The Soul of Medicine: Spiritual Perspectives and Clinical Practice

5. Islam

CHAPTER FIVE Islam Areej El-Jawahri, M.D. Islam is a monotheistic religion that was established in 610 CE by the Prophet Muhammad. Currently, more than 1.2 billion people identify as Muslims. Forty percent of Muslims are Asians originating from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan , Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and the Philippines; 20 percent are from the Middle East (including non-Arab countries Iran and Turkey); 30 percent are from sub-Saharan Africa; 3 percent are native to Europe; and 1 percent are native to the Americas. Islam is the fastest-growing religion in North America; there are more than 3 million Muslims in the United States. The Ultimate Nature and Essential Concerns of Human Beings The word Islam in Arabic translates to “submission to the will of God” (Allah). The root of the word Islam stems from the Arabic word salam, which means “peace,” signifying the importance of peace in Islam. For an individual Muslim , Islam becomes the path to allow a person to reach inner peace with himor herself, with the Creator (Allah), and with creation. This can be accomplished 80 Major Traditions and Medicine only by complete and utter surrender to the will of God. Islam acknowledges many prophets as the messengers of God who were sent to guide humankind. These prophets include figures such as Adam, David, Solomon, Noah, Abraham , Moses, and Jesus. Muslims believe in angels, heaven and hell, and the Day of Judgment. They believe that Jesus will return to Jerusalem before the Day of Judgment. They believe that Mary (who is mentioned more times in the Quran than in the New Testament) had a virgin conception—that her pregnancy was a miracle—but not that Jesus was the son of God. They believe in large passages of the Torah (Jewish scripture) and the Old Testament. The holy book for Muslims, the Quran, was revealed to the last prophet and messenger of God, Muhammad. God upholds the integrity of every existing being. God alone is an infinite and original being. God created nature for humans to exploit and use for good purposes. Numerous verses in the Quran proclaim that God has “made subservient the heaven and the earth and whatever is in them to humankind.” According to the Quran, the fundamental weaknesses of humans are pettiness, narrow-mindedness, and selfishness. People should transcend these weaknesses by self-giving to others. Faith bestows safety and peace, and by accepting and surrendering to the law of God, which is the ultimate protection against perils, one avoids disintegration. Thus, Islam states that people should avoid moral and physical peril, conform to the law of God, