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Islamic Foundations of Well-Being

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahiim
DO NOT FORGET TO RECITE SURATUL KAHF today As Sunnah of every Juma'a. Barakallahu Fiikum Ajma'iin

The Prophet Muhammad laid down the foundation for a social order in which every member of society was advised to maintain a healthy life, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. No aspect of life was to be disregarded.

In the opinion of Douglas Guthrie (A History of Medicine, 1945), great advances in medicine made by Muslims during the Middle Ages were mainly due to the impact of the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Guthrie writes, “Had not the Prophet Muhammad himself said, ‘O Servant of God, use medicine, because God hath not created a pain without a remedy for it’”? Guthrie failed to quote the source of this important prophetic saying, but it is obvious that he was referring to the famous hadith from Tirmidhi (one of the six most important collections of prophetic traditions).

As a matter of fact, there are several such sayings in which the Prophet laid great stress on medicine and discouraged seeking help through amulets, relics, and charms. For instance, the Prophet once said,

“There is a remedy for every malady and when the remedy is applied to the disease,it is cured.”

This and several such hadiths have been described in Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud. Once the Prophet was asked by one of his companions, “Is there any good in medicine?” To this he emphatically replied, “Yes.” As a result, Islamic teachings make it the duty of every society or group of people to conduct research and discover the remedy for diseases that afflict human beings. The concept of incurable diseases is thus alien to Islam.

Barakallahu Fiikum.

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