رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

Kinds of Diseases

فصول نافعة فِي هَدْيِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الطِّبِّ الَّذِي تَطَبَّبَ بِهِ وَوَصَفَهُ لِغَيْرِهِ

Guidance of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم in Medicine, the Treatments He Practiced, and Those He Recommended to Others

Ibn al-Qayyam wrote : We will explain the wisdom in this guidance, which surpasses the understanding of most physicians, and how their medical knowledge compares to his is like the knowledge of simple folk compared to expert physicians. We start with Allah’s help and seeking His aid and strength:

There are two types of disease: diseases of the heart and diseases of the body, both of which are mentioned in the Quran.

وَمَرَضُ الْقُلُوبِ: نَوْعَانِ: مَرَضُ شُبْهَةٍ وَشَكٍّ، وَمَرَضُ شَهْوَةٍ وَغَيٍّ، وَكِلَاهُمَا فِي الْقُرْآنِ

Diseases of the Heart are of two types: diseases of doubt and uncertainty, and diseases of desire and misguidance. Both types are referenced in the Quran. Allah (the Exalted) says about the disease of doubt:

 فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ فَزادَهُمُ اللَّهُ مَرَضاً (البقرة: ١٠)

“In their hearts is disease, so Allah has increased their disease.” (Quran 2:10). Allah also says:

وَلِيَقُولَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْكافِرُونَ ماذا أَرادَ اللَّهُ بِهذا مَثَلًا (المدثر: ٣١)

“So that those in whose hearts is disease and the disbelievers may say, ‘What did Allah intend by this as an example?’” (Quran 74:31). Additionally, regarding those who are called to judgment by the Quran and Sunnah but refuse and turn away, Allah says:

وَإِذا دُعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِذا فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ، وَإِنْ يَكُنْ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ يَأْتُوا إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ أَفِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ أَمِ ارْتابُوا، أَمْ يَخافُونَ أَنْ يَحِيفَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَرَسُولُهُ بَلْ أُولئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ (النور: ٤٨-٥٠)

“But when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them, at once a group of them turns aside. But if the right is theirs, they come to Him (Allah) in prompt obedience. Is there a disease in their hearts, or have they doubted, or do they fear that Allah and His Messenger will be unjust to them? Rather, it is they who are the wrongdoers.” (Quran 24:48-50).

This is the disease of doubts and uncertainties. As for the disease of desires, Allah says:

يا نِساءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِنَ النِّساءِ إِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ فَلا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ (النور: ٣٢)

“O wives of the Prophet, you are not like any other women, if you keep your duty to Allah. Then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is disease should covet” (Quran 33:32). This refers to the disease of desire for adultery, and Allah knows best.

Physical diseases that attack the body : As for physical ailments, Allah says:

لَيْسَ عَلَى الْأَعْمى حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الْأَعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ (النور: ٦١)

“There is no blame on the blind, nor is there blame on the lame, nor on the sick” (Quran 24:61). He also mentions bodily ailments in relation to Hajj, fasting, and ablution, revealing a remarkable insight that demonstrates the greatness of the Quran, which suffices those who understand it & prefer it over other sources. The principles of medicine are threefold: preserving health, avoiding harm, and expelling harmful substances. Allah mentions these three foundational principles in the contexts of fasting, travel, and other bodily conditions. In the verse on fasting, Allah says:

 فَمَنْ كانَ مِنْكُمْ مَرِيضاً أَوْ عَلى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ (البقرة: ١٨٤)

“But if any of you is ill or on a journey, let him fast an equal number of other days” (Quran 2:184). Here, Allah permits the sick to break their fast due to illness, and travelers to do so in order to preserve their health and strength so that fasting does not weaken them during travel, as the strain of travel combined with fasting could deplete one’s energy due to physical exertion and lack of nourishment to replace what has been lost, leading to exhaustion and weakness. Thus, Allah allows the traveler to break their fast to protect their health and strength from anything that may weaken them.

In the verse on Hajj, Allah says:

فَمَنْ كانَ مِنْكُمْ مَرِيضاً أَوْ بِهِ أَذىً مِنْ رَأْسِهِ فَفِدْيَةٌ مِنْ صِيامٍ أَوْ صَدَقَةٍ أَوْ نُسُكٍ (البقرة: ١٩٦)

“And if any of you is ill or has an ailment in his scalp (necessitating shaving), he must pay a ransom of fasting or charity or sacrifice” (Quran 2:196). Here, Allah permits a sick person, or one with an affliction on their scalp, such as lice, to shave their head during ihram. This allows the release of harmful vapors that have caused discomfort in the head by accumulating beneath the hair. Shaving opens the pores, allowing these vapors to escape. This example of release can be applied to all harmful substances that cause pain if retained. There are ten such things whose retention or suppression causes harm: blood when it accumulates, semen when it becomes excessive, urine, feces, gas, vomit, sneezing, sleep, hunger, and thirst. The retention of any of these can cause illness of varying types.

