Importance of health in Islam
Health is a blessing from Allah. It is obligatory upon us to safeguard health. On the day of
resurrection, Allah will ask us about our health and we are responsible for our own wellbeing.
Then, on that day, you shall be asked about the delight (you indulged in, in this world)! (At-Takathur
102:8)
On the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said “The first blessing that the servant
will be asked about on the day of resurrection will be the saying to him, ‘Have We not made
your body healthy and drove away from your thirst with cold water? (At-Tirmizhi)
A persons success depends upon two things in his life; first, it is Imaan and second, it is health
“The servant’s success cannot be complete in both lives except by joining certainty of faith and
health” – Imam Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم commanded his companions to
ask Allah for good health since it is the greatest blessing after Iman which Allah gives to his
servant. It is obligatory for the servant of Allah to seek healing according to the Shairah to save oneself
from shirk, kufr, and haram. For this reason, one must learn Thibbun Nabawi, which is the
Prophetic way of healing oneself.
What is Thibbun Nabawi ?
Ṭibb al-Nabawī refers to the words and actions of Prophet Muhammad with reference to
disease, the treatment of disease, and the care of patients. It also refers to a) the actual words
of the Prophet on medical matters; b) medical treatment practiced by others on the
Prophet) medical treatment practiced by the Prophet on himself and others; d) medical
treatment observed by the Prophet with no objections and e) medical procedures that the
Prophet heard or knew about and did not prohibit.
Ṭibb al-Nabawī also includes guidance on physical and mental health that is universally
applicable to patients, at any time, and under all circumstances. It covers preventive medicine,
curative medicine, mental well-being, spiritual cures (ruqyah), and medical treatments. It seeks
to integrate body and soul in the quest for optimum health. Recent scholars have, in their
definitions of Ṭibb al-Nabawī, tried to be as comprehensive as possible. Consider the following
definition posited by Muḥammad Nazzār al-Daqr: “Ṭibb al-Nabawī may be defined as the
science which combines all that has come to us from the Messenger of Allah related to the
subject of medicine. This would include the verses of the Qur’ān, the blessed Prophetic
Traditions (aḥādīth) and will also include the prescriptions of the Prophet as he
administered treatment to some of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) when
they asked him for cures, or when he instructed them in some remedy. Likewise, this definition
encompasses the advice which concerns the healthy living of a human being pertaining to his
food and drink, his dwelling, and marriage. It also covers the injunctions related to medicine and
medication, the etiquettes to be observed, and the legal responsibilities of the practitioner”
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim stated; “Prophetic medicine is not like the medicine of the physicians, for
the medicine of the Prophet is certain, definitive, emanating from (divine) revelation, the
lantern of Prophethood, and perfection of reason. As for the medicine of others, most of it is
conjecture, presumptions, and experimentation.” – Zaad al-Ma’aad (3/97-98)
Importance of Tibb un Nabawi
Imaam al-Shaafi’ee an 8th Century scholar once said, “I don’t know of a knowledge more noble
than medicine after the halal and haram.” And he used to be concerned (and grieved) over
what the Muslims had neglected of medicine, and he would say, “They have neglected one
third of knowledge and have entrusted it to the Jews and Christians.” And he used to say,
“Indeed the Ahl al-Kitaab have dominated us with respect to medicine.”
And al-Shaafi’ee, alongside his greatness in the knowledge of the Sharee’ah, and his great skill
in Arabic was also insightful in medicine. The writer (i.e. al-Dhahabi) says: And I have seen our
Shaykh, Shaykh Ibraaheem al-Raqiyy to be insightful in medicine, and likewise our Shaykh,
Shaykh Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyyah, and Shaykh Imaad al-Din al-Waasitee (rahimahullaau
ta’aalaa) *were insightful in medicine+.
Abu Bakr Rabi’ b. Ah-mad al-Akhwini al-Bukhari, who lived in the tenth century, in his Hidayat
al-Muta‘allim (Guide for Stu-dent) articulated that wise men have once said that it is incumbent
upon every person to learn the basic of Islamic law, because when a person knows its Law, he is
immune from going astray. Next, a Muslim must study some basic medicine in order to
preserve health, so that quack doctors will not be able to dispense their mistreatments.
Development of Medicine in the Muslim world
At the time of Abbasid Caliphate mainly between the 7th CE to 13th CE Islamic sciences
and scientific research began to flourish. Many Muslim scholars contributed greatly in the field
of medicine and surgery. Many scholars emerged as pioneers of medicine and surgery. One of
them was Ibn Sina who contributed to the development of modern medicine and psychology.
