The religion of Islam is, undoubtedly, Allah’s Religion, which conforms to man’s human nature and guarantees good health for him. It also establishes a kind of balance between matter and spirit, needs and values; and it enables man to enjoy a good life in the present world and the world to come, as it considers the life of this present world as a stage in which man gets ready for the Hereafter.

 The religion of Islam also considers man’s good health as the basis for his good psychological condition and spiritual enhancement. It considers good health as the source of man’s good mental health and excellence. Further, Allah, All Mighty, makes good physical health and strength, and wisdom and mental enlightenment, as prominent qualities of those whom He chooses to shoulder responsibilities of His Revelation and Message. To this effect, Allah, Most Gracious, says,

“And their Prophet (Samuel) said to them, ‘Indeed Allah has appointed Sal as king over you.’ They said, ‘How can he be king over us when we are fitter than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth.’ He said, ‘Verily, Allah has chosen him above you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah grants His kingdom to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient (for His creatures’ needs) and (He is) Omniscient.”

[II; 247]

 The Almighty Lord, Allah, Glory to Him, has also made clear that strength and honesty as well as competence and sincerity are the criteria whereby people are determined as being capable of shouldering certain sublime jobs or responsibilities. These criteria are mentioned in Allah’s Book, the Holy Quran. To this effect, the Quranic Verse goes,

“And one of them said: ‘O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong and the trustworthy.’”

[XXVIII; 26]

 In the same context, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says,

“A strong believer is better than a weak one…”

 He (PBUH) does not say, “A strong person is better than a weak believer”. This is because without belief in Allah and His Religion strength destroys both man and society; but if added to belief, strength can achieve miracles. To this effect, the venerable Companion, Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, quotes Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), as saying,

“A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, although both are good. Be careful about things that are good for you, and do not despair. If anything afflicts you, do not say, ‘If I had done so and so, there would have been so and so.’ But say, ‘Allah has decreed, and He does whatever He desires’; because the word ‘if’ opens the door for Satan’s (evil) work.”

 Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), even considers good physical health as one third of the life of this present world. To this effect, the venerable Companion, Salamah Bin ‘Ubeidillah Bin Mouhsen Al-Khatmi, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated on authority of his father that Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), said,

“If the one of you gets up in the morning secure with his people, his body is well and healthy, and he has his food for a whole day, it is as though he owns the whole world.”

 Also, Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, considers illness as worse than poverty but better than disbelief. He also considers good health as a better Divine Blessing than wealth although belief is better than good health. He, may Allah be pleased with him, says,
 “Verily, poverty is a kind of misfortune, but illness is worse than poverty. Illness of the heart (spiritual illness) is worse than illness of the body. Wealth is a kind of Divine Blessing, but better than wealth is good health, and better than good health is piety of the heart.”

 Islamic medicine is, at the same time, a natural, spiritual, psychological, protective and curative kind of medicine.

 Islamic medicine is natural in the sense that it makes a Muslim’s character based on giving and not receiving, on working and not consuming efforts of sh3er, on working and not speculating, on altruism and not selfishness, on sacrifice and not avarice, and on self-denial and not self-confirmation. It considers hard work as the essence of good health.

 In some medical conferences on heart diseases, the conferees agreed that the good medical condition is achieved by means of both labor and psychological comfort and that our modern life is characterized with lack of labor but existence of a lot of psychic stress; and both of which lurk behind increase of cases of heart diseases in the most developed countries.

 Yes, indeed! Labor is, in itself, good health not only for the heart and blood vessels but the muscles and organs of the human body as well. Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), is the perfect model with this respect. In some expeditions, when he, (PBUH), found that the number of riding camels was not enough for all of his Companions, he bade every three of them to take turns in mounting on one camel, saying,

“Ali, Abu Loubabah, and I (will take turns in riding) on a camel.”

 He, (PBUH), stood on equal terms with his Companions with respect to work; and when it was his turn to dismount and walk, his other two Companions felt that it was improper for him to dismount and walk while they ride, as he, (PBUH), was their Prophet and leader. They suggested, “O Messenger of Allah! Stay riding!” But he, (PBUH), said his well-known maxim,

“Neither you are stronger than I am to walk, nor am I in less need of (Allah’s) Good Reward.”

