ِﺮ‬
ٍ ‫ﻋﺬَا‬
َ ‫ب اﻟﻨﱠﺎ ِر اﻟﻨﱠﺎ ِر َو‬
َ ‫ﻋﺬَا‬
َ ‫ﺴ َﻨ ًﺔ َو ِﻗﻨَﺎ‬
َ‫ﺣ‬
َ ‫ﺧ َﺮ ِة‬
ِ ‫ﺴ َﻨ ًﺔ َوﻓِﻲ اﻟْﺂ‬
َ‫ﺣ‬
َ ‫اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻬﻢﱠ َر ﱠﺑﻨَﺎ ﺁ ِﺗﻨَﺎ ﻓِﻲ اﻟ ﱡﺪﻧْﻴَﺎ‬
O God! Bless us with good in this world and in the Hereafter too and save us from the torment of the
Fire and from the torment of the graves! (Dua of the Holy Prophet as complied by Bukhari, Hadith No:
4522; and Hadith Muslim, No: 2688 )
‫ﻋﻤْﺪِي َو ُآﻞﱡ‬
َ ‫ﻄﺌِﻲ َو‬
َ‫ﺧ‬
َ ‫ﺟﺪﱢي َو َهﺰْﻟِﻲ َو‬
ِ ‫ﺖ َأﻋَْﻠ ُﻢ ِﺑ ِﻪ ِﻣﻨﱢﻲ اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻬﻢﱠ اﻏْ ِﻔﺮْ ﻟِﻲ‬
َ ْ‫ﺟﻬْﻠِﻲ َوِإﺳْﺮَاﻓِﻲ ﻓِﻲ َأﻣْﺮِي َوﻣَﺎ َأﻧ‬
َ ‫ﺧﻄِﻴ َﺌﺘِﻲ َو‬
َ ‫اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻬﻢﱠ اﻏْ ِﻔﺮْ ﻟِﻲ‬
‫ﺖ‬
َ ْ‫ﺖ اﻟْ ُﻤ َﺆﺧﱢ ُﺮ َوَأﻧ‬
َ ْ‫ﺖ اﻟْ ُﻤ َﻘﺪﱢ ُم َوَأﻧ‬
َ ْ‫ﺖ َأﻋَْﻠ ُﻢ ِﺑ ِﻪ ِﻣﻨﱢﻲ َأﻧ‬
َ ْ‫ﺖ َوﻣَﺎ َأﻧ‬
ُ ْ‫ت َوﻣَﺎ َأﻋَْﻠﻨ‬
ُ ْ‫ت َوﻣَﺎ َأﺳْ َﺮر‬
ُ ْ‫ﺖ َوﻣَﺎ َأﺧﱠﺮ‬
ُ ْ‫ﻋﻨْﺪِي اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻬﻢﱠ اﻏْ ِﻔﺮْ ﻟِﻲ ﻣَﺎ َﻗﺪﱠﻣ‬
ِ ‫ﻚ‬
َ ‫َذِﻟ‬
ٌ‫ﺷﻲْ ٍء َﻗﺪِﻳﺮ‬
َ ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ ُآﻞﱢ‬
َ
O God! Forgive my mistakes and foolishness and my excesses I commit in my affairs and all those
things which You are more aware of than me. O God! Forgive whatever I have done with seriousity
and whatever I have done in jest, whatever I have done intentionally and whatever I have done unintentionally. All this is from me. O God! Forgive whatever I have sent forward and whatever I
have left behind and whatever I have concealed and whatever I have done openly and that also
which You know more than me. It is You Who sends forward and it is You Who relegates
backwards and You have power over all things.(Dua of the Holy Prophet as complied by Muslim,
Hadith No: 2719)
‫ﺣﻤْﻨِﻲ وَاهْ ِﺪﻧِﻲ َوﻋَﺎ ِﻓﻨِﻲ وَارْ ُزﻗْﻨِﻲ‬
َ ْ‫اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻬﻢﱠ اﻏْ ِﻔﺮْ ﻟِﻲ وَار‬
O God! Forgive me, have mercy on me, give guidance to me, grant me peace and bless me with
favours.( Dua of the Holy Prophet as complied by Muslim, Hadith No: 2697 )
Before leaving for Hospital: We suggest that you contact your local Muslim community Masjid
(mosque) or Imam as to when you will be in hospital. Unless you yourself pass on this information
they may not find out.
When you get to hospital: Let the Hospital Chaplaincy team know that you would like to be
visited. They will pass this information on. Your own local Imam is welcome to visit you to
hospital. But please check with the ward about convient time.
Useful Contcrs: Masajids (Places of Worship) in Brighton
and Hove (Sussex):
1. Shahjalal Masjid, 252 Portland Road, Hove BN3 5QT Tel: 323990 Tel: 01273 819806 Email:
[email protected],
2. Al-Madena Masjid, 24 Bedford Place, Brighton BN1 2PT Tel: 01273-737721 Email: Imam
Mohamed <[email protected]>,
39
3. Masjid Al-Quds, 150 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 5PA Tel: 01273-506472 / 505247 Email:
[email protected],
You may contact the follwing for further information and advice:
4. Brighton and Hove Muslim Forum - BHMF: Chairman Syed Tariq Mahmud Jung Tel: Cell: 44
(0)7958 771411, Land line: 44 (0)1273 819806 Fax: 44 (0)1273 679484 E-mail: [email protected]
BHMF former Chair Sabri ben Ameur Mobile : 07867 773723; Email: Adam
Sabri<[email protected]>, BHMF is an umbrella group establised to become a united Muslim
voice in the area and support Muslim causes with the aim “BHMF Serving the Muslims and the
community at Large”
5. Seahaven Islamic Community, 22 Eastbrook Road, Portslade by Sea BN41 1LN Tel: 01273
418172 Mobile 0794002671 Email: Imam Abdullah Al-Mahmood <[email protected]>,
6. Brighton Islamic Mission – BIM *: 8 Caburn Road , Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England Tel:
+44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 861972 Email: [email protected],
[email protected],
*BIM is one of the oldest group establised on 8 October 1980 to promote cause of Islam and
Muslims and to support Muslims in their religious, social, cultural, spiritual and political areas
and to produce accurate information on Islam and Muslims.
Appendix Six
Guidelines on Death and Burial:
By Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid Muslim Chaplain; Imam, Brighton and Sussex Universities
NHS Hospital Trust; Muslim Chaplain – Imam, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust.
The Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony
The Brighton Islamic Mission,
8 Caburn Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6EF, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44 (0) 7971 861972
Email: [email protected]
Death is simply a transition state from one world to another, as birth is. For the Muslim, the whole of this life
constitutes a trial and a test for the human by means of which his final destiny is determined. For him, death is
the return of the soul to its Creator, God, and the inevitability of death and the Hereafter is never far from his
consciousness. This serves to keep all of his life and deeds in perspective as he tries to live in preparedness for
what is to come. For Muslims, the concept of death and the afterlife in Islam is derived from the Holy Qur’an
the final revelled message from God. Death is a great mystery to most people. Not so for the students of the
Holy Quran.
We learn that death is exactly like sleeping; complete with dreams (The Holy Qur’an: 6:60, 40:46). The period
between death and resurrection passes like one night of sleep (The Holy Qur’an: 2:259; 6:60; 10:45; 16:21;
18:11, 19, 25; 30:55). At the moment of death, everyone knows his or her destiny; Heaven or Hell. For the
disbelievers, death is a horrible event; the angels beat them on the faces and rear ends as they snatch away their
40
souls (The Holy Qur’an:8:50, 47:27, 79:1). Consistently, the Holy Quran talks about two deaths; the first death
took place when we failed to make a stand with God's absolute authority. That first death lasted until we were
born into this world. The second death terminates our life in this world (2:28, 22:66, and 40:11).
