The Islamic Picture of Medicine

Bismillahirrahmaninrrahim....

I was browsing through websites and i came across this really interesting article pertaining Medicine, its current stipulation and the healthcare economic outlook . It was a speech text delivered at the 28th Annual Convention of the Islamic Medical Association of South Africa and it took place last year. the first part of the speech relates the current phenomenon in healthcare, how there is limited access for the people, moral hazards practiced by pharmaceutical companies, and how 'poverty become a sentence of sickness and misery'.

the latter part of the speech contrasts the Islamic and the Western health care system. very interesting, how Medicine was practiced during the times of Abbasiyah ruling, when Harun al-Rashid was the ruler.

There are other facets of health care being compared like the Islamic and Western medical ethics and other current health issues, like HIV/AIDS etc. But it appealed to us, that Islam places high value on the tawakkal concept in it's medical practices. Everything relates back to the Greatness of Allah as a Healer.

Read this piece:

"When Harun al-Rashid built the splendid hospital in Baghdad, Muslims were in charge. They imported everything on their own terms. They assimilated it into their value system.

The hospitals in Baghdad as those throughout the Muslim world were Islamic institutions. At these hospitals they had separate wards for men and women. The treatment and stay was free as was the medicine for the outpatients. They even gave a gift of money to the patient upon discharge so he would not have to immediately start working after leaving the hospital. The doors of these hospitals were open to all: rich and poor, Muslim or non-Muslim, local or foreigner. These free hospitals maintained a very high standard of care. They were clean and large. There were lecture halls, libraries, and masajid in every hospital. Food was plentiful and prepared under the physicians instructions for each patient. The rulers visited the hospital to learn first hand how they were running. " (Baig, 2008)

Islamic World View

• The greatest and the least discussed attack was on the worldview of the Muslim physician. In Islamic medicine the physician turned to Allah to seek cure for the patient. He wrote huwa al-Shafi (He (Allah) is the healer) on every prescription and while writing that he said,

Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed You are the Knowledgeable, the Wise. [Al-Baqarah, 2:32]

The act connected both the patient and the physician to Allah, for He alone can cure.“When I fall sick, He heals me.” Al-Shu’ra, 26:80" (Baig, 2008)

"There are things our physicians can do individually.Our physicians need to recognize the great and unique opportunity that they have for doing good not only for the body but also for the soul of their patients. Doctors are in the best position to promote Islamic lifestyle, which is the best protection against the diseases brought on by our modern lifestyles. This refers to diseases of all kinds--- physical, mental, and spiritual, although the last one is not always recognized. Today we are more concerned about the hardening of the arteries than we are about the hardening of the hearts. But Muslim physicians can furnish treatments for both." (Baig, 2008)

Intricacies of the sciences of human anatomy indeed is not all about what is on the operation table and what new discoveries being made every day. A part of it lies deep inside, our Faith in the Creator and our dependence on His Healing. That is why Islam is very, very, beautiful...SUbhanallah...

full text available:

http://www.albalagh.net/food_for_thought/0094.shtml

Ahlan Wasahlan Rejab...

Baitul Maqdis, our first Qiblat

Bismillahirrahmanirrahhim..

wow...how time flies eh? before you know it, it's already in the month of rejab..another two months then it would be ramadhan and Eid! Hurm...can't wait to celebrate my first Eid overseas. =) Heheh...

Rejab is the seventh month in the Muslim lunar calendar. Rejab is also a sacred month whereby wars were prohibited in the days of Rasulullah SAW. A historic event, Isra' Mikraj took place on 27 rejab whereby Rasulullah SAW travelled from Mecca to Baitul Maqdis in one night and subsequently ascended to the heavens above by Allah's will. It is indeed a significant event that should be remembered by Muslims. Upon sighting the moon of Rejab, Rasulullah SAW used to pray in the following words:

"O Allah, make the months of Rajab and Sha'ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan (i.e. prolong our life up to Ramadan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings)."

Therefore, we should be fortunate that we are still living to meet another Rejab, because the ibadah performed in this month will be granted many rewards (pahala) by Allah. So, grab this chance, guys! This is the time for us to do as much ibadah to repent our past mistakes and get closer to our Creator..InsyaAllah..=D However this does not mean that we should only do as much ibadah in specific months. Every month is just as good and let's not be 'seasonal Muslims', ok? (quoted from Baba Ali video..haha..)



So, one of the recognised and significant ibadah mentioned by Allah in Quran is the Qiamullail. Qiamullail is performing ibadah in the night, sleeping beforehand. Allah acknowledged this ibadah a number of times in the Quran.

Surah ad-Dhariyat:

15. As to the Righteous, they will be in the midst of Gardens and Springs,

16. Taking joy in the things which their Lord gives them, because, before then, they lived a good life.

17. They were in the habit of sleeping but little by night
Surah al-Isra':

79. And pray in the small watches of the morning: (it would be) an additional prayer (or spiritual profit) for thee: soon will thy Lord raise thee to a Station of Praise and Glory!
Surah as-Sajadah:

16. Their limbs do forsake their beds of sleep, the while they call on their Lord, in Fear and Hope: and they spend (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have bestowed on them.
Surah al-Muzammil:

1. O thou folded in garments!

2. Stand (to prayer) by night, but not all night,-

3. Half of it,- or a little less,

4. Or a little more; and recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones.

In addition, there are a few hadiths that supported the goodness of Qiamullail. One of them is narrated by Abu Ya'ala: There are 3 groups of people which Allah prefers, they are the ones who performs Qiamullail, those who pray in jemaah, and those who goes for jihad in the name of Allah. Besides that, Qiamullail was said to be the secret of success of every battles fought in the glorious days of Islamic Empire. Hm...our battlegrounds would be the examinations i guess. insyaAllah, if we are doing the exam because of Allah. =D

During Qiamullail, you can recite the Quran, perform Sunat Prayers, zikir, and doa. In fact, it is more afdhal if we doa at night when most people are deep in slumber. It is just you and Allah, just Allah and you...Subhanallah..=D

So, don't shy away from rewards, guys! Allah is Most Giving, grab this chance in the following 3 months to reap as many rewards (pahala) as you can in order to get closer to HIm and to enrich our Iman! Assalamualaikum! =)

journey of the heart : queenstown

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim…

One of the main reason to be happy about after finishing exams is to go for jaulah queenstown!!! =D queenstown is located at the south island of new zealand and is famous for its beautiful and lovely nature which is also the place for filming the Lord of the Rings..so there was me, aida, aliaa, wani from wellington, azie from Christchurch, kak tiqah@naqibah, kak fareha, and tasha..

on 21^st june we flew to queenstown at 10 am and reached there at 12.15pm. it happened that the rest besides me,aida and aliaa were all in Christchurch so they drove down from there to queenstown airport to meet us. So while waiting for them at the airport we were given the task to memorise Surah as-Syams and Hadis 8 an-Nawawi. The weather in queenstown was very chilly (it’s winter) and it’s very beautiful to see the rocky mountains surrounding the airport has snow blanketing the peaks… Subhanallah…=D

They arrived at the airport at around 2.30pm. the feeling of meeting them in queenstown was just amazing . Everyone was looking so happy and vibrant. Alhamdulillah.. so we travelled in two cars, which we named Huzaifah and as-Syams and with the help of TomTom, our GPS for directions. =D

Aida was driving as-Syams and kak fareha was driving Huzaifah. We went straight to Wanaka, which is at the north of queenstown. The roads were a little icy and it gets colder when it gets darker. But Alhamdulillah, we had a safe journey, although kak tiqah felt a little headache. We reached the accommodation place, Purple Cow XD after dark and that was when the cold was getting unbearable. But the stars were bright and there were many of them. So we could observe for the direction of the qiblat…Alhamdulillah… =D

That night after Isha prayers and dinner, we had a sharing session together. we discussed about surah at-Taubah and Perang Tabuk, and how is it that these relates to us and how Allah had tested the people of Madinah on their Iman and faith in Him. =)

The next day, we were planning to go to Lake Ohao, and have our picnic there. Lake Ohao is a lake where you could see beautiful views of the mountains, close around it . But it was clearly just us at the lake, it seemed people don’t go there for picnics. But still it was a wonderful place, we prayed in front of the lake with the mountains ‘accompanying’ us, touching our hearts with His Greatness and Prominence…Ya Allah, We felt really small…

It was late, we were quite behind schedule. We actually planned to go to Mount Cook, which is 1.5 hours away from Lake Ohao, and then we had to go down to queenstown city, 2 hours away, where our accommodation is. But everyone was determined to go to Mount Cook to play snow =p so we just go there anyway. The journey to Mount Cook, I have no word to describe it….it’s like watching a beautiful painted picture in front of you. As we drove by the mountains, it was like the mountains are never ending and it feels like they are surrounding you!

Surah at Naml (verse 88);

Thou seest the mountains and thinkest them firmly fixed: but they shall pass away as the clouds pass away: (such is) the artistry of Allah, who disposes of all things in perfect order: for he is well acquainted with all that ye do.

This verse revealed that the mountains were actually moving, when we see them fixed to their positions. It confirms the fact that the Earth is actually moving, (rotating on its axis) but of course we do not realize it. Allah constructed His creations in such a way that made us think and ponder. Subhanallah…=)

we finally reached at the foot of mount cook and it seemed there were very little snow. But we took pictures anyway. But really, the highlight was the journey going there, that really made us think of how small and worthless we are if compared to the vastness of His creations. =)

after that we went back to queenstown, and we were rushing because we were quite late for the accommodation check in (they close at 8) We also got lost for directions to go to the accommodation because TomTom was not helping..huhu..it couldn’t detect the place. But we found our way, Alhamdulillah… right at 8 pm..

It was terribly cold that morning, I had to put on two layers of thermal pants and 4 layers of shirts. But the most exciting thing was, it’s snowing! Tiny flakes of snow greeted our first morning in queenstown.

Surah an-nur (verse 43):

Seest thou not that Allah makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a heap? - then wilt thou see rain issue forth from their midst. And He sends down from the sky mountain masses (of clouds) wherein is hail: He strikes therewith whom He pleases and He turns it away from whom He pleases, the vivid flash of His lightning well-nigh blinds the sight.

Kak tiqah was really thrilled and so are others. We played with snow outside our cabins and took some pictures. That morning kak tiqah and tasha were supposed to leave for Auckland at 10 am. They have final tests a couple of days ahead =p

so it was sad sending them at the airport, because there were only 6 of us now. After that, we went to coronet peak, a ski field. We could see other mountains from there but they weren’t as thickly covered with snow as this place, because the snow here are being produced (artificial snow) in addition to the natural snow. We did not ski, but just took some photos and fool around with snow. And later we performed Zuhr prayers on the snow…Subhanallah, what an experience!! After that, we all huddled together to listen to the story of Ummu Sulaim, by wani. Ummu Sulaim is the mother of Anas bin Malik, a very prominent narrator of Hadith.

We were about to leave after that, and then suddenly Huzaifah could not be started. It was out of battery because kak fareha forgot to turn off the front lights =p but Allah helped us! Shortly , the person who parked in front of us came to his car and offered to help us! so he had these cables out and connected the battery of his car with ours. And walla! Huzaifah roared again!! Alhamdulillah….=D

And then we went to the supermarket to buy some stuff for cooking that night. We were planning to make chicken rendang! And we had some instant ketupat with us! XD it’s like celebrating raya in queenstown! Funny..haha…

That night after cooking we ate our hearty dinner and it was delicious! There were a couple of people there who were quite curious seeing our ‘tiny rice bags’ XD and one of them actually commented that our cooking smells nice. We offered her and her family some and they loved it.

The next day we hang around indoors and had sharing session for the whole day. We had to memorise Hadith 13 an-Nawawi.

On the authority of Anas bin Malik, the servant of the messenger of Allah, that the prophet said :

"None of you [truely] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."

related by Bukhari and Muslim

This hadith tells of how ukhuwah is one of the most important pillar of Iman. It shows that loving your friends and sisters in Islam completes us as a Muslim. They are the ones who care for us and would advise and tell us if we did anything wrong. That’s love. You care and you love your friends because of Allah. Be patient with them and understand them because of Allah. This trip had taught me a lot about ukhuwah. There were times when we have different opinions, but that is not important. Islam taught us tolerance and acceptance is the utmost priority above all.

The next day was the last day of us in queenstown. Me, aida and alia had to catch flight at 10 am, kak fareha, azie and wani were going back to Christchurch. We said our final goodbyes and hopefully we’ll see each other again, insyaAllah. We may be apart at the moment but our hearts are always connected through Iman. I am very sure all of us left queenstown having something very memorable and meaningful in our hearts.

Hadith 19

	HADITH 19
	On the authority of Abdullah bin Abbas, who said : One day I was behind the prophet and he said to me: "Young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice] : Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried." narrated by Termithi, who said it is true and fine hadith In a version other than that of Tirmithi it reads: "..Be mindful of Allah, you will find Him before you. Get to know Allah in prosperity and He will know you in adversity. Know that what has passed you by was not going to befall you; and that what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and ease with hardship." Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.. this was the hadith chosen by my naqibah for the week. i think the hadith itself explains it all, clearly but i just want to share what i feel about this hadith. it stresses on how important iit is that we seek for a good relationship with Allah, that is by following His orders and leave what He forbids. According to my naqibah, there are two types of protection that Allah will bestow on a Muslim who obeys. (she refers to a book: Hadith 40) One is protection of his worldly affairs and problems. In short, the person will always have ease of his daily affairs, for example if he is a student then Allah will relief his burden in studies, or maybe if he is a farmer, he will have satisfiable yield of crops. and the second form of protection would be of his soul. He will be bestowed with understanding of Islam, enriched Iman and a zuhud soul. If you are doing something because of Allah, then there is no reason to fear, because He had promised that He would grant the protection upon those who stood by His religion. Besides that, He also said that all benefits will only be granted by Him only and nothing could hold back His wishes. Isn't it pleasant if He could make our life much easier?? =D Only those who has the wisdom to think of His greatness could get the main message of this hadith...may you and i be among them, insyaAllah...=) Surah Yunus(107) If Allah do touch thee with hurt, there is none can remove it but He: if He do design some benefit for thee, there is none can keep back His favour: He causeth it to reach whomsoever of His servants He pleaseth. And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. it is also important that we keep Him in our hearts at all times. Not just during hard times. In fact, the times when we are at leisure is one of the tests for our Iman. when i listened to the explanation of this hadith i felt all the tension( final exam..=( ) nagging me, just fades away. the promise that Allah gave in this hadith is a confirmation, that if we do not neglect our responsibilities as a Muslim, He will always be with us and takes care of us. This is indeed a good piece of news for those who remembers Allah at all times... Surah al-Baqarah(152): Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and reject not Faith. So, my dear friends out there bettling out finals..especially medical students in Aussie and India, i wish you guys all the best...study hard, remember Allah, and He will remember you =)

Tell me why...

i just woke up the other day like usual, it was in the morning. grabbed my towel and dragged myself (still sleepy) towards the bathroom. and i was like so shocked when i saw a really rare human being in my pod's bathroom. it was terry (not real name), my floormate, a guy was in the bathroom, washing his hands. Saw me at the mirror he was like, "Morning, baz! Hey you look different without that cloth on your head,"

i was like, still in shock because i wasnt expecting a guy in my pod, because it's an all-girls pod! so, i made a dash back to my room without saying anything, and i know he was like, really confused. but he just left anyway.

so that day during lunch i sat with terry, cat, and kaj. need some explanation done.

"hi guys,"

"oh hey baz," cat said. and then talked abt studies, bla2x and then i pop up that incident lol.

"um, terry, you know this morning when i saw you in the toilet and i just dashed away without saying anything?"