 Yes, indeed! Labor is good for the heart and blood vessels, for the muscles and organs, and for social life and its bonds. It reflects good understanding of the reality of the life of this world, which is an abode of labor, the hereafter being the abode of recompense and reward.

 From the viewpoint of psychiatrics, a lot diseases and illnesses, some of which are incurable and some are deadly, like diseases of the heart and blood vessels, diseases of the digestive system and the kidneys, psychological and neurological illnesses and disorders, …etc, are mainly caused by psychic problems from which polytheists suffer in our modern times. This is because Allah, All Mighty, casts terror into the hearts of those who call upon other gods besides Him. To this effect, Allah, All Mighty, says,

“We shall cast terror into the hearts of disbelievers because they joined sh3er in worship with Allah, for which He had sent no authority. Their abode will be the Fire; and how evil is the abode of the wrongdoers!”

[III; 151]

 In this context, it has been rightly said: Expecting a disaster is more disastrous than the disaster itself. Fear of poverty is, in itself, a kind of poverty; and fear of illness is, in itself, a kind of illness. That is why Allah, All Mighty, says,

“Verily, man was created very impatient, irritable when evil touches him, and niggardly when good touches him, except those who are devoted to prayers, and those who remain constant in their prayers, and those in whose wealth there is a recognized right for the beggar who asks and for the unlucky who has lost his property and wealth, and those who believe in the Day of Recompense.”

[LXX; 19-26]

 Some doctors even believe that the rise of blood pressure is caused by the rise of worry pressure. Moreover, gates of psychological torment are wide open for those who deviate from monotheism, and hence, fall easy prey to polytheism. To this effect, Allah, Most Gracious, says,

“So invoke not another god besides Allah, lest you should be among those who receive torment.”

[XXVI; 213]

 Therefore, firm belief in Allah as the Creator, Lord, and Disposer of all things fills the heart with security, which is the most precious thing in man’s psychological life, and which repels worry and anxiety that destroy human life and make it unbearable. To this effect, Quranic Verses go,

“And how should I fear those that you associate in worship with Allah, while you fear not that you have joined in worship with Allah things for which He has not sent down to you any authority. So, which of the two parties has more right to be in security, if you but know? It is those who believe and confuse not their belief with wrongdoing: for them (alone) there is security and they are the rightly guided.”

[VI; 81,82]

 If safety means lack of misfortune, then security means lack of expectation of misfortune. That is why the Almighty, Lord, bids us,

“Say: ‘Nothing shall ever happen to us except that which Allah has ordained for us. He is our Lord.’ And in Allah let believers put their trust.”

[IX; 51]

 Such faith fills man with tranquility and confidence in Allah’s Infinite Divine Justice, simply because keys of all things are in His Divine Hands and under His Irresistible Divine Control; and He, Most Merciful, never does wrong to anyone:

“And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We (Allah) shall bring it; and Sufficient are We to take account.”

[XXI; 47]

 It is Allah, Glory to Him, Who defends believers, rescues them from all misfortunes and helps them against their enemies.

 Such faith fills man with great feelings of success, prosperity, and excellence, and enables him to win Allah’s Good Pleasure, which is the most valuable thing that a human being can ever achieve.

 Such faith fills man with feelings of comfort, submission and devotion to the Lord, Allah, All Mighty, and contentment with His Divine Decree and Foreordainment. This is because Allah, Most Gracious, decrees only the truth and good things. That is why it is narrated that:

“Belief in Divine Decree removes worry an sadness.”

 Such feelings enable man to achieve psychological happiness known only to those who taste it; and psychological health is the essence of physical health. That is why doctors say: “Psychological health is enough to restore the heartbeat and blood pressure to normal.”

 Islamic curative medicine starts from the fact that removal of the causes of illness is better, easier and more efficient than removal of its symptoms and that even if symptoms of illness are removed, it still has side effects that show, later on, in the form of vascular, cardiac, and renal diseases.