The Holy Qur'an, contains various death themes that add significantly to our insight into the meaning of death,
the concept is left undefined and always portrayed in close relationship with the concepts of life, creation, and
resurrection. The Holy Qur'an seems to be more concerned to determine the nature of death. Thus, in speaking
about the agonies of death suffered by the wicked ones it uses the crucial term nafs, which means `person' and
not simply a thing or an existing entity. To quote the Holy Qur'an:
All that is on earth will perish (The Holy Qura’n 55:26)
Every person (nafs) shall taste of death; and We try you with evil and good for a testing, then unto Us you shall be
returned. (The Holy Qur’an: 21:35-6)
Allah says in the Holy Qur,an: “Everyone shall taste death. And only on the day of resurrection shall you
be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to paradise, this
person is indeed successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception:" (The Holy
Qur’an:3:185), “Every soul shall have the taste of death” (The Holy Qur’an: 29:57).
Guidance from the Holy Prophet: When struck by an affliction, a believer is required to be patient, trust that
Allah (swt) will reward him for his affliction, and proclaim that he belongs to Allah and unto Him he will
return. Anas(ra) reported that Allah's Messenger(pbuh) passed by a woman crying next to a grave. He told her,
"Have taqwa of Allah, and be patient." Not recognizing him, she responded, "Leave me alone, you have not
been struck by an afflication like mine!". She was then told that he was Allah's Messenger(pbuh). Extremely
distressed and agitated at her blunder, she hastened to him and said "O Allah's Messenger, I did not recognize
you." The Messenger(puh) replied: "Indeed, patience should be displayed at the beginning of the affliction."
(Recorded by Al Bukhari, Muslim)
In an authentic Hadith Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him) said: " Remember the
destroyer of pleasures-death, for not a day passes upon the grave except it says ‘ I am the house of remoteness;
I am the house of loneliness; I am the house of soil; I am the house of worms’ " ( Authentic-Thermithi).
Where the death of a Muslim patient appears imminent, the relatives, or in their absence a member of
the local mosque committee, should be informed and be given facilities to perform the customary
religious rites.
At this stage, the simple practice which is followed is to sit near the bed of the patient and read some
verses from the Holy Qur'an to pray for the peaceful departure of the soul.
The patient on the point of death should, if possible, be turned to face in the direction of the ka'bah in
Makkah. (A south easterly direction in the U.K.) The patient should be turned onto their right side facing
south east. When a patient is unable to be turned, they may be placed on their back with the feet in the
south easterly direction and their head slightly raised.
If the patient is in a state of consciousness, those present at his bedside will encourage him to recite the
Shahadah - the declaration of faith: "La-ellaha ill lallahu, Muhammadur rasul lullah" (There is no God
except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah).
This is done to invoke the blessings of Allah and in the hope that Allah will accept his life as a Muslim
and forgive his sins in the hereafter.
When a patient has passed away, recitation of the Qu'ran ceases in their presence. Immediately after
death, relatives will want to:
41




Close the eyes of the deceased
Turn the body to the right and if possible towards the Qibla, the south easterly direction of prayer
Bandage the lower jaw to the head so that the mouth does not gape
Flex the joints of the arms and legs to stop them becoming rigid to enable washing and shrouding
At all times the deceased's body must be modestly covered. If no relative or community member is
immediately available, they will appreciate nursing staff undertaking the above.
The corpse should be handed over to the relatives or the Muslim community of the locality who will
make arrangements for the washing, shrouding and burial according to Islamic regulations.
Any tubes etc. or artificial limbs should be removed and incisions plugged so as to prevent or stem a
flow of blood. Muslims do not usually bury the corpse in a coffin, but if special circumstances apply or
if the law requires this, then Muslims will not object to this.
Islam requires that burial take place as soon as possible. Family and community members will be
grateful for the rapid release of the body. A post-mortem should not be carried out unless required by
law as this causes delay and distress.
In fact, post-mortems without the existence of compelling medical or legal circumstances amounts to
desecration of the body. It's for this reason that Muslims like to take custody of the remains as early as
possible.
There are different interpretations to organ donation and individuals may wish to contact their religious
leader (Imam/Mufti) for advice. If relatives or members of the Muslim community are not readily
available to take charge of the body, it may be kept in the hospital mortuary for a short period of time.
The female body should be handled by the female staff and the male corpse by the male staff where at
all possible. Funeral will take place within a mosque yard or such a room where the five daily prayers
are not normally prayed or at the graveyard.
A Muslim Burial:
The Muslim has been taught to treat the dead body with gentleness and respect. Cremation is
forbidden. Rather, the body is cleaned “washed or bathed”, scented, and covered with a clean cloth
for burial. It is very important that the body is released from the hospital, with all the necessary
papers. The body should be buried by Muslims as soon as possible. The following should be
observed by Muslims
1. The grave should be deep, wide and well made. It is recommended that it consist of two
excavations, one inside the other. It is recommended that the smaller one called "lahdd" be dug on the
side of the larger one facing the qibla.
2. It is this one that the body is put.
3. The deceased's body should be laid on the ground with the face toward the qibla, the direction of
the ka'ba.
4. While laying it say :" Bismallah wa ala milat rasool allah"
5.It is not recommended to use a casket unless there is a need for it .,e.g the soil is wet or loose. A
stone or bricks or soil should be placed under the deceased's head to raise it up.
6.Do not use a pillow or put anything with the deceased inside the grave.
7. Cover the "lahd" with bricks so that they form a roof over the deceased. Pour three handfulls of
soil on it.
8.Fill the larger pit with soilh It is preferable that each one of those present should share in this by
pouring three handfuls of soil. Raise the level of the grave a little less than one foot in a sloping way.
It is of the utmost importance that the grave should be very simple and not too showy or exurbanite,
42
such as marble or fancy masonry, because to do so is Bida'a and is strongly against the teachings of
the religion and the prophet (peace be upon him).
Preparation of The Deceased and The Janazah (Funeral) Prayers
There are five main points for the preparation of a Muslim's body for burial; here is a brief on the
procedure involved in each one of them:
(1) Body Washing or Ghusul:
Washing the deceased's body is obligatory on Muslims; it is a Fard Kifaya,i.e. if some members take
the responsibilty of doing it the need is fullfilled, but if no one fullfills it then all Muslims will be
accountable.
1. A man's body should be washed by men and a woman's body by women, but a child's body can be
washed by either sex. A husband may wash his wife's body and vice versa if the need arises.
2. Only one person is needed for washing with someone to help him or her out.
3. It is better to choose for this task a person who knows best how to perform the cleansing (ghusul).
4. Place the body on a high place.e.g., a table or something similar.
5. Remove the deceased's clothes(garments) leaving the private parts covered.
6. Press the stomach gently and clean whatever comes out.
7. For washing, use a piece of cloth or on your hands.
8. Only clean water may be used ; add some scented oils( non alcoholic) in the final wash.It is
preferable to use warm water.
9. Perform ablution (wudu) for the body, cleaning the teeth and nose from the outside only.
10. Wash three times, but if the body is not yet cleaned, continue washing five or seven times-it must
be odd numbers.
Turn the body on its left side and begin washing the right side , then turn it on its right side and wash
the left side. This is done in each wash.The first and secound washes are done with water and soap,
while the last one with water and scented oils.
(2) Wrapping (kafan):
1. It must be a clean piece of cloth (preferably white) to cover the whole body.
2. Put the body in front of the Imam
3. The Imam should stand by the middle of the body if the deceased is a man and by the shoulder if the
deceased is a woman.
4. Use three pieces of cloth for men and five for women,(but each must cover the whole body).
5. Tie the front and the rear with the piece of cloth (from the same kafan) in such away that one can
differentiate the head from the legs.
(3) Prayers (salat):
1. It is better that those praying divide themselves into three rows facing the qibla with the Imam in
front.
2. Put the body in front of the Imam.
3. The Imam should stand by the middle of the body if the deceased is a man , and by the shoulder id
the deceased is a woman.
4. If there is more than one body, then they should be put one in front of the other, those of the men
nearst to the Imam and those of the women furthiest from him.
5. Having the appropriate neeyat in your heart, raise your hands in the usual manner and say , "Allahu
Akber".
