Wahy (divine revelation) guides us in terms of Ibadah (worship) and code of conduct. Innovation in Ibadah is bid’ah – an impermissible introduction into the rituals of faith, as the way in which worship Allah is purely divinely prescribed (tawqeefi) in Islam.
However outside of the realm of worship everything is considered permissible unless it is specifically prohibited. In terms of healing and cures, our knowledge of illnesses keeps growing and new medicines and cures are being developed and discovered and new modes of healing are evolving. Some of these stem from centuries old practices from different parts of the world. These methods are not impermissible innovations as long as there isn’t any element that is categorically haram in them.
Some of these methods fall into a grey area and may be potentially beneficial, but need to be assessed on a case by case basis.
What medical treatments are Haram?
Any medicine which includes prohibited substances eg alcohol and recreational drugs are haram unless there is no alternative. For instance there are many cough syrups which contain alcohol - so one should choose a syrup which is alcohol free. Where there is no alternative then we are permitted to access haram options under the ruling that the impermissible becomes permissible when it is a situation of necessity. This would for instance allow opting for a pig valve in one’s heart.
Alcohol
There are differences of opinion on whether we can use products that are used topically when they contain alcohol. Due to the unavoidable presence of alcohol in everyday products (such as creams, deodorants and perfumes etc), and the fact that these are derived from alcohol that is not extracted from grapes, dates, or barley, there are opinions, including in the Hanafi madhab, which make their topical use permissible. (For a more detailed explanation see this link)
Superstition and witchcraft
In addition medical treatments that are based on superstitions and anything that is a “con”/ takes unfair advantage of people are clearly haram.
Superstition is adherence to delusions that have no intellectual or scientific explanation and lead to superstitious behaviors that are caused by a false notion of the causes and effects of events. It is rooted in human ignorance and has significant effects on people's culture and health and prevents them from beginning restoration and has negative effects on the individual and society.
Examples of using superstition as a cure is using charms and witchery or amulets - eg taweez - containing something other than Quran or duas narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him), such as symbols, strange words that cannot be understood, then there is scholarly consensus that it is haraam and constitutes shirk. But if the amulet is made with Quran or duas narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him), then there is a difference of opinion among scholars on its permissibility.
Do not rely on only one method treatment
Cause and effect are from Allah Almighty hence both illness and cure are from Allah. In addition to dua we have been told to seek cure.
So placing one’s trust completely in any treatment modality rather than in Allah is wrong, This relates not only to physical health but also mental health.
In the hadith, the word tadawaw (seek treatment) is an obligation. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) told us to go and seek treatment. Why? Because the shariah is very particular about caring for our health and well being– mental and physical.
Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِكُلِّ دَاءٍ دَوَاءٌ فَإِذَا أُصِيبَ دَوَاءُ الدَّاءِ بَرَأَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
“Every disease has a cure. If a cure is applied to the disease, it is relieved by the permission of Allah Almighty.”(Muslim)
Thus we are told that for every disease, there is a cure so we should seek it.
Tibb - Prophetic Medicine
Sources of medical cure are clearly mentioned in the Quran and in the Sunnah eg honey, blackseed, ruqya. In Surat an Nahl, Allah said:
And your Lord inspired the bees, saying: "Take you habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you)." There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think [16:68-69]
Ruqya is recited over someone who is ill or is troubled and as protection for one’s family and oneself, as the Prophet (peace be on him) used to recite it on his companions, small children and himself. He used to recite the 3 Quls (Surat al Ikhlas, an Nas and al Falaq). Abu Sa’id al Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) used the Fatihah as well, which was approved by the Prophet (peace be on him).
During the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) the tribal chief was bitten by either a snake or scorpion and asked the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to treat him. As the tribe had not been on good terms with them, they agreed to make payment for it. So one companion recited Surat al Fatihah, gathering his saliva and spitting it at the bite. The chief was cured and paid with a flock of thirty sheep. The companions sought permission from the Prophet (peace be upon him) for taking payment, and he gave it. His approval confirmed that we can use Surat al Fatihah for healing as well as the acceptability of receiving a gift for it.