 In fact, protective medicine is considered as the master of all human medicine, because power of the nation is determined by the power of its individuals, just as its income is determined by their incomes. A nation dwelled by diseases and epidemics is an abode of great losers, whether from the viewpoint of human power or expenditure. This is because ill or weak people will not be able to contribute efficiently to increase the nation’s total income, and because ill people need a lot of money for medical treatment. In short, unhealthy citizens are a great burden and nuisance for the whole nation.

 In addition, a lot of medicines are imported from other countries; therefore, their cost is usually paid in hard currency, which is very important for execution of productive projects that bring prosperity and welfare to the whole nation.

 Medical treatment of a patient who suffers from Tuberculosis, for example, takes nine months on average to recover; and it costs the patient and the nation lots of money and equipment, in addition to the great pain and anxiety the patient undergoes. Precaution against this disease needs only a cheap vaccine that a person takes in one single instant.

 By the way, cleanliness, which is next to godliness, and which the religion of Islam strongly advocates, is a kind of protective medicine, as it protects the body from lots of infectious diseases, which are transported by dirty hands and utensils, like cholera, dysentery, and other intestinal diseases.

 Cleanliness also reactivates blood circulation, as it stirs nerves, massages parts of the body, and maintains the skin’s good heath and proper functions. It is also very important for social relations and for building a balanced personality. That is why Allah, All Mighty, strongly encourages us to be clean and pure; and He, Glory to Him, even considers cleanliness and purity as a means to His Divine Love. In this context, He, Most Gracious, says,

“Truly, Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves.”

[II; 222]

 The well known Imam and scholar Al-Ghazali, most beautifully sets four levels for purity that can be deduced from the above Quranic Verse:

 First level: purification of external parts of the body from all kinds of dirty things, i.e. from ritual impurity.
 Second level: purification of work from sins and misdeeds.
 Third level: purification of the soul from bad traits and detested evil qualities.
 Fourth level: purification of the soul from everything except Allah, All Mighty.

 Furthermore, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), mentioned that food is made more blessed and wholesome when we wash our hands and mouth just before we have it. To this effect, He, (PBUH), says,

“Food is blessed and more wholesome by washing (the hands and mouth) before and after (having) it.

 Also, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), considers Friday Ghusul (i.e. washing of the whole body every Friday) as a religious obligation. He, (PBUH), says,

“It is an obligation for every Muslim to perform Ghusul, i.e. to wash his head and body, every seven days.”

 Further, due to the great importance it gives to cleanliness, Islam considers it as a prerequisite for Allah’s acceptance of our prayer. To this effect, Allah, Most Gracious, says,

“O you who believe! When you intend to offer prayers, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and rub your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of ritual impurity, purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey, or if any of you comes after having answered the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women and you find no water, then perform Tayamum with clean earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favor to you that you may be thankful.”

[V; 6]

 Moreover, due to His Infinite Divine Grace, Allah, Praise to Him, has provided us with pure clean water whereby we wash our bodies. In this context, Allah, Most Gracious, says,

“And it is He (Allah) Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His Mercy; and We send down pure water from the sky.”

[XXV; 48]

 He, Glory to Him, also says,

“And (remember) when He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him, and He caused water (rain) to descend on you from the sky, to clean you thereby and to remove from you Satan’s impurity, and to strengthen your hearts and make your feet firm thereby.”

[VIII; 11]

 According to the teachings of Islam, moderation in eating and drinking is also a kind of protective medicine. In this context, Allah, All Mighty, says,

“O children of Adam! Take your adornment at every place of worship; and eat and drink, but do not be prodigal. Verily, He (Allah) does not love the prodigal.”

[VII; 31]

 By virtue of this Verse, Allah, All Mighty, bids Muslims clearly to be moderate in eating and drinking, although He forbids them from being wasteful or prodigal in everything, not only in eating and drinking.

 Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), also showed clearly limits of moderation. He, (PBUH), said,

“The worst vessel the son of Adam may fill is his stomach. It suffices man (to have) a few mouthfuls that support his life. But if he desires more than that, (he should reserve) one third (of his stomach) for his food, one third for his drink, and one third for his breath.”

 It has also been said: “Only 1/10 of what we eat is enough to keep us alive; and 9/10 of what we eat is enough to keep doctors alive.”

 Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), also showed that one does not enjoy food by choosing the best and most delicious kinds of foods but rather by being hungry when one eats.