6. Then fold and hold your hands on your chest in the usual manner, the right hand on the left.
7. Read the Fathiha quietly.
8. Say "Allahu Akber" (without raising your hands).
9. Pray for the prophet (peace be upon him) in the same manner as you do in the tashahud.
10. Say " Allahu Akber" (without raising your hands)
11. Make Dua'a for the deceased.
12.Say "Assalaam Aleukum" , thus finishing the prayer.
43
It is clear from this description that all this prayer is done while one is standing- there is no ruku or
sujood in it. An example of such a Dua'a is the following authentic prophetic Dua'a:
"Allahuma Ighfir Lihayana wa mayetna wa saghirana wa kabirina wa thakirina wa anaathina wa
shaahidina wa ghaaibina, Allahuma men ahyetehu mina fa ahyethi ala al islam wa men tawefetahu
fatawafehu ala al iman, Allahuma La tahrimina ajerhu wa la tadlna ba'duh"
(4) Funeral:
1. Procession; Mourners should walk in front or beside the bier. Those who are riding or driving should
follow it.
2. Silence is recommended.
3. It is forbidden to accompany the body with music or crying.
(5) Burial:
1. The grave should be deep, wide and well made. It is recommended that it consist of two excavations,
one inside the other. It is recommended that the smaller one called "lahdd" be dug on the side of the
larger one facing the qibla.
2. It is this one that the body is put.
3. The deceased's body should be laid on the ground with the face toward the qibla, the direction of the
ka'ba.
4. While laying it say :" Bismallah wa ala milat rasool allah"
5.It is not recommended to use a casket unless there is a need for it .,e.g the soil is wet or loose. A stone
or bricks or soil should be placed under the deceased's head to raise it up.
6.Do not use a pillow or put anything with the deceased inside the grave.
7. Cover the "lahd" with bricks so that they form a roof over the deceased. Pour three handfulls of soil
on it.
8.Fill the larger pit with soilh It is preferable that each one of those present should share in this by
pouring three handfuls of soil. Raise the level of the grave a little less than one foot in a sloping way.
It is of the utmost importance that the grave should be very simple and not too showy or exurbanite,
such as marble or fancy masonry, because to do so is Bida'a and is strongly against the teachings of the
religion and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Appendix Seven
Islamic beliefs and mental health by Abul
Hussain
Mental Health Nursing, Mar/Apr 2001 by Hussain, Abdul
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3949/is_200103/ai_n8948262
How much should mental health workers do to understand the beliefs of Muslims when they are affected
by mental illness? Abdul Hussain asks how the worlds of belief and mental health practice can be
brought closer together
In recent decades concern has developed about inequalities in mental health and health care delivery
between the ethnic majority and black ethnic groups. Research (Fernando, 1995; Browne, 1997) findings
have shown over-representation of black groups, many of whom are from Muslim backgrounds, in the
psychiatric system.
44
Furthermore, research has found that black ethnic groups are more likely than the ethnic majority to be
admitted to hospitals under compulsory sections of the Mental Health Act (1983), deemed to require
urgent treatment and placed on locked wards.
Black groups are also more likely to be diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia, given high doses of
neuroleptic drugs and less likely to be offered non-drug based treatment such as talking therapy. In short
they get the rough, hard end of mental health care. Black writers (Kareem & Littlewood, 1992;
Fernando, 1995; Robinson, 1995) have highlighted the mistreatment of black patients arguing that this
stems from racial stereotyping and cultural imperialism adopted by mental health professionals, who
view black ethnic groups as being: unable to express their emotions, hostile in attitude, not motivated for
treatment and not psychologically minded.
Certainly the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, if not carried out by white middle class psychiatrists, is
based on the ethnocentric knowledge base of western medicine. No real attempt is made to develop any
detailed understanding of how Muslim patients' religious beliefs influence their thinking about health,
illness and treatment. Yet there are an estimated 1.8 million Muslims living in the UK (Muslim News,
1998). The few Muslim mental health professionals within mainstream mental health services, such as
myself, exist in the two cultures that are worlds apart, finding it difficult to narrow the gap between
them.
This paper is thus my attempt to build bridges by informing other mental health workers how they might
better understand the contrasting value system of the Muslim Ummah (community) against that of
secular psychiatry.
Islamic beliefs have a central role in the lives of many Muslims, such as myself.
Sarwar (1998), describes the belief system or articles of faith in two dimensions, the internal and
external forms of worship (ibadah). The internal form of worship is referred to as 'imaan' and has seven
facets, which include belief in:
1. Oneness of God (Allah),
2. Allah's Angels,
3. Allah's Books,
4. Allah's Messengers,
5. The Day of Judgement (the hour of reckoning),
6. Destiny or fate (At-Qadar), and
7. Life after death.
Five basic duties or pillars constitute the external form of the worship. These include:
1. Shahadah (a deep understanding and verbal acceptance of oneness of Allah and prophet Mohammed
[pbuh] as the final messenger),
2. Salah (five compulsory daily prayers),
3. Zakah (giving charity to the poor),
4. Fasting (abstaining from eating and drinking during the month of Ramadan),
5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca, if means provide).
45
It is generally held that our faith protects us from ill health as well as helping us manage health problems
when they do occur. The fact that Islam plays a major part in shaping the Muslim's understanding,
experience and expression in mental distress is well-documented (Ansari, 1992; Hussain, 1999; Badri,
2000).
Amongst Muslims there is a strong tendency to conceptualise illness as occurring according to the will
of God (Allah), who is understood to be a higher power that cannot be perceived by the senses. Central
to this belief is the idea of Al-Qadar.
It is believed that everyone's Qadar is written from the moment of conception. Whatever happens in life
is written in Qadar and can never be changed, except through supplication, which is in the grace of Allah
whether to accept or not (An-Nisa 4:48). Allah is the architect of destiny and the advancement of the
individual is dependent on Him. All life events are under His control and can be changed by Him alone.
This belief is fortified in the Holy Qur’an in Surah At-Taghabun (The Holy Qur’an 64: 11):
`No calamity befalls, but with the leave of Allah (i.e. what has befallen him was already written for him
by Allah from the Qadar, Divine preordainment)... and Allah is the All-- Knower of everything.
In many cases, human suffering is also looked upon as being a means to an end. For, Prophet
Mohammed says that when one is afflicted with pain they should not complain and instead endure
illness patiently, as illness is a way of being forgiven for sins and balancing the rewards. Illness is also
understood as a trial on people placed by Allah to test their level of piety devotion and reliance.
Nasiruddin al-- Khattab expounds this further when he says: `Patience means to keep close to Allah and
to accept calmly the trials He sends, without complaining or feeling sad' (1997: 7).
Some have also noted that people with ill-health are asked to pray for others, as they are regarded to be
purer in Allah's sight; supplications from them are thought to be more likely accepted by Allah.
Alongside this belief, black magic (witchcraft or sorcery), spirit possession (inns) or evil eye (ayn,
nazar), are also believed to be negative forces or spells that are responsible for emotional distress or
irrational behaviour. While nazar can be caused unintentionally by an envious glance (Sa'eed Ibn Ali-Ibn
Wahf Al-Qahataani, 1996) and be responsible for many common emotional stresses - these acts are
thought to be attributes of those who transgress the Islamic sanction. When afflicted by such phenomena
Muslims frequently turn to the Qur’an (The Holy Qur’an Al-- Bakarah 2: 255, 285-286; The Holy
Qur’an Ya-Sin 36; The Holy Qur’an Al-- Falaq 113; An-Nas 114 etc) for salvation.
It is also commonly found that emotional stresses are essentially communicated through somatic or
physical complaints. The upper body and mainly the heart (ruh, nafs, qulb) is commonly indicated to be
the location of emotional pain. Somatic symptoms have far more importance in the Muslim cultural
system. Here the perception is one of the connections between 'psyche' and 'soma', the multiple ways in
which physical and psychological problems interact. Therefore, the distressed person primarily notices
and reports somatic symptoms.
Mental unrest is thought to be the manifestations of an incongruent heart - an unstable soul - that is lost
and so has become distant from its 'creator', Allah. In this sense, a stable or sound state of mental health
is a 'well' or 'true' or 'clean' or 'guided' heart that is calm and so is within the sanctions of Islamic
teachings. A 'rusted' or 'hard' heart is a symptom of chronic ill feelings and ultimately God's displeasure.
This state is described mainly as an aching heart, a trembling heart and pressure in the heart. While the
head is the vital and animating principle, the heart/soul is the locus of thought, feeling, awareness and
memory. One 'thinks', `becomes aware' or 'recalls' in the heart (The Holy Qur’an Al-Munafiqun 63:3;
The Holy Qur’an Al-Araf 7:179). Thus, 'illness' is the illness of the heart or body. This mode of
articulation is not to say that thinking in the heart is emotional illiteracy (an inability to understand and
communicate emotions adequately), but that it is thinking that is metaphoric and closely connected to
feelings. This feature of expression is rooted in the Qur’an in Surah Al-- Baqarah (The Holy Qur’an
2:10):
46
`In their hearts is a disease (of doubt and hypocrisy) and Allah has increased their disease. A painful
torment is theirs because they used to tell lies'.
The significance of the heart as a living entity is also indicated in Bukhari: `Beware! There is a piece of
flesh in the body. If it is healthy, the whole body is healthy. If it becomes unhealthy, the whole body gets
unhealthy - that is the heart' (Ansari, 1992: 7).
As mental distress in the practising Muslim community is generally expressed as moral transgression or
the result of Divine Will, religious interventions or methods are frequently resorted to for healing.
Fasting (sawm), repentance (taubah) and regular recitation (zikr) of the Quran are common features of
the treatment and healing process. Thus the belief in the treatment is closely tied with the belief about
illness. Underlying this belief is the idea of regaining connection and intimacy with Allah and in the
process enabling one to gain a cognitive grasp of their situation. This is expected to reduce motivation
for sin and relif from distress, which leads to better health. This understanding is reinforced in the
following verses of the Qur’an:
`He who does evil or wrongs himself, but then seeks forgiveness of God, will find God Forgiving,
Compassionate' (The Holy Qur’an Al-Nisa 4:10).
`If Allah is your helper none can overcome you and if He does not help you, who is there to help you?
The reliant rely only on Allah' (The Holy Qur’an Al-Imran 3:160). `Surely in the remembrance of Allah
do hearts find rest' (The Holy Qur’an Ar-Ra'd 13:28).
Outside the spiritual sphere, biomedical psychiatry, part of western medical tradition, attaches its
explanation of human distress to an individual's biological body. In this view distress is understood as a
defect in the hormonal mechanisms that control the balance of emotions and thoughts, i.e. levels of
serotonin and dopamine which causes chemical imbalance of the brain. It deals with the classification,
diagnosis and treatment of those people it determines as mentally ill on the basis of a wide range of
clinical symptoms. This means that the person is seen in isolation from their religious, social and
environmental factors. This idea is based on the philosophical concepts of Cartesian dualism (the secular
idea that mind and body are separate entities), which are present in western cultures. Thus the total
experience of the person is divided into various components, such as `hearing voices', `feeling
depressed' etc. What this means is that, other life events, such as belief in Higher Power as in Allah and
the consequences of inequality, which play an important part in shaping people's experiences and
concepts, are systematically played down. Ultimately then, this implies that the part religion plays in
understanding the meaning of human suffering are of little value in helping us understand the origins of
human distress. The biomedical model assumes that distress has no intrinsic value and so must be dealt
only with anti-depressants or modern technical interventions such as cognitivebehavioural psychology.
The problem with this western secular, scientific approach is that it denies any significance to any other
understandings of mental health and illness, such as those of Muslims. While an understanding of
distress in the western culture focuses on the 'individual', Islam teaches us to look beyond ourselves and
focus on being God-conscious (the relationship with Allah). How much sense is it to prescribe tablets to
someone who perceives their problem to lie in some religious maladjustment? Can a psychiatrist achieve
credibility within the Muslim community if its members regard mental health practitioners as godless
and ill-equipped to deal with complex psycho-religious issues? Can a psychiatric assessment achieve its
full value in such a context? How far are Muslim groups able to realise their inner strengths and
resources without a wider mechanism that supports the context in which they internally grow and live?
Does the increase in the secularisation of western societies contribute to a view that sees religious or
spiritual belief as symptomatic of mental illness?
The questions raised tell us how western mental health care is failing to recognise differing ideas about
life, approaches to life's problems and beliefs and feelings that come from non-western cultures such as
Islam.
47
Western mental health workers could therefore do a lot towards bridging the gap and empowering their
Muslim clients by simply saying to them: 'I don't know much about your culture of origin but I would be
interested to hear about it from you'. This may help to narrow professional and client power differences
and increase effective communication across cultures. Given that clients from Muslim backgrounds
view 'self' in the collective community and spiritual sense (Badri, 2000), it will also be useful for mental
health workers to help clients explore and access resources available in their own community, such as
Mosques rather than be restricted to mainstream services alone. This may help to increase clients'
integration with their social being and whole self and therefore lessen feelings of alienation. Speight et
al (1991) argue that this type of non-directive approach acknowledges that cultures are at play and can
be used to help an understanding of where the client is coming from, putting their life experience in
context.
Being a social worker with a Muslim identity working in the mental health system, in which the medical
model dominates, can raise some professional conflicts. Reflecting on my own experience, I have learnt
that when these difficulties remain unresolved, maintaining professionalism can become a frustrating
process, hindering my personal development and effective multi-disciplinary team work. What has
helped me to deal with these dilemmas is support from other members of the team, who are committed
to anti-discriminatory practice. Through this we have created a forum where ethical practice issues can
be safely discussed and pursued. This helps to raise awareness of organisational prejudice and bring a
more reflective perspective to working with multi-- ethnic groups.
If we are to value the diverse expression of human life, we have to be open to religious systems
embodied within a culture that determines how life is conceptualised. If mental health workers are to
develop a deeper understanding of ways of life and death, they need to incorporate into their western
scientific professional knowledge base some respect for the spiritual sanctions or maps that are being
generated within the cultures of the people they attempt to care for.
From this standpoint, it can be gathered that learning about the concept of `after-life' (known as
akheerah in Islamic terms) and how it relates to some of the symbols within `God-conscious'
communities are useful starting points in increasing empathy and sensitivity towards these groups. In
other words, working alongside religious discourses is a step towards realising the vision of the worlds
of others. Writers from psychospiritual perspectives (Badri, 2000) say that because of the under-value of
the religious paradigm, too much emphasis is now placed on `cultural differences' to the exclusion of the
belief systems, which underpin a culture and are an integral part of it. More importantly they point out
how a western world-view approach to understanding community mental health needs now to engage in
dialogue and include the context of `faith communities'. For many people, religious faith or spirituality
can act as part of the holistic healing process. It can be part of finding that 'centre' the balance - that
gives calmness and peace, which is so vital to recovery. Spiritual principles and values need to be
closely explored if mental health professionals are to really appreciate and work creatively with the
richness of a community in all its facets. MHN
References
Al-Hilali, M & Khan, IVI (1993) Interpretations of the meanings of the Holy Quran in the English
language. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Maktaba Dar-Us. Salaam
Ansari, Z (1992) Quranic Concepts of Human Psyche. Islamabad, Islamic Research Institute Press
Badri, M (2000) Contemplation: An Islamic psycho-spiritual study, Cambridge, University Press, The
International Institute of Islamic Thought
Browne, D (1997) Black People And Sectioning A study of black experience of detention under the civil
sections of the Mental Health Act. London, Little Rock Publishing
48
Fernando. S (1995) Mental Health in a MultiEthnic Society. London, Routledge
Hussain, A (1999) An exploration into the importance of understanding cultural issues in the
presentation of mental distress in Bangladesh, unpublished paper. University of East London
Kareem, J and Littlewood, R (1992) Intercultural Therapy: Themes, interpretations and practice.
London, Blackwell Science
Sarwar, G (1998) Islam: Beliefs and Teachings, 5th Edition. London, Muslim Education Trust Versi, A
(1998) Muslim population in Britain, unpublished paper
Nasiruddin al-Khattab (1997), Patience and Gratitude. London, TA-HA Press.
