Islamic Viewpoint on Disability and Illness
This article explores the Islamic perspective on disability and illness, highlighting how Islamic teachings view these conditions as tests from Allah. In Islam, all disabled individuals are regarded as experiencing various forms of illness without separate criteria. Through the stories of Prophets Ayub, Musa, and Muhammad (peace be upon him), this article discusses the consequences of such trials and emphasizes that these challenges are meant to test and strengthen our Iman (faith). Additionally, it provides guidance on overcoming these tests through devout worship, Quranic supplications, and community support, concluding with recommendations for establishing more Islamic health clinics and distributing free cures like dua booklets and Zum Zum water.
Examples from Islamic Tradition
Prophet Ayub (Job) in the Quran
Prophet Ayub exemplifies patience and steadfastness in the face of severe illness and satanic afflictions. His story underscores the importance of dua (supplication) to Allah during hardships:
“And remember Our servant Ayub, when he called to his Lord, ‘Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the most merciful of the merciful.'”
Quran 21:83
“And mention Ayub, when he called to his Lord, ‘Indeed, Satan has touched me with hardship and torment.'”
Quran 41:44
Prophet Musa (Moses) and His Speech Impediment
Prophet Musa sought Allah’s help to overcome his speech impediment, demonstrating reliance on divine assistance:
“Musa said, ‘O my Lord, expand for me my breast [with assurance], ease for me my task, and remove the impediment from my speech so that they may understand what I say. And appoint for me a minister from my family, Aaron my brother. Increase through him my strength and make him share my task, that we may exalt You much better than we were before. You are indeed the Hearing, the Knowing.'”
Quran 20:25-36
Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and Illness
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked about his illness and whether it would earn him a double reward:
Narrated Abdullah: “I visited the Prophet during his ailments, and he was suffering from a high fever. I said, ‘You have a high fever; is it because you will have double reward for it?’ He said, ‘Yes. No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, but that Allah will remove his sins as the leaves of a tree fall down.'”
Sahih al-Bukhari 5647
The Hadith also emphasizes that there is a cure for every illness:
“Indeed, when Allah created the disease, He also created its cure.”
(Ahmad)
Approaches to Coping with Illness and Disability
Supplication and Prayer
When an individual is too ill to pray, it is essential to treat the affliction they are suffering from. Manzil, a structured collection of supplications and prayers compiled by Islamic scholars, cites over 33 Quranic ayats (verses) to be recited for the patient. Additionally, duas from “The Fortress of the Muslim” address illness:
“Do not worry; it will be a purification for you, Allah willing.”
“I ask Almighty Allah, Lord of the magnificent throne, to make you well.”
If the patient can perform salah (prayer), which is obligatory (fard) upon a Muslim, they can pray while sitting or lying down, performing wudu (ablution) using towels similar to a bed bath:
“Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides.”
Quran 3:192
“And when you have completed the salah, remember Allah while standing, sitting, or lying on your sides.”
Quran 4:104
“When trouble befalls a man, he calls upon Us while he is lying on his side or sitting or standing.”
Quran 10:13
Hence, a disabled person can pray, and their salah is accepted by Allah.
Avoiding Collective Punishment
Signs of collective punishment can include wars against Muslims. The Muslim community must avert itself from sins, as they lead to the oppression of the community as a whole:
“Those who consume Riba (usury) cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity. That is because they say, ‘Trade is [just] like Riba,’ but Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden Riba.”
Quran 2:275
Rights of Disabled People
The Hadith emphasizes that deeds should be performed according to one’s strength:
Narrated Aisha: “Whenever Allah’s Messenger ordered the Muslims to do something, He used to order them to perform deeds that were easy for them according to their strength and endurance. They said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger, we are not like you; Allah has forgiven your past and future sins.’ So, Allah’s Apostle became angry, and it was apparent on his face. He said, ‘I am the most Allah-fearing and know Allah better than all of you do.'”
Sahih al-Bukhari 220, Book 2, Hadith 13
This highlights the importance of Islamic jurisprudence advocating for reasonable adjustments for disabled individuals in their daily lives, such as at work, in education, or during spiritual practices. The community must support and allow for specialized responses to these issues.
Medical Prayer Duas
The disabled person should undertake medical prayer duas, including:
“O mankind, there has come to you an admonition from your Lord and a healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.”
Quran 26:80
“When I am sick, it is Allah who cures me.”
Quran 40:41
“And if We had made it a Qur’an in a foreign tongue, they would have said, ‘Why are its verses not explained in detail? What! A foreign tongue and an Arabian [language]? Say, ‘It is for those who believe, a guidance and a healing.’ And those who do not believe, it is [made] out of confusion in their ears, so they do not understand it, and they will have a great punishment.”
Quran 17:82
“And We send down of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.”
Quran 17:82
Duas for Drinking Zum Zum Water:
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, ample provisions, and restoration from every illness.”
Additional Duas for Disabled Patients:
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disability, sloth, cowardice, senility, and miserliness. I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave and from the trial of life and death.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6367
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disability, sloth, cowardice, miserliness, senility, and the punishment of the grave. O Allah, grant my soul a degree of righteousness and purify it, for You are the best to purify it. You are its protector and guardian. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit, from a heart that is not reverent, from a soul that is not content, and from a supplication that is not answered.”
Sahih Muslim 2722
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from anxiety, sorrow, disability, laziness, cowardice, miserliness, the burden of debt, and the oppression of men.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6369
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disability and sloth, cowardice and senility, hardness of heart, negligence, dependence and humiliation, and misery. I seek refuge in You from poverty, unbelief, wickedness and discord, hypocrisy, fame-seeking, and ostentation. I seek refuge in You from deafness and dumbness, insanity and contagion, leprosy, and evil ailments.”
Al-Dawat al-Kabir lil-Bayhaqi 348
Counseling and Community Support
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) counseled individuals who were ill and disabled, assuring them of rewards for their patience in the hereafter and encouraging them to seek help through patience and prayer. For example, when a woman suffering from epileptic fits was unable to perform salah, the Prophet advised her to be patient for paradise while also praying for her discomfort to be alleviated.
Conclusion
In conclusion, illnesses and disabilities in Islam are viewed as tests for believers to overcome through sincere supplication to Allah and obedience to His commands. The Muslim community should establish and develop Islamic medical clinics that offer Ruqyah treatment, prayers (duas), and natural cures such as Zum Zum water, honey, and black seed oil. Additionally, distributing dua booklets and Qurans, providing a well-balanced diet, and employing more Muslim chaplains in hospitals will offer crucial spiritual support to patients in medical environments.
By Nabela K M Ahmad