 Eating food after being hungry is also a kind of protective medicine, as the body does not get any benefit from food unless it is properly assimilated; and neither digestion nor assimilation takes place properly unless digestive juices are abundant, which happens only when one is hungry.

 There is also another kind of Islamic medicine, namely curative medicine, i.e. medication and adopting certain procedures and protocols for recovery. With this respect, it goes without saying that curative medicine is in full conformity with both logic and religion. It conforms to logic because medication is meant for recovery, which is a good and useful thing; and it conforms to Allah’s Religion of Islam because Allah, All Mighty, says,

“And when I am ill, it is He (Allah) Who cures me.”

[XXVI; 80]

 For more explanation of the above Quranic Verse, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says,

“Seek medication, for Allah does not send down an illness except after he sends down a cure for it: those, who know it (such cure), know it, but those, who ignore it, ignore it.”

 Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), also makes clear that recovery from illness needs a couple of elements. The first element is proper diagnosis and medication, both of which are necessary but not at all sufficient. The second element is Allah’s Permission, which allows the medicine to be effective enough as to remove the symptoms and to cure illness. That is why Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says,

“There is a cure for each illness, if the cure meets the illness, it (illness) is cured by Allah’s Leave.”

A physician has knowledge to help him,
If there is in people’s life any respite.
But if days of people’s life-trip have ended,
The physician is baffled and his medicines betray him.

 Medication does not clash with belief in Divine Decree or trust in Allah, All Mighty. To this effect, Al-Boukhari narrated on authority of Abdullah Bin ‘Abbas that Omar Bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was once on his way to Syria. But when he reached a place called Sargh, in the outskirts of Syria, he was informed by his army leaders, Abu ‘Ubaidah Bin Al-Jarrah and his companions, that Syria was afflicted with plague. Omar said, “Summon the first Mouhajireen (Emigrants) to come unto me.” And he discussed the issue of the plague with them; and they differed among themselves as regards this issue. Some of them said, “You have got out for the achievement of something; and we do not think it is a good idea to get back unless after having achieved it.” Others said, “You have lots of people with you; and some of these people are Allah’s Messenger’s Companions. So we do not think it is a good idea to go forward with them into such plague.” Then, Omar bade them to leave and summoned to the Helpers and discussed the issue with them; but the same thing happened with the Ansar (The Helpers). Then, he bade them to leave and ordered to have leaders of Quraish, who emigrated upon the conquest of Mecca, to be summoned unto him. When he discussed the issue of the plague with them, all of them were of the same opinion: “We think it is a good idea to go back and not to go forward with people into the plague.” So, Omar said, “I am going back, so let everyone go back with me.” Abu ‘Ubaidah Bin Al-Jarrah said, “Do you want to flee from Allah’s Divine Decree?!” Omar said, “If someone else said that, o Abu ‘Ubaidah! Yes, I do. We flee from Allah’s Divine Decree to Allah’s Divine Decree! You see! If you had camels that went down a valley that has two sides: one side is fertile and the other side is barren. If you pasture your camels in the fertile side, don’t you do that with Allah’s Divine Decree? And also, if you pasture them in the barren side, don’t you do that with Allah’s Divine Decree?” Then, Abudurrahman Bin ‘Aouf, who was away for some reason or another, came and said, “I know this. I have heard Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), saying,

“If you hear of the existence of the plague in a certain piece of land, do not enter it; and if it afflicts a piece of land while you are therein, do not flee away from it.”

 Therefore, Omar said, “Praise to Allah” and went away.

 Religious scholars said: Medication is certainly useful, as all doctors confirm. And no one should be negligent or careless as regards any illness, because illness prevents one from doing one’s duties towards Allah, All Mighty, and towards other fellow humans; and if neglected, illness may sometimes cause death or does harm to an organ or part of the body. Therefore, medication is considered as a religious obligation in Islam.

 In this context, it is worth mentioning that according to Islam, medicine is a kind of specialization that needs a lot of study and preparation. To this effect, “Amr Bin Shou’aib quoted Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), as saying,

“He who practices medicine without adequate former knowledge is held responsible (for the evil consequences of such unknowledgeable practice).”

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