Robinson, L (1995) Psychology for Social Workers - Black Perspectives. London, Routledge Sa'eed Ibn
Ali-Ron Wahf AI-Qahataani (1996) Hisnul Muslim. Riyadh. Safir Press
Speight, Myers, Cox and Highlen (1991), A redefinition of multicultural counselling. Journal of
Counselling and Development Sept/Oct 1991 (76)
* Abdul Hussain is a mental health worker with East London and The City Mental Health NHS Trust.
He works in an integrated mental health team on the Isle of Dogs and South Poplar in the London
Borough of Tower Hamlets
Copyright Community Psychiatric Nurses Association Mar/Apr 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved
Bibliography for "Islamic beliefs and mental health"
View more issues:
Hussain, Abdul "Islamic beliefs and mental health". Mental Health Nursing. . FindArticles.com. 03 Dec.
2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3949/is_200103/ai_n8948262
Appendix Eight
IMRAN’S DJINN AND THEORIES OF EPILEPSY
by Christine Miles
http://www.independentliving.org/docs7/miles-christine2000.html
The article concerns an Asian boy living in UK. His family had trouble using the health services,
because of different concepts of Imran’s illness. One of Imran’s teachers met the family half way,
respecting their beliefs and giving them time to digest a different approach to epilepsy and its
treatment. A scientific reviewer comments on the story.
After 22 years in UK, Mr Ahmed decided to bring his wife and six of his children to join him from their
Asian country of origin. His eldest son was twenty years old, the youngest just three. Two daughters
were married, and they remained in their country. He hoped the eldest son would find work in UK, and
there would be school education for the others. He did not know what could be done for thirteen year old
Imran, though he had heard there were special schools for children like him.
49
It was hard for the family to manage Imran in the small, two bedroom house in a cool-climate English
city. Back in his home village, Imran had been used to being outside almost all the time, and he had
always been given his food outside the house, so it did not matter how much mess he made. But he had
not played with the other children of the village - they had often thrown stones at him. Now, in England,
he did not like being confined indoors. He was not used to being in a room with ornaments and electrical
goods that must not be picked up and dropped. He was not used to anyone telling him to do this or that.
Mr Ahmed found a special school, and took Imran along to see if he could get him enrolled. Although
Mr Ahmed had been in England for many years, he had little English, so I was called in to talk to him
and interpret. There is usually a long assessment procedure before children can enter a special school,
but we managed to arrange an emergency enrolment within a month, the assessments being done within
the school.
I interpreted for Mr Ahmed for interviews with psychologists, social workers and doctors. One
paediatrician asked whether Imran had ever suffered from epileptic fits. I translated this with the usual
terms used in Mr Ahmed’s mother tongue, and he said ‘No’. In school I worked with Imran, helping him
learn acceptable behaviour at mealtimes, advising his teachers on how he could learn to use the toilet,
and developing language programmes. I made visits to the family at home, often with the social worker,
who was keen to help them - especially when we realised that there would soon be another baby in the
family.
The social worker tried several times to encourage the family to take up an offer of ‘respite care’,
whereby Imran could stay in a special hostel for a few days every month. The family always refused, but
finally Mr Ahmed felt he was being impolite by continuing this blank refusal, so he agreed to make a
visit to the hostel, as long as I would accompany them.
On the way to the hostel, Mr Ahmed said that he wanted to tell me something which I should not
translate to the social worker. I agreed. He told me that it was impossible for him to let Imran stay
overnight at the hostel - or anywhere else. I assured him that that nobody could force him to send Imran
away from home - but would he like to say why? Yes, he would, but I should not tell the social workers.
He knew I had lived for a long time in Asian countries and respected their customs and beliefs, but I
should not tell the ‘white’ people, because they did not understand ‘the things we know’.
Mr Ahmed then explained that at night a spirit often came to Imran. When this happened, all the family
had to rush to his bed and pray and read the Qur’an until the spirit went away. If Imran were to spend
the night away from his family, nobody would be able to help him when the spirit came, and it would be
dangerous for him.
I asked Imran’s father to say what happened. He told me that Imran would go rigid, and then started to
‘shake’. Sometimes it began with a scream, but at other times the first they knew was when they heard
the bed begin to shake. Imran always wet the bed when the ‘spirit’ was there. Mr Ahmed emphasised
that this was definitely not an illness, they were quite sure it was a spirit. (There was no point in arguing
about this, as the existence of djinns is a well-attested part of Muslim belief. Instead, I decided to try
another approach.)
First, I assured Mr Ahmed that I would not tell the social worker and doctors, and that it was certainly
no ordinary ‘illness’ which affected Imran. Then, very tentatively, I suggested that there was another
possible explanation. Some children with this sort of ‘spirit’ had been found to have problems with
‘electricity’ in their brains, and it was possible to test for this. If it was an electricity problem, a
treatment could be found. This was a new idea to Mr Ahmed, but he did not dismiss it. Electricity has a
somewhat magical quality about it - not just one of these white-people’s illnesses. I said he should think
about it, and, if he was willing, I would speak to the paediatrician and we could arrange to have Imran’s
brain-electricity tested. Mr Ahmed agreed to think about it. Our visit to the hostel then went ahead. Mr
50
Ahmed expressed amazement at the quality of the services offered, and his regret that, at this time, he
would not be able to allow Imran to make use of them.
Over the next few weeks I discussed the issue of ‘testing Imran’s brain-electricity’ several times. The
family were worried that, by such a test, they might interfere with the spirit and cause it to do something
more damaging, or to afflict another member of the family. I assured them that the tests were completely
non-invasive, and described the process to them. Eventually Mr Ahmed agreed, and I spoke to the
paediatrician. She arranged for an appointment for an electro-encephalogram (EEG), which came within
a month. I accompanied them to the hospital, and held Imran’s hands and talked to him through the
procedure.
The results were clearly abnormal, and medication was prescribed. Now the family was seriously
worried. Imran’s mother was afraid of the consequences for her family if the spirit decided to take other
action. We talked it through several times, and finally the family decided Imran should try taking the
pills. The first night, the family members sat up all night praying. Nothing bad happened. For several
more nights they took turns at continuing the prayers through the night. Imran had no fits, and nothing
else went wrong. The family began to relax. Everything seemed to be okay. Well, after all, that was
‘electricity in the brain’, and it was treated by taking little pills. Yes, and Imran MUST keep taking the
pills, or the bad electricity will come back.
Within a fortnight it was “Can you phone the social worker, and see if there are still places in the respite
hostel?”. Soon Imran was taking as many respite breaks as the social services department could find the
funds for.
[To respect the family’s privacy, names have been changed, and a few details obscured.]
A REVIEWER’S COMMENT
This case history shows that by respecting people’s beliefs, and making a point of contact or a bridge
across to another way of looking at the situation, it is often possible to provide help according to
methods scientifically proven to be effective, even though at the start they do not seem compatible with
the culture of the person in need. Mr Ahmed’s family beliefs about Imran’s djinn may seem rather odd
to westerners, and they cause a great deal of worry to the family members, but they are still humansized, and are under the control of Allah (who is called The Merciful).
The djinn calls forth a compassionate family response, that is within the capacity of the family, and for
which they are rewarded by seeing the djinn withdraw, at least until the next night. By comparison,
modern science, technology and social change are widely perceived as threatening and beyond the
control of the single family. Their only refuge is Allah, with whom (to some extent) they are familiar,
and who makes (usually) quite reasonable demands, e.g., that they should lead honest, decent lives, take
care of each other, and say their prayers regularly.
However, it is not always necessary to confront religious theories and explanations, so as to have people
try out the effectiveness of, say, anti-epileptic medication. The fragility of social interlinking and civil
society has become increasingly apparent in Britain. It is not so surprising that many people seek
security in religious systems of thought, which have been available for much longer than ‘modern
scientific’ systems, and which have developed a great deal of flexibility to accommodate new
‘scientific’ facts (which themselves, in the health field, often seem to have rather a short shelf life...)
The occasional puzzling piece of evidence, such as the effectiveness of a regular pill to control ‘brain
electricity’, is unlikely to affect adherents of the major monotheistic religions, or the non-theistic
religions, or any system where unseen forces are believed to operate outside the statistical probabilities
of physics. The modern ‘information supermarket’ encourages people to have a repertoire and toolbox
of ways of thinking, to suit all occasions. Scientific rationality is only occasionally called for.
51
Scientific rationality is only occasionally called for.
British Muslims
Loyalty and Belonging
Authors: Mohammad S Seddon, Dilwar Hussain & Nadeem Malik
Publishers: The Islamic Foundation and The Citizen Organisation Foundation; ISBN: 0860373088
Date of Publication: April 2003
This publication addresses a number of pertinent issues relating to the current status of British Muslims who are under increasing public
scrutiny in expressed terms of their allegiances and loyalties. It aproaches the notions of loyalty and belonging from two perspectives; the
traditional Islamc view from the Shariah and a contemporary perspective bearing in mind the sociological, political and legal dimensions of
the discussion.
British Muslims and State Policies
Authors: Muhammad Anwar, Qadir Bakhsh
Publisher: The Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations
ISBN: 0948303999
Date of Publication: 2003
This publication outlines some of the disadvantges, discrimination and other issues faced by British Muslims before and after the events of
9/11. It includes an examination of the current policy and practice of central and local government and other organisations towards Muslims
and also suggests recommendations in order to tackle the issues Muslims face.
Caring for Muslim Patients
Authors: Aziz Sheikh, Abdul Rashid Gatrad
Publisher: Radcliffe Medical Press
ISBN: 1857753720
Date of Publication: April 2000
This work covers the practical and ethical issues surrounding Muslim patients. It includes an overview of the Islamic world and explores the
concept of health and disease within this paradigm. The book also gives practial advice to provide care in a culturally appropriate manner
and outlines Muslim practices and customs that are of relevance to health and healthcare.
Ethnic Minorities in Britain
Diversity & Disadvantage
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Authors: Tariq Modood, Richard Berthoud et al.
Publisher: Policy Studies Institute
ISBN: 1853836702; Date of Publication: 1997
This is the fourth in a series of major studies by the Policy Studies Institute which have charted the experiences of ethnic minorities in
Britain since the 1960s. It reports on changes in such key fields as family and household structures, education, qualifications and language,
employment patterns, income and standards of living, neighbourhoods and housing. And it introduces important new topics which have not
been examined thoroughly in the past, including health and health services, racial harassment and cultural identity.
Monitoring Minority Protection in the EU
The Situation of Muslims in the UK
Author: Tufyal Ahmed Choudhury
Publisher: Open Society Institute, Budapest
Date of Publication: September 2002
The EU Accession Monitoring Program (EUMAP) is a program of the Open Society Institute that is monitoring human rights and the rule of
law in ten Central-Eastern European and the five largest EU countries. Its monitoring reports focus on minority protection, judicial capacity,
and corruption and anti-corruption policy. This report focuses on the situation of Muslims in the UK.
Religious discrimination in England and Wales
Authors: Paul Weller, Alice Feldman and Kingsley Purdam
Publisher: Home Office Research Studies
ISBN: 1840826126; Date of Publication: February 2001
This report aims to assess the evidence of religious discrimination within England and Wales, both actual and perceived, and to describe the
resutling patterns, including: - its overall scale - the main victims - the main perpetrators - the main ways in which the discrimination
manifests. It aims to indicate the extent to which religious discrimination overlaps with racial discrimination and to identify the broad range
of policy options available for dealing with religious discrimination.
Tackling religious discrimination
pratical implications for policy-makers and legislators
Authors: Bob Hepple and Tufayl Choudhury
Publisher: Home Office Research Studies
ISBN: 1840826134
Date of Publication: February 2001
This paper aims to identify and examine the main options available to policy makers and legislators for tackling religious discrimination in
Great Britain. The focus is on employment and the provision of goods, facilities and services, including education.
Islam and Muslims in Britain, A Guide for Non-Muslims
53
Author: Mehmood Naqshbandi
Published by: City of London Police
Date: 2006
Downloaded from: www.muslimsinbritain.org
This Guide comes with a commendation from Bob Lambert, a police officer well-respected within the Muslim
community: "essential reading for police colleagues engaged in policing Muslim neighbourhoods across the country."
The 88-page Guide comprises 11 chapters and a glossary. Topics covered include: essential beliefs and practices;
Islam's place in the world and in Britain; the Mosque or masjid; Muslim routines and the Islamic calendar; Birth
marriage and death; Integration and friction; Work, food, drink and social etiquettes; Hygiene; and Arabic language,
personal and organisation names. The book utilizes an Arabic colophon - Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him each time there is a reference to Prophet Muhammad. To a discerning non-Muslim reader this ought to convey the
unique spiritual bond of love and respect which Muslims have towards their Prophet and thus place their disquiet over
the Dutch cartoon incident or the ongoing promotion of Salman Rushdie in context.
Naqshbandi's observations on mosques and imams should be required reading not just for those engaged in
community policing but also Muslim organizations committed to improving the quality of services and making these
institutions more inclusive to young people and women. He is particularly severe on 'factionalism', both ethnic and
ideological, and lack of transparency and good governance. Annual general meetings, for example, can be organised
surreptitiously and "thus become very inaccessible, one of the many complaints of young Muslims about their elders.
The paucity of mosque budgets also defines the calibre of their staff employed as imams, "there are no material
incentives that lead anyone raised in Britain to choose this career and they cannot have expectations of British
working conditions and wages".
The author is careful not to tar all mosques with the same brush. He notes that Charity Commissioners interventions
have been rare: "in spite of the obvious problems of the vulnerability, management of masjids to take-over, only in
one case out of 1300 to 1400 masjids, that of North London Islamic Centre in Finsbury Park, has this kind of power
struggle had sinister consequences, and in that case the main factors were not constitutional but a weak committee
stuck without a trained imam for significant period (they had sacked two), followed by sustained violent intimidation
by the supporters of the ad hoc imam (Abu Hamza Al Masri)".
Perhaps in a subsequent edition, the author may consider adding a footnote to his reference to the North London
Islamic Centre and Abu Hamza. According to one trustee, "we tried to get him arrested but he is never apprehended. I
asked Scotland Yard what they were doing. There was suspicion the police had another agenda"[1]. At his sentencing
in February 2006 (for race hate and possession of a terrorism manual) The Guardian noted that according to a former
MI5 agent who infiltrated the mosque, Abu Hamza was allowed to operate by the security services as long as he did
not threaten Britain's national security. "Both the agent and a close associate of Abu Hamza say the cleric was an
unwitting informant on other extremist Muslims. It emerged that over a three-year period the cleric had met repeatedly
with MI5 and Special Branch"[2].
In a more recent intervention in The Guardian the author has noted that "mosques are generally run by ultra-cautious,
elderly committees from an exclusive clan whose decision-making is not open to any other users, male or female. A
cheap imam is employed full-time to prevent chancers from volunteering for the role. Their sermons tend to be
amazingly bland, vague and irrelevant. Muslim youths complain that the mosques have nothing to offer them, and the
extremists tend to hold their meetings in youth clubs, not in mosques, where they have no influence" [11th December
2006].
In October 2005 the Home Office published proposals for a law that would have allowed the Police to go to court for
the issue of a 'Requirement Order' to persons 'controlling' a mosque to stop activities deemed 'terrorist (the Home
Office's "Places of Worship' consultation in October 2005). The Government's premise was that mosques served as the
incubators of tendencies to criminal activity. These proposals were eventually withdrawn after protests from a range of
faith communities, but the episode indicated that policy during Mr Blair's watch was made without consulting the
experts close at hand in the City of London Police.
The author provides a unique statistical table of mosques by various tendencies: Deobandi, Bareilvi, 'Maudoodi
masjids', Salafi masjids, Arab-speaking, Shia masjids. The author's terminology of 'Maudoodi masjids' is quaint and
unhelpful. He identifies 60 such mosques, presumably separate from 'Deobandi masjids' as "approx. 600". The term
has been applied to mosques that form part of the branch network of the UK Islamic Mission, a national association
established in the 1960s by Pakistanis settling in Britain with strong connections with their homeland's Islamic
political party and reform movement, 'Jamaat Islami'. Maudoodi was of course the founder of the Jamaat, but he died
in 1979 and the discourse has moved on. Moreover not a single mosque in Britain is named after him. If Naqshbandi
is seeking to highlight mosques that are politically active- his terminology is "political-oriented Muslim groups" - then
this is an example of the superficial stereotyping his Guide ought to be free of. Why stigmatise political activism in
this way? After the Bradford disturbances of Summer 2001, it was the UKIM mosques, because of their very culture
of political awareness, that were the first to conduct a post-mortem of events and work out ways of improving
community relations.
If the terminology 'Maudoodi masjids' is a throw-away remark then fine, though it conveys the notion that a section of
Muslims remain trapped in a 1960s/70s mindset unable to adapt to changing circumstances in Britain. This is
condescending to say the least and not an accurate reflection of the type of debate and discussion that really goes on.
However if the terminology reflects a disproval of Muslim political activism, then the matter is more serious. It would
mean that there is one criteria for synagogues, mandars and churches, and another for mosques. What of Israeli
ambassadors visiting synagogues and making rousing appeals? What of the Chief Rabbi rallying support round the
IDF during the recent attacks in Lebanon? What of the Catholic Church's political pressure on government on the
issue of agencies placing children for adoption with homosexuals? In any case Naqshbandi's terminology leaves nonMuslims with an erroneous impression, perhaps next expecting 'Sayyid Qutb mosques' or even 'Qaradawi mosques'!
The author is well-qualified to refine the mosque classification and establish a template for other researchers. For
54
example it would be useful to distinguish between mosques that are solely places of worship, and the emergence of
multi-purpose institutions like the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in West London, or the Whitechapel
Mosque/London Muslim Centre in the East End. The Muslim community is evolving and adapting, and so too are its
institutions. Professor Ceri Peach and Richard Gale's research offers further quantitative insights into the growth of the
mosque network, particularly the take-off in mosque projects after 1985 [3]. They note, "exotic religious buildings,
some of exquisite beauty, have been built on unlikely inner-city sites". The community entered into a rapid phase of
mosque building projects, but - as Naqshbandi's perceptive comments tell us - without adequate attention to the
underlying infrastructure needed, such as imams training.
In the Guide's preface Mr Naqshbandi states that he converted to Islam in 1982. This has undoubtedly given him a
first-hand feel for Muslim life. When describing Eid at the end of Ramadan he observes, "gifts of money are given by
parents to children, nephews and nieces, cascading from generation to generation, leaving the youngest of the family
flush and the eldest destitute, at least for the day". So the Muslim community does have a human face! With some
revision and update, the Guide has promise to be a definitive document offering a well-rounded view of the
community, warts and all.
[1] statement by Mufti Barkatulla on the Salaam web site, www.salaam.co.uk
[2] 8th February 2006, The Guardian
[3] 'Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs in the new religious landscape of England' Geographical Review, October 2003;93, 4
Understanding the other Perspective - Muslim and nonMuslim Relations
Author:Shaista Gohir
Published by:Muslim Voice UK, P O Box 12637, Birmingham B28 1AH
Date:July 2006
ISBN:0-9553574-0-3
This publication documents the findings of an internet-based survey undertaken by Muslim Voice UK, Dr Colin Irwin
(Queen's University, Belfast) and Global Markets Insite Inc. in April-May 2006. The sample comprised three subsets,
representing the general UK population (sample size 1002); the Muslim population (506) and the Jewish population
(103). The survey set out to establish views in five areas: Islamophobia and the 'clash of civilisations', Discrimination
and integration, the Muslim community, relations between the West and Muslim states, and Extremism and the 'war
on terror'.
The report states that "to carry out meaningful analysis when polling ethnic minorities, an adequate sample size is
required. Typically, a minimum of 500 is required….however for the Jewish sample, it was only possible to poll 103
Jews. As this sample size is small the results should be treated with caution". The report also notes that the survey
would have excluded people without access to the internet and that 66% were university-educated. Though it does not
clarify the steps taken to ensure persons did not make multiple entries, the author should be commended for
transparency on the research design. The most reliable conclusions probably relate to what non-Muslims had to say
about Muslims and Islam. The Muslim Voice UK report therefore is a contribution to the rapidly-increasing survey
literature on Muslims in Britain particularly in the area of identifying issues on which there is either an alignment or
dissonance in the thinking or perceptions of non-Muslims and Muslims in Britain.
The points of alignment are many. For example out of 21 different choices, both non-Muslims and Muslims most
frequently selected the issue 'all religions should be treated the same under British law' as 'essential'. This is interesting
as at present there is an anomaly in the law, with Jews and Sikhs - deemed ethnic groups - afforded greater protection
under the incitement to racial hatred legislation. This law offers protection from insulting and threatening behaviour,
which has been excluded from recent legislation relating to incitement to religious hatred - which offers protection to
Muslims - on the grounds of protecting freedom of expression.
Both non-Muslims and Muslims most frequently cited the factor 'civilizations of the West and Muslim world should
appreciate their differences and learn from each other' as the one 'essential to improve understanding - 46% for nonMuslims and 71% for Muslims. However a follow-up question indicated that many non-Muslims have less of a
willingness to become engaged in this process: only 9% deemed it 'very significant' that there was a 'failure of nonMuslims to appreciate the contribution of non-Muslims to appreciate the contribution Muslims have made to
civilisation'. Thus the sense of tolerance is accompanied by a stand-offishness and insularity. It is therefore important
for Muslims involved in outreach work to take account of these attitudes.
There is agreement on the issue of 'misrepresentation of Islam by minority Muslim groups to justify violence'. NonMuslims most frequently cited this as a 'very significant' problem (46%), which was matched by Muslims as well
(51%). The study also offers hope on the emergence of shared values of mutual civility: 43% of non-Muslims stated
that it was 'essential' that 'Muslims should not condemn difference but accept it with courtesy' - a view with which
49% of Muslims concurred.
Almost similar proportions of Muslims and non-Muslims agreed that it was 'essential' that groups that incited hatred
and violence in the UK should be banned (52% and 57% respectively).
Some points of dissonance: Only 7% of non-Muslims considered it 'very significant' that there was a 'failure of
government to protect the human rights of Muslims; for Muslim respondents, the comparable figure was 51%.
Similarly only 6% of non-Muslims considered it 'very significant' that there was discrimination against Muslims by
the Police; 30% believed that this statement is 'not even true'. In contrast, 32% of Muslims consider police
discrimination 'very significant', and only 5% state that it is 'not even true'. Thus attitudes towards the criminal justice
system are diametrically opposed.
55
There is also a much stronger perception amongst non-Muslims that it is right to blame Muslims for the London
bombings. This is the impact on the man in the street of the continued Government rhetoric that the Muslim
community and its institutions have been soft on extremism. Thus while 66% of Muslims 'strongly agree' that they
have been 'unfairly blamed for the London bombings', only 23% of non-Muslims share this view'. Almost 1 in 2 nonMuslims believes it is OK to apportion blame in this way, or are ambivalent.
The Muslim Voice UK survey has also uncovered marked differences in response to factors significant to relations
between the West and the Muslim world. The factor most cited as 'very significant' by non-Muslims was 'suicide
bombings that kill Israeli civilians' (50%); for Muslims the most cited 'very significant' factor was the invasion of Iraq
(80%). Interestingly, 38% of non-Muslim respondents considered it 'essential' that all UN resolutions should be
enforced 'without favour or discrimination while only 2% deemed this unacceptable. Moreover 48% of non-Muslims
considered the proposition that Israel should be exempted if the Middle East was made a nuclear-free zone as
'unacceptable'. There the public seems to have retained a sense of fair play, if not our Government.
Towards Greater Understanding - Meeting the needs of
Muslim pupils in state schools
Published by: Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)
Date: February 2007
Downlodable From: http://www.mcb.org.uk/downloads/Schoolinfoguidancev2.pdf
It is estimated that there are about 400,000 Muslim schoolchildren, with almost 96% in state schools.
The purpose of this guide is to provide background information on relevant Islamic beliefs and practices and values
and to deal with issues arising within schools that are important to and may be of concern to Muslim pupils and their
parents. The information and guidance document is intended to be used as a source of reference by schools when
reviewing their policies and practices in relation to meeting the needs of their Muslim pupils.
The topics covered include: Dress in Schools, Halal Meals, Provision for prayer, Islamic Festivals, Physical education
Expressive Arts, Islamic Resources in the School Library and Engaging with the Muslim Community.
The National Association of Head Teachers has welcomed the guidelines, describing it as a " helpful and useful
document...It rightly acknowledges the considerable work done together by schools and communities over many years
and identifies established good practice. It also developmentally points to further help and support that could be given
to Muslim pupils. NAHT welcomes the document in encouraging and facilitating that debate. However, the
Government must acknowledge that if, 'Every Child Matters' that has to mean every child, and that sufficient
resources are given to schools to allow them to meet the needs of their Muslim pupils.”
Muslims in the European Union: Discrimination and
Islamophobia
Published by: European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC)
Date: December 2006
Downlodable From: http://eumc.europa.eu/eumc/
The EUMC has been conducting qualitative studies on anti-Muslim discrimination since 2001. This year's report
monitors ten countries, including the UK. It notes that "although there is currently no legally agreed definition of
Islamophobia, nor has social science developed a common definition, policy and action to combat it is undertaken
within the broad concepts of racism and racial discrimination". Thus reports of 'racist violence and crime' provide the
base source material. In most EU countries the criminal justice systems do not record the faith of the victim of a hate
crime (this was adopted on a pilot basis by the Met Police but results have not been placed in the public domain) so it
is necessary to use ethnic or nationality proxies. The Home Office British Crime Survey found Pakistanis and
Bangladeshis consistently to be more at risk of being a victim of racially motivated crime than the other ethnic groups
surveyed. The EUMC report notes that "the true extent and nature of discrimination and Islamophobic incidents
against Muslim communities remains severely under-reported an d under-documented in the EU. There is a lack of
data or official information on, first, the social situation of Muslims in Member states and, second, on the extent and
nature of Islamophobic incidents".
The report includes a table of the Muslim population of 25 EU states (pages 27-29), providing a total of 13 million.
However the figure is on the low side, because it estimates the French Muslim population to be in the region of 3.5
million. In reality France might have three times as many Muslims. It also notes the lower age profile of European
Muslims - in the UK for example, the average age of Muslims is 28, eleven years younger than the rest of the
population.
A section of the report deals with the non-Muslim population's perception of Muslims. It finds that positive opinions
of Muslims have declined most sharply in Germany and Spain, in comparison with France and Britain. So
interestingly, the parts of Europe where facism was strongest last century remain xenophobic today. These countries
may be the touchstone of increasing intolerance across Europe. The report quotes a UK survey by York University in
April 2005 that found that 43% of youth in regional towns and cities becoming more Islamophobic - 10% of 13-14
year olds supported the BNP.
The 118 page report documents findings in the areas of employment, education and housing. It concludes by calling
on Member states to provide migrants, including Muslims, with equal opportunities, and to take steps to prevent their
56
marginalization and exclusion from mainstream society.
The EUMC has also published a supplement - 'Perceptions of discrimination and Islamophobia - voices from members
of Muslim communities in the European Union', drawing on 58 interviews, including young Muslims in Britain. It has
found that feelings of exclusion can be more marked among European-born Muslims in comparison with their parents.
It notes that "respondents in Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the UK reported that policies and public
discourse in the last five years have negatively impacted on the sense of belonging. In the experience of some
respondents, even those who had previously felt part of society, now feel increasingly alienated and rejected".
Pundits like Kenan Malik declare that "the degree of hatred and discrimination is being exaggerated to suit particular
political agendas, stoking up resentment and creating a victim culture". The EUMC report thus warrants wider
publicity. It also serves as a warning bell of increasing xenophobia across Europe. As noted by Liz Fekete in her essay
in 'Race and Class' (Vol. 48, Issue 2, 2006): "the realigned Right...is using state power to reinforce fears about 'aliens'
and put into place legal and administrative structures that discriminate against Muslims...central to such a process is a
generalized suspicion of Muslims, who are characterized as holding on to an alien culture..."
Islamophobia
Issues, challenges and action
Chaired: Dr Richard Stone
Research: Hugh Muir and Laura Smith
Editor: Robin Richardson
Adviser: Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid
Publishers:Trentham Books Limited
Date of Publication: 2004
This report should be read by anyone who believes that Islamophobia only exists in the minds of Muslims. Credit is due to a retired
London GP, Dr Richard Stone, for ensuring there is an up-to-date document describing the objective reality. As chair of the
'Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia' - a body comprising 13 experts, six of whom are Muslims - Dr Stone is largely
responsible for keeping the matter alive and on the public agenda. The Commission was established by the Runnymede Trust in
1996 and its first report, 'Islamophobia: A challenge for us all' was published in 1997.
The updated report takes stock of the impact of 9/11 and the subsequent pillorying of Muslims by the media, the disturbances in the
North of England in summer 2001, and other landmarks such as the publication of religion data from the 2001 Census and the new
Employment Directive relating to religious discrimination that came into force in December 2003. It revisits the 60
recommendations that were made in the 1997 report - requiring action by central and local government, public bodies and civil
society institutions - concluding that "a many-pronged approach to combating Islamophobia and [to] recognise British Muslim
identity is required".
The report urges for a policy of 'positive duty' (i.e. a statutory duty) for the promotion of equality of opportunity and the avoidance
of discrimination. It calls on the CRE (Commission for Racial Equality) to take an active role in policing how employers and
suppliers in the public sector fulfil such 'positive duty' responsibilities. This raises two questions, conceptual and practical. Firstly,
Islam is a religion rather than an ethnicity - in fact a religion that transcends ethnic boundaries. Therefore, is it not going against the
grain to accept protection under racial equality legislation? Secondly, will the CRE - that has a dismal record in taking up cases of
religious discrimination faced by Muslims of Asian ethnicity - rise to the challenge?
The Commission has taken particular care in its consultation process to ensure the views of mainstream Muslim community
organisations have been taken on board. The Commission collected fresh data through interviews, and also took account of the
views of experts and the findings of recent academic studies. The outcome is a work that is an authentic reflection of the state of
affairs.
Full Text of Paper By Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid, Chairman
Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony UK,
"Islamophobia: A new word for an old fear" - English
(PDF) at
http://www.osce.org/documents/cio/2005/06/15198_en.pdf
"Intolerance and Islamophobia" Full Report and all papers of OSCE Cordaba Conference on AntiSemitism and on Other Forms of Intolerance 8/9 June 2005 at http://www.osce.org/item/9735.html
57
Full Text of Paper By Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid, Chairman Muslim Council for Religious and Racial
Harmony UK, "Islamophobia: A new word for an old fear" - English (PDF) at
http://www.osce.org/documents/cio/2005/06/15198_en.pdf
Imam Sajid’s paper on Islamophobia is also at:
http://net.iofc.org/logon.php?SN=6,26&DETAIL=48
Islamophobia: A new word for an old fear - Part I
By Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid
Islamophobia: A new word for an old fear
By Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid
Chairman Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony UK
8 Caburn Road Hove BN3 6EF (UK)
http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/2005jan_comments.php?id=558_0_31_0_C
Islamophobia: A new word for an old fear - Part II
By Imam Dr. Abduljalil Sajid
http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/2005jan_comments.php?id=559_0_31_30_C
Islamophobia: A new word for an old fear - Part III
By Imam Dr. Abduljalil Sajid
http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/2005jan_comments.php?id=560_0_31_30_C
Islamophobia: A new word for an old fear - Part IV Notes and Appendices
By Imam Dr. Abduljalil Sajid
http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/2005jan_comments.php?id=561_0_31_30_C
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