THE QUR’ANIC CONCERN WITH HEALTH
Disease in Islam is divided into two; namely physical and spiritual disease. However, our discussion here will focus on the former.
The religion of Islam is very much concerned with the welfare of its followers. In the Holy Qur’an, there are many verses, where Islam takes into consideration the health conditions of Muslims, and as such it exempted from some obligatory duties whenever they are sick on in a condition which may lead to sickness or weakness. Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur’an concerning fasting, it thus reads “But if any of you is ill or on journey, the prescribed number should be made up from the days later. For those who can do it with hardship, is a ransom, the feeling of one that is indigent. Qur’an 2:134-6
From this verse, we can deduce that Islam exempts the following people from fasting during the month of Ramadan.
1. Persons who are very old, those who need food and drink to give them strength.
2. Those who are ill and fasting will be injurious to their health, e.g people suffering from peptic ulcer and diabetes mellitus.
3. Those who are on a journey may break their fast if they find it difficult to fast during the journey, for journey by itself is a hardship and fasting may add more to the hardship.
4. The labourers whose work is very handy such as mining and hard labour.
5. Nursing women advised by the doctor to break the fast, for fear that the child might not have sufficient milk to suck.
6. Women in the period of menses who need food and drink to replace the lost blood.
The Holy Qur’an further states:
And if any of you is ill or has an ailment in his scalp, necessitating shaving (he should) in compensation either fast or feed poor or offer sacrifice. Qur’an 2:196-7
Our Almighty Creator also say the following: If you are ill or on a journey or one of you come from the closet, if you have had contact with women, and you find not water, then perform tayammun using pure dust with which you wipe your face and your hand, Qur’an 4:43-8.
Ablution in Islam should be performed with pure water, but in some conditions a Muslim can do otherwise, e.g when one is sick and he knowns that using of water will compound the sickness, then he is allowed to make tayyammum: e.g one suffer from Raynaud’s disease in which the individual is allergic to cold water.
All those licenses and alternatives are given to Muslims by Islam because it is always after their health.

THE MEDICAL ADVICE OF THE HOLY PROPHET (S.A.W)
Abu Dauda once said: O Prophet of Allah (Muhammad), if I am cured of my sickness and I am thankful for it, it is better than if I were sick and bore it patiently? And the Holy Prophet replied verily, the Prophet of Allah loves sound health just as you do. Prophetic tradition.
The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) himself took medicine and advised his family and his companions to do the same whenever they become sick. There are many hadith of the beloved Prophet where he talked on medical matters. Among those hadiths are the following:
a. The owner of sick animals should not drive them to the owner of healthy animals
b. One day some Arabs came to the Prophet and asked him; O Prophet of Allah are we allowed to take medicine? The Prophet replied take medicine, for Allah did not create any disease except, He created its cure, but only one disease; that is decrepitude.
c. Almighty Allah did not send any disease except He sent dawn its cure and include Covid 19.
d. Fly from the leper as you would fly from a Lion.
e. if you hear that plague has broken out in a country do not go there, if it breakout in a country where you are staying do not leave it, that is the characteristics of Covid 19.
There is no doubt that this hadith which was said more than one thousand years ago still serve a great medical precaution. It means that the inhabitants of plague infected place should stay in their place rather than endangering the inhabitant of other uninfested places by taking the plague there. This is necessary precaution which should always be taken in order not to make the remaining areas suffer, i.e. the Principal of Quarantine and surveillance which now practiced throughout the world, the countries affected by Covid 19.
f. Every disease has its own remedy:
This hadith may mean that every disease in this world has its own cure including the incurable disease, except that Allah Has not given mankind the access to the knowledge of their remedies. That is why the Prophet (S.A.W) further commented that curing means the treatment of a disease by chance; for a physician can prescribe a certain treatment for a certain disease in someone and cure him and also the same physician can prescribe the same treatment for the same illness in another person, but may not cure him, in other words, it means curing of a disease, not mere application of the treatment cures it.
The hadith may also means that all the diseases created by Allah have their remedies except the incurable ones. The utterance of the Prophet (S.A.W) is a clear evidence that, Islam is not only recognizing medicine, but is also urging mankind to medicate and seek for treatments for their diseases. It gives hope to both the patient and the physician. Whenever a patient knows his sickness is curable, like Covid 19 he will become calm, comfortable and tranquil psychologically. This situation will enhance his recovery.
The physician too will put more effort in looking for different treatments and solutions in his conviction that every disease has its remedy e.g. Covid 19.
In the series of the Prophet traditions on medicine we find where he talked about filling one’s stomach with food. This causes indigestion or what they call dyspepsia. For this reason, he advised us not to fill our stomach, but we should divide it into three parts. The first part should be designated to food, the second part should be confined to water and the third part should be left for ourselves, i.e. for breathing. This agree to some extent with the present day medical fact, where it says: “Diet was the first resort of the physician. The first thing to do in the majority of cases, was to limit the patient’s diet or to put him on a special regime. If this did not help, then to treat by diet and simple drugs. If this did not succeed, then use compound medication.


MEDICAL PRESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W)
The Prophet (S.A.W) said, “fever is from the heat of hellfire, you should cool it down with water. This prescription goes in conformity with the present day medical advise on fever, when one’s temperature goes high, furthermore one of the symptoms of Covid 19 is high fever.
BEE HONEY
One day a man came to the Prophet and complained of stomach ache. The Prophet advised the man to take honey, cause his stomach ache was caused by indigestion as a result of filling his belly with food, and honey was capable of getting rid of the excess. His abdomen was attacked by a commingling viscid substance which prevented the food to settle because of its stickiness and viscidity. Stomach has naplike a dried nap which if a commoningled viscid substance sticks to it will disorganize the stomach and hence ferments the food and decomposes it.
It is confirmed scientifically that bee honey is very useful in treating many diseases. Among them are the following:
a. BLOOD DEFICIENCY AND RICKETS IN SUCKLING BABIES
The blood of a suckling baby who is newly born contain some quantity of iron and calcium which sustains him for three months only. If the milk of the mother is lacking enough quantity of iron, then the baby will suffer from blood deficiency and if the mother is lacking calcium, the baby’s bone and teeth will be slow in growing, for this, doctors advise mother to give their babies a spoon of bee honey everyday starting from the fourth month. Al-tibb-al wiqai p. 345
b. HONEY IN TREATMENT OF STOMACH ULCER
Honey is an alkaline substance, for it reduces the sourness of the stomach, smoothes the ulcer and reduces the colic and the vomitive condition which resulted from the ulcer, but to make the treatment more successful, the honey should be taken before meal by two hours and is also possible to take a gulping of warm water.

c. HONEY AND THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC KIDNEY INFLAMATION
It increase the kidney deposit of glycogen by increasing glucose in the blood, by this it helps the kidney to function.
d. HONEY AS A TREATMENT OF CONVULSION OF MUSCLES
It treats convulsion of muscles resulting from physical exercise. It also treat contraction of face muscles and eye lids. By taking a table spoon of honey for three days after every meal all those sign will disappear. Al-tibba-al wiqui p.249
e. HONEY TRANQUILS NERVE AND HEALS JAUNDICE
It does so because it contain some tranquilizing elements like potassium, sodium and iodine. If one take a table spoon of honey before bed, he will sleep peacefully without any disturbance. Honey is a very effective medicine for many diseases but consult your physician or nutritionist for further information.
f. HONEY AS TREATMENT OF ASTHMA AND DIFFICULTY IN BREATHING
As far as coronavirus Covid 19 is concern, this is our area of interest, because the most serious symptom of Covid 19 is asthmatic condition that is difficulty in breathing. And honey is the best medicine to treat such condition. How do it is by taking two spoon of honey early in the morning and two table spoon of honey before bed for about two weeks.
Our creator Allah Almighty say in the Holy Qur’an with regard to Bee and Honey. Those issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colours wherein is healing for men. Qur’an 16:69.
Some group of Arabs came to the Prophet and complained of dropsy. The Prophet advised them to take camel’s milk and urine and they did so, and as a result they were cured.
The Prophet was wounded on the face in the battle of Uhud, his daughter Fatima was nursing the wound by washing it in a bid to stop the blood from gushing, but it continued gushing. When she saw this, she took a small part of mat made of papyrus and burnt it, she then applied the ash to the wound, soon the bleeding ceased.
The ash of papyrus is effective in stopping haemorrahage because it has a strong desiccation and less burning. Usually medicine which has strong desiccation and burning stires the blood and brings it out. It was said that, if ash together with an acid or alone is blown into a bleeding nose, that is into the nose of someone who has expistaxis, the bleeding will stop.
It was also maintained in the book of cannon that, the ash of papyrus is very useful for treating bleeding. If it is applied on a new wound it will heal, and useful for stopping noxious ulcer from compounding.
The Prophet (S.A.W) talked on cuppling and blood letting and mentioned their medical importance. Those two ways of drawing blood to surface are also approved by modern physicians as the proper way of treating various illnesses (may be even Covid 19). They affirmed that cuppling is more benefitting than blood letting in hot countries.

EPIDEMIOLOGY
Islam, right from the beginning, spoke on prevention through different ways. One can find those teaching in Hadith books under the chapter “rules of visiting patient”.
In the following, we shall mention some of the measures of prevention and healing, that Islam call for:
i. When one is sick he should not be indignant, worried or panicky. He should be calm, patient and tranquil. He should accept what Allah has destined. This Islamic philosophy in illness (like Covid 19) make the Muslim to face the condition with great courage and high morality. This will enhance his recuperation.
ii. Compulsoriness of consulting a physician
In Islam, it is compulsory for a patient to consult a doctor for treatment and advice. It was reported that, one day the Prophet visited a patient. When he saw him, he asked his family to send him to a physician for medical check up. The family said with wonder. You too is saying this O Prophet of Allah? Then the Prophet (S.A.W) said, “treat yourselves you servants of Allah for Allah did not send any disease except He send down its cure.
iii. Islam has not neglected the spiritual side of treatment in healing patient. That include coronavirus, Covid 19. It is highly desirable in Islam for sick persons to supplicate for recovery. Supplication can be made with the verses of Holy Qur’an or with the names of Allah or with anything approved by Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and his companions. Supplication and medical treatment, each has its own place in Islam. The Prophet himself said prayers and invocations for patients. One of those prayers took place when he visited one of his companions. He invoked thus: O Allah remove from him what he is suffering from, and reward him for the affliction.
iv. Islam teaches that patient who is suffering from infectious disease like (Cholera, Ebola, Covid 19) etc should be isolated. He should not be mixed with the healthy ones. In this regard, the Prophet said: the sick one should not mingle with the healthy ones. For example there are many isolation center currently due to the outbreak of Covid 19 in the world which is an infectious disease.
v. At the sametime Islam advise the isolation of the sick ones, it also advise the healthy one not to go near the sick ones. In this respect the Prophet said: touching is a perdition. This statement means that the touching of a patient with infection disease may lead to perdition and ruin of life.
HYGIENE
Islam teaches hygiene as a way of protection. It says a Muslim should always keep himself and his surroundings clean. He should wash his hand before eating. He should clean his teeth. Cleanliness is of two kinds in Islam, inward and outward. Both of them are obligatory. Inward purity concerns with the soul and thought, while outward purity concern the body, surroundings and dress. The Prophet (S.A.W) said the following hadiths on cleanliness:
“Cleanliness is part of faith” “Allah is beautiful and does not accept except what is beautiful” “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”.
Concerning purity and cleanliness, the Holy Qur’an says the following. “Surely, Allah love those who purify themselves” (Q2:222).
The Prophet (S.A.W) cautioned thus: “O You who is cloth araise and warn your Lord do magnify your garments do purify, and uncleanliness do shun” (Q74:1-5).
A pure mind in a pure body is the ultimate goal in Islam.
Islam prohibits fornication more seriously than any other religion. It is unique in prescribing deterrent and severe punishment. This is why it give more room for Muslims to conduct their sexual lives legally. It allows polygamy and divorce. Fornication is harmful both morally and physically. The physical harm is, it is responsible for the spreading of venereal diseases syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Muslims are directed to take bath after their sexual intercourse. The aim of this bath is not only for cleanliness, for one may be cleaned before mating his wife. But it is usually known that after the intercourse one body secretes a great amount of a substance called “ADRENALIN”. This substance open the holes of the skin which will make the sweat gland to discharge, and in turn will produce some special odour which is usually offensive. Many people do not smell the odour of their sweat, but others smell it at the moment more especially if the couple come closer at the time of sexual intercourse.


MEDICAL REASON FOR SOME OF THE THINGS PROHIBITED BY ISLAM: PORK
On many occasions Muslims are asked the wisdom behind the prohibition of pork in Islam. Some Muslims answer the question by saying: we are Muslims and whatever Islam says we accept without question or argument and others answer by saying: Pig is a dirty animal. It eats carcass, dropping and faeces, that is why Islam has forbidden its meat for Muslims. What applauding answers those will be if supported by scientific facts and physical researches rather than depending on theories. There are five medical reasons for the prohibition of pork.
i. It carries very dangerous worms like faenia selium and trichinosis. One can say that cow too may carry different kinds of tape worm. This is possible, but we should know that, there is a great difference between the cow-worm and pig worm. Cow-worm is called “Taenia saginata” while pig-worm is called “Taenii-solium”. The cow-worm if it reaches one’s stomach it causes simple illness which may be cured with simple medication, that one can take through the mouth only, but the danger of that of the pig worm is greater. It penetrates into one’s stomach to the remaining parts of the body. It may reach up to the eyes and heart where it can cause blindness and “angina pectoris” a condition marked by recurrent pain in the chest and the left arm, caused by a sudden decrease of the blood supply to the heart muscle. It can also reach the brain where it can cause insanity and paralysis. All these conditions cannot be cured with simple medication at tibb p. 214. Furthermore we are been told that coronavirus (Covid 19) emanated in China from eating the meat of wild animals and not well cook meats.
Fat of pork associated with disease of blood vessels –arterioclerosis
ii. Pork carries most of the microbe diseases of stomach more than any meat. It was found in Denmark that 40% of pork carry different kinds of vicious microbes, while not more than 3% of those microbes were formed in sheep meet. Al tibb-al-wiqi p. 219.
iii. All carnivorous are prohibited for human consumption in Islam but, we should ask ourselves why this prohibition? Why we are not allowed to eat dogs, lions, foxes, hyena, etc. The meat of these animals may be even nicer and more delicious than other type of meat. They may be even more useful to the body than other type of animal meat. Forget about that the Ebola infectious diseases which emanated from Congo Democratic Republic and Covid 19 another infectious disease which recently emanated from China are all trace to eating the meat of wild animals like monkeys, pigs. The reason of this prohibition lie on some very important scientific facts. Those animals are defined scientifically as canine animals, for they have four eye teeth in the upper jaw and the lower and swine is considered one of them. It has big eye teeth which do not exist in sheep and cows. Furthermore, this prohibition is not confined to animals only, but also comprise birds like hawk, vulture, etc. They are carnivorous too. They have a very sharp claw with which they kill their prey and tear them into pieces. Those claw do not exist in domestic birds. The Prophet (S.A.W) said it is prohibited for my Ummah every bird that has claw and every animal that has eyetooth. We are not allowed to eat those carnivorous because:
iii a. Their meat make the consumer ferocious and aggressive.
b. the nutritionist said: eating of too much meat in general causes blood pressure, nervousness and emotionalism. It is said that those who cock for fighting, feed them with meat in order to change their mild nature to a ferocious and aggressive one so as to fight like beasts.
c. Most of the scientific references classify pig among omnivorous, e,g, cat, human being, etc it was tried in Europe and America to feed swines with only vegetables and grass but it failed, because they need to be fed with both meat and vegetable in order to keep on growing normally. In this nature they resemble human beings. Although pigs are kept in Europe in clean folds, they eat carcass, faeces and other dirty things when they are taken out for grazing in the forest or garden.
d. Swine influenza: it was discovered that pig plays a great role in carrying microbe that causes influenza epidemic which is regarded today as one of the most fatal diseases. It is called swine influenza because the fit of the epidemic first appeared among the herdsmen who rear pigs A-tibba-al wiqai p. 225.


The Holy Qur’an prohibited pork more than fourteen centuries ago. Now it is discovered scientifically the reason behind the prohibition. In spite of the fact that, some scientific measures were taken by the Europeans to purify swine from those worms and diseases, still some people suffer a lot from them in Europe. Our creator Almighty Allah in His holy book “he has only forbidden you dead meat and blood, and the flesh of swine” Q 2:173.
Baba Ali Mustapha is with the Department of Planning/Research/Statistic, Ministry of Environment, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
Babaalimustapha3@gmail.com
Tel: 07039115907
Reference:
I. THE ROLE OF ISLAM IN THE FIELD OF MODERN MEDICINE by Professor M.A. MU’AZU NGURU of University of Maiduguri, the book was foreward by Professor Umaru Shehu, preface by Professor A.W. Hassan both of University of Maiduguri, Faculty of Medicine. The book was printed by Ramadan Press Ltd tel: 077/42623, 43352 Bauchi, Bauchi State, Nigeria (1992).
2. AL-ILM, Volume 3 Number 1, Islamic Medical Journal Published by Islamic Medical Student Association of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria (1988).