Faith Healing in Islam and Undesirability of Modern Medicine

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Blessings and salutations of peace be upon you my Master, Apostle of Allah

Modern pharmaceutics is a trillion dollar industry that in my view poses an aggressive challenge to the Faith. Among many Muslims there is a perception that medicine is the noblest of sciences and professions and that a medical doctor is the best of mankind for Allah says:

وَمَنۡ اَحۡیَاہَا فَکَاَنَّمَاۤ اَحۡیَا النَّاسَ جَمِیۡعًا

And whoever saves the life of a soul it is as though he has saved the life of mankind altogether

(Surah 5, Ayah 32)

Incidentally, regarding this beautiful maxim, Allah says at the beginning of this Ayah:

کَتَبۡنَا عَلٰی بَنِیۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِیۡلَ

We wrote it upon the Children of Israel

But this is not found in their written Scripture, rather in the Talmud. It is a proof against the sola scriptura heresy which fails to recognize the authority of extra-Scriptural divine inspiration that was preserved as an oral tradition.

Now while modern-day doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, we find that the ethics of many of them is questionable at best, though this is institutional and not necessarily due to personal flaws. Very few doctors are actually on the front line of saving a patient’s life. Their career is predominantly dedicated to prescribing medicine and treatments. The Industry is all about earning maximum profit and that motive in principle will compromise any and all ethical considerations at the end of the day.

But Islam teaches the concept of “faith healing”, that is, it is better to supplicate to Allah for healing, and to treat one’s illness or ailment, big or small, through prayer, worship, saying the Name of Allah and reciting the Quran, rather than to seek recourse to conventional medicine. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

وَاَیُّوۡبَ اِذۡ نَادٰی رَبَّہٗۤ اَنِّیۡ مَسَّنِیَ الضُّرُّ وَاَنۡتَ اَرۡحَمُ الرّٰحِمِیۡنَ

And Job when he called on his Lord: I have been touched by harm and You are the most merciful of the merciful

فَاسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَہٗ فَکَشَفۡنَا مَا بِہٖ مِنۡ ضُرٍّ

So We answered him and We removed the harm from him

(Surah 21, Ayah 83 & 84)

The Prophet Ayyub (Job) عليه السلام was cured from a lethal disease merely through his prayer to Allah. And the preference from prayer over medicine is also found in the example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم when during his illness some of his Companions رضى الله عنهم medicated him against his will, thinking his protestations were merely the ordinary reaction of a patient to the bitter taste of medicine. However, when his condition improved he admonished them sternly, saying:

أَلَمْ أَنْهَكُمْ أَنْ تَلُدُّونِي

Did I not forbid you from medicating me? (Sahih al-Bukhari)

In another Hadith it says:

مَا أُبَالِي مَا أَتَيْتُ إِنْ أَنَا شَرِبْتُ تِرْيَاقًا أَوْ تَعَلَّقْتُ تَمِيمَةً أَوْ قُلْتُ الشِّعْرَ مِنْ قِبَلِ نَفْسِي

I would be careless if I drank tiryaq (antidote), or hung an amulet or said poetry from myself (Sunan Abi Dawud). These narrations establish the undesirability of consuming medicines and antidotes in general.

Many States in the United States of America provide exemptions on the basis of religion to laws against child medical neglect as a form of child abuse. This should ideally be the case in Muslim States too. We Muslims should have a cultural change with regard to modern medicine and reform our current dependence on modern medicine, turning to traditional faith healing and prayer as a superior alternative. And Allah and His Apostle know best.