Allah, through this example of removing ailment the head (by shaving the hairs), hints at the importance of releasing even greater harms, as is often the way of the Quran to highlight the minor to emphasize the major.

Regarding abstention (protection), Allah says in the verse about ablution:

وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ مَرْضى أَوْ عَلى سَفَرٍ أَوْ جاءَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنَ الْغائِطِ، أَوْ لامَسْتُمُ النِّساءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيداً طَيِّباً (النسآء: ٤٣)

“And if you are ill or on a journey, or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself, or you have contacted women and find no water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your face and hands with it” (Quran 4:43). Here, Allah permits the sick to use clean soil instead of water to avoid anything that might harm his body. This serves as a reminder to avoid anything harmful, whether internal or external. Thus, Allah guides His servants to the fundamental principles of medicine and its key foundations, and we will now discuss the guidance of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم on this matter, demonstrating that his guidance is the most complete.

As for the medicine of the heart, it is entrusted to the messengers, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them, and can only be acquired from them. For the heart to be in a state of wellness, it must know its Lord and Creator, understand His names, attributes, actions, and laws, prefer His pleasure, and strive to avoid His prohibitions and displeasure. The heart can neither be sound nor truly alive except through this, and there is no way to attain it except by following the guidance of the messengers. To think that the heart can be healthy without following the Prophet is a mistake. What might appear as vitality in this case is merely the life of one’s animalistic, desirous self—its own health and strength. True life, health, and strength of the heart are a separate matter entirely. Whoever cannot distinguish between the two should mourn for the life of their heart, for it is among the dead, and mourn for its light, for it is submerged in darkness.

Remedies for physical illnesses are divided into two categories:

As for the medicine of the body, it is of two types:

Innate Medicine: This is the type that Allah has instilled in both humans and animals, both in their natural needs and instincts. This type does not require a physician's treatment, such as the basic needs of hunger, thirst, cold, and fatigue, which are alleviated by their opposites or by what removes them.

Acquired Medicine: This is the type that requires thought and reflection, for instance, dealing with new illnesses that alter the natural balance of the body, leading it away from equilibrium—whether towards heat, coolness, dryness, or moisture, or a combination of these. These illnesses are of two kinds: material and qualitative. Material illnesses arise from an excess or deficiency of physical matter, while qualitative illnesses result from imbalances that persist even after the material cause has been removed, leaving a lasting effect on the body’s composition.

For material illnesses, the causes are present with the illness itself, so it is necessary to first address the cause, then the illness, and finally the treatment. Another category includes structural illnesses that alter the body part’s shape, cavity, passage, roughness, smoothness, number, size, or placement. When these body parts are properly aligned, they form the body, and this alignment is called connection; deviation from this balance is called disconnection. There are also general diseases that affect the body’s basic constitution and structure.

These illnesses disrupt the body’s natural balance, and this disruption is called illness when it has a noticeable negative effect on the body’s function.

These diseases fall into eight types: four simple types and four compound types. The simple types are cold, hot, moist, and dry; the compound types are hot and moist, hot and dry, cold and moist, and cold and dry. These may be caused either by an excess of material or without material excess. If the illness does not significantly impair function, it is simply called a departure from balance.

The body has three states: a natural state, an unnatural state, and an intermediate state. The first state signifies health, the second indicates illness, and the third lies between health and illness, as opposites cannot transition directly to each other without an intermediary. The cause of the body’s departure from its natural state can be either internal, as the body is composed of warmth, cold, moisture, and dryness, or external, as it interacts with elements that may be beneficial or harmful. The harm a person experiences may result from an imbalance of temperament, a defect in an organ, weakness in vital functions, or the spirits that sustain these functions. This harm typically arises from an excess where balance requires constancy, a deficiency where balance requires adequacy, separation where balance requires connection, connection where balance requires separation, extension where balance requires contraction, or displacement of shape and form, causing deviation from the original balanced state.

Thus, the role of a physician is to separate what harms the body when united, or to unify what harms it when separated. The physician reduces what is harmful in excess, increases what is harmful in deficiency, restores lost health, and maintains it in proper form. The doctor counteracts illness using opposites, or prevent illness through protective measures. All of these principles can be found fully and sufficiently in the guidance of the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم through Allah’s power, grace, and support.

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