"owh...that. yeah, yeah.. were you alright? thought you were sick or sth,"

"oh i'm fine. it's because i wasnt having my scarf on at that time, it's because guys are not suppose to see my hair, urm so, that's why i ran away. haha..,"

"i see, guys can't see your hair..is it sinful in your religion or sth? what about the girls? are they allowed to see you without scarf?"

"girls, yes, they are allowed, and yup it's sinful if i let the guys see my hair, but if it's an accident then it is fine. it just happens," i explained.

"how many minutes do you need to put that thing on everyday?" kaj asked.

"er, like 10 minutes, i think. (well 15 actually, hahha!!)"

"10 minutes...that's long!" cat exclaimed, "must be really fussy putting it on!,"

"hey, i do my hair 20 minutes everyday!" kaj said matter-of-factly "10 minutes is quite okay,"

"well it's not that hard, just put it on, it's kinda helpful coz i don't have to think about my hair all the time," i added.

"why do you wear that thing( hijab)? i mean, yeah, it's sinful and all if you don't wear it...but why?" cat asked.

"owh.." i paused for two seconds. "it's because in Islam, we value women as something beautiful. like hair is something lushful, you know. we don't show it for everyone to see. and same thing with the body. Muslim women do not wear tight clothes that can show the shape of their body and in fact, the only parts we can show is the hands and face. it's something good actually, because we tend to value our beauty more," i said.

"hm..ok. make sense. why do YOU wear it? i mean, what does wearing a scarf mean to you...don't you wanna feel beautiful, like showing your hair to everyone..wearing all the latest clothes and stuff, you know," kaj asked.

er... (haha, apa kau nak jawab baz...)

munching the food in my mouth slowly, swallowed i said,"well, if you ask me... i feel wearing scarf is like a privilege to me. because wherever i go, it's like i carry an image of my religion with me. and, it's a real pride that wherever you go, people who don't know you, can tell that you are a Muslim, just by seeing you in scarf. so, it feels great," i said.

all three of them just stared at me, and seriously i didn't know what they were thinking. but after that we talked abt sth else...

after the conversation, i was questioning myself why exactly that we do what we do. the intentions of doing the things that Muslims are meant to do. well, there may be different answers to that, but the main stream is for the worship of Allah. in the case of wearing hijab, it is in respecting His gift of beauty and in intention of obeying His orders. we understand that and that is why we have no qualms at all in executing it. and when others see it as something that is troublesome, we see beyond the trouble and we picture a more meaningful purpose of waht we do. so don't give up in trying to 'show that beauty of Islam', hidden...

A beautiful rendezvous

it is really cold in Auckland that i could tell you that everytime i walk by Symonds Street it feels like the veins at my neck are going to snap off! (exagerating, haha...but just to tell you how freezing it is here) but at least it doesnt snow here, like in Christchurch and Wellington where it already starts snowing! and it's only autumn.. Subhanallah.. some say it's the effect of global warming, but seriously, i can't be sure...haha..

last weekend me, aida and aliaa, welcomed two special visitors from Christchurch and Welli... wani and azie...=) they're our college mates in Taylor's College where we had our foundation year... i was really really happy seeing them (it was funny because we were never close in Taylor's before) but i can tell it was because of an innate connection that links our hearts together. it's just lovely ... Subhanallah..=)

that night we talked, updating each other of what's happening in our lives after leaving Taylor's...
everyone shared stories of our experiences here and our 'metamorphosis'... it was really meaningful meeting with them, that i felt really really grateful to Allah for uniting us.. because something for sure, that night, i felt like i gained strength and i had this rejuvenated spirit to become a better Muslimah from that day on.. just by hearing their stories and in fact their presence.... when i listen to their stories, it just gives me inspiration that Allah is with us all the time and He will always be there to help us whenever we are in trouble or problems.. we just have to make believe that whatever we are doing, the pain that we feel to do something because of Allah is very worthwhile and Allah will never burden us with something that we are not capable of...

From Surah as Saff:

That ye believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that ye strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons: That will be best for you, if ye but knew! (61:11)

to azie and wani...love you guys...insyaAllah, He will always be with us in going through all the situations coming our way...insyaAllah...

P/S: cant wait to see you guys in Queenstown!! =)