Al-Zahrawi is called the “Father of modern surgery” because he created many surgical tools,
including the scalpel; he was the first to use cotton in treatment and the first to use catgut to
make internal stitches in patients, and he wrote a medical book that was translated into Latin
so that European doctors could use it. The world’s first hospital was built in Muslim cities such as
Baghdad, Cairo, and Toledo were treatments like surgery, bone setting, and bloodletting were
practiced. Ibn Nafis was the physician to discover pulmonary circulation.
The reason that the early Muslims advanced so much in Medicine is that the Prophet
had told them that for every disease there is a cure and that they should seek treatment. He
pointed to many cures himself. He encouraged the women of his household to learn medicine
from those who knew it. Women, in the time of the Prophet excelled in medicine. The
Prophet had pitched a tent in the yard of his masjid in Madina and appointed a lady named
Rufaidah to run it as a field hospital, nurse the wounded and care for homeless newcomers to
Madina. [Source: Tarikh at-Tabari]
Prophetic medicine in modern times
In general Prophetic Medicine is used in the Muslim world as a holistic method. But
Muslim research in the field of medicine in the context of Thibbun nabawi has vanished due to
the global influence of western ideas and philosophies. But even today the Prophetic Medicine
can be used as a foundation upon which new research can be done to find cures for modern
diseases. In modern days, Prophetic medicine has already established reasonable
credibility in the medical field through many of its treatment technique such as Khitan
(Circumcision) and Hijama. Today, Khitan & Hijama are widely practiced throughout the globe
with tremendous success and it has been adopted by various medical associations worldwide.
Prophetic Medicinal herbs are widely used as keys ingredient in almost all of the Herbal medical
systems and the Prophetic teachings related to medicine have also been incorporated, such as
the hadith of the Prophet
“For every disease, there is a medicine, and if that medicine is applied to the disease, he will
recover by Allah’s Leave.” (Saheeh Al-Jami)
This message of the Prophet encourages humanity to search for the remedies for the
incurable diseases and also it opens the doors of hope for the patients as well as doctors.
Doctors can also choose spiritual healing techniques such as Ruqya, under the guidelines of
Thibbun Nabawi to seek a cure for deadly and incurable diseases like cancer, poisoning, renal
diseases, physiological disorders, and other health disorders unknown to mankind.
Miraculous healing stories
Throughout the world, people have experienced miraculous healing when they sought Thibbun
Nabawi to cure their illnesses. Below are few such instances from the real lives of people.
A woman named Yusriyah Abdur Rahman was diagnosed with Ulcerative Keratitis and was told
by the doctors that she would lose her eyesight if any treatment was done to reduce the pain.
Losing hope in medical procedures, she left for Umrah where she sincerely made dua to Allah for
Shifa and washed her eyes with Zam Zam seeking healing. Later her eyes became perfectly
sound without any medical interventions.
Another person named Dr. Farooq was diagnosed with kidney stones and the doctors advised
him for surgery which he delayed and went for an Umra to ask Allah for Shifa. There he
performed the rituals and drank Zam Zam water. Later the stone came out from the urine and
he was cured from the ailment which surprised the doctors completely who were treating him.
A Moroccan lady called Layla Al-Helou was diagnosed with cancer and the doctors determined
that she would not live more than three months. Thereafter she went for an Umra and spent
all her time in prayer and reading Quran. After few days she noticed that the tumors got
disappeared completely. She went back to Paris to check with the doctors. The doctors were
totally surprised to find out that she had no trace of the cancer on her chest.
A man from Saudi Arabia was paralyzed due to a car accident and left in wheelchair support.
Then afterward he turned to Allah never to turn away from the worship of Allah. One day
when he was praying Fajr Salah, he was deeply moved by the supplication which made him to
cry and his body trembled out of fear of Allah. After finishing his Salah he felt strength flowing
through his body. Then after he got up from his wheelchair and was then able to stand and
walk normally. Another story is of Hafiz Abbas’s a Lahore resident who survived multiple organ failure (which
happened due to poisoning) when his doctor Dr. Javed played audio of Surah Ar-Rahman
after all medical procedures failed to cure him. According to Dr.Javed, several patients of
epilepsy, brain hemorrhage and organ failures have shown unbelievable recovery because of
the same ‘Surah Ar-Rahman’.