At the end of the longer Hadith Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
One of them (the Prophet’s companions) started reciting Surat al-Fatihah and gathering his saliva and spitting it (at the snake-bite). The patient got cured and his people presented the sheep to them, but they said, “We will not take it unless we ask the Prophet (whether it is lawful).” When they asked him, he smiled and said, “How do you know that Surat al-Fatihah is a Ruqya? Take it (flock of sheep) and assign a share for me.” (Bukhari)
Eating and sleeping
Many of the principles of a sunnah lifestyle overlap with our modern day understanding of wellbeing/ afiya. For instance taking a nap and ensuring one has adequate sleep, as sleep is how the body repairs itself and not overeating.
Al-Miqdam ibn Ma’dikarib reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
“The son of Adam cannot fill a vessel worse than his stomach, as it is enough for him to take a few bites to straighten his back. If he cannot do it, then he may fill it with a third of his food, a third of his drink, and a third of his breath.” (Tirmidhi)
A large number of herbal foods such as dates, pomegranate, olives, figs, grapes, and black seeds was successfully proposed as foods whcih have nutritional and medicinal benefit. These recently have become superfoods with their powerful healing properties and act as favorable dietary interventions for disease prevention as well as for the good maintenance of health.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
“This blackseed is healing for all diseases but poison.” She said, “What is poison?” The Prophet said, “Death.” (Bukhari)
Unani medicine
Many medical practices at the time of the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were inspired by Unani medicine, which was the popular model of practice du jour and respected.
Unani medicine has its roots in Egyptian and Mesopotamian traditions (3000 BC) and was founded on its philosophical principles by the ancient Greek (500 BC). It was developed and flourished mainly in the Islamic world, and later by Europeans (Spain), Central Asians, Persians and in the Indian subcontinent.
It endorses dietary changes and drinks that promote good health as well as clean air, water and fresh food to prevent many diseases. The medicines are normally made from plant products.
Allopathy
In our times, the most respected “model” is allopathy. It has an excellent process for diagnosis and a method of treatment based on pharmaceuticals. It remains a model (and therefore incomplete and evolving) and is very effective for acute issues or single problems. There is a definite role for medication. However, it becomes less effective for chronic illness. The biggest advances in health and longevity come from tackling hygiene and social factors such as poverty, racism and other forms of inequality, as well as lifestyle factors such as nutrition, exercise, sleep and social connection. Prevention is better than cure. Very little time is spent in medical school, education for children or GP appointments addressing prevention through lifestyle means rather than drugs.
Drugs are not risk- free: death from iatrogenic causes (ie largely caused by drug interactions and medical intervention) is the third leading cause of deaths in the US. Whilst the medical model should be robust, drug companies are where the money sits- this leads to corruption of studies, influence over prescribing, influence over medical school curricula, guidelines and politics. It leads to inequalities in access to medications.
In “White Coat Rebels”, the film which is based on the US system gives a flavour of the problem. This process affects health care providers subconsciously. Therefore medicine point is neither sacrosanct nor free of bias and although it is the model du jour, it has limitations. This is important when we discuss scientific rigour.
Body - Mind
The medical model separates mind- body (and does not recognise the soul). This is increasingly being recognised as a fallacy because we are not head and body- emotional pain can present physically and vice versa- it is rare to have a physical complaint without an emotional impact. New science shows the connection between the brain, gut and heart- the gut is the second brain. It fails when is comes to complex problems or where a physical explanation cannot be found for physical symptoms and has no evidence- based management of emotional distress. Doctors are increasingly recognising the limitations of the current model and many are upskilling in lifestyle approaches, addressing inequality and alternative approaches (functional medicine, though like any model, it has limitations and you need an ethical and competent practitioner).
Psychological therapy
Most psychological therapies are not evidence- based (as it’s very difficult to assess this) but based on empirical evidence and what is available. Talking therapies may be better than drugs in some cases. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had comprehensive speech and his words were healing. Some studies have shown good social connection and talking to a friend to be as good as counselling. We have an epidemic of loneliness driving physical (and emotional) disease.
Evidence shows that patients who are proactive in taking care of themselves and have positive expectancy have far better health outcomes. It may not matter so much what treatment modality they opt for because even placebo can be very effective ie the mind is a powerful tool and needs to be geared towards seeking shifa and guidance from Allah Almighty.
Placebo
The placebo effect may be as great as that of some medicines, although for a given condition, the drug effect needs to be greater than the placebo effect for that condition.
Some people treat science as divine knowledge or second only to wahy. They therefore treat anything else as quackery but this is elevating a model to an unfair place and means people may miss out from where they might find shifa.
Herbal, Chinese medicine
Empirical evidence includes tradition and experience (just as with psychological therapies). Herbal practices, Chinese medicine, etc. etc., have been around for centuries so there may be value in what they offer. However, because there is no drug company funding or funding from food multinationals (processed foods), there is often very limited or no research as compared with drug trials (which may be corrupted). It comes down to ensuring there are no Haram components, no financial abuse and no physical or psychological harm
Acupuncture
Some treatments such as acupuncture may be considered complementary eg for low back pain and may be recognised on medical guidelines. Other treatments such as chiropractice may be beneficial for certain patients though not necessarily recommended in medical guidelines.
No cure all
Any treatment modality that claims to cure “everything” is likely to be a farce. It is important to research, ask questions and ask about risk of harm when undergoing any treatment, including in the alternative sector
Complementary and alternative treatments become especially helpful for people in the self- help domain or with chronic or end of life conditions, even if to relieve emotional pain and suffering.
Breathing
Modalities such as breathing are highly evidence based as they work on the brainstem. Setting the intention is key - no treatment is a replacement for reliance on Allah Almighty. There is even some evidence it can help in asthma as well as anxiety, etc. some forms of dhikr actually engage the breath. It is a gift from Allah swt.
Massage
There is no robust medical evidence around massage but there is a lot of research around the power of touch and oxytocin. If it works, even if it means giving yourself permission to be cared for, it may be fulfilling a need and provide healing as we are a disconnected people
Some areas are grey and in this, one should either avoid, research and go with their heart/ instinct where the heart is pure. Areas that involve superstition should be avoided.
Energy healing and Reiki
Regarding energy healing, this is well-established in many domains as we are all products of the energy we carry and manifest. Our energy state has a direct impact on chronic disease as it affects our vagus nerve and hormones. I can expand on this further.
Many traditional systems look at energy, eg yin and Yang in the Chinese system and the 4 humours in Tibb. Where this becomes problematic is if there is fake exorcism, attributing things to jinn or supernatural beings or experiences. We all carry a magnetic field and some practitioners work with this. Another popular technique is tapping/ EFT. This works on Meridian points which are recognised in alternative systems. Reiki is a form of healing working with energy fields and touch, often used in palliative care patients:
Not dissimilar to Chinese medicine, it might bring relief to the emotional suffering and pain people experience. Just because we don’t fully understand how something works, does not mean Allah Almighty has not placed shifa or relief in it for some people. I would not routinely advocate energy healing techniques for my patients but would not stop them if they found benefit - it might be the only thing which helps. I don’t see a spiritual conflict as there is no religious basis. Thus, it is important to ascertain exactly what the treatment entails, what it’s for and what can be expected as a reasonable outcome. The alternative sector is unregulated and there are no guidelines so you need to do your homework and look for relevant accreditation.
Hypnosis
This is something I practice as a treatment modality with good effect Alhamdulilah. However, any permissible thing can be prone to abuse and this is no different. People associate it with jinns and levitation which are TV tricks. Actual hypnosis is working with the brain to make suggestion for healing with words, breaking bad habits/ addictions and trauma patterns when the brain is relaxed to receive new information. Nobody can force hypnosis or undertake mind control. Not everyone responds and studies have shown better outcomes for women. We hypnotise each other all the time when we are connected in conversation. Again an example of misunderstanding and confusion.
Healing through crystals, etc.,
These have no scientific or spiritual basis.
Lastly, the Islamic standard of permissibility and the medical standard of care are not synonymous though both agree on bringing benefit to the patient and preventing harm. In addition, as a medic, I cannot actively recommend treatments or therapies that are not evidence-based (negative evidence or evidence does not exist at all) and I cannot/ do not recommend alternative treatments as a replacement for mainstream treatment based on a fairly good allopathic system. However, this does not prevent people from seeking shifa in the alternative abd complementary sectors provided they are neither overstepping the boundaries of Shari’ah nor causing themselves harm or allowing themselves or their wealth to be exploited.
Dr Saania Bhatti
North London GP and Functional Medicine doctor
Related posts
https://www.utrujj.org/how-your-diet-affects-more-than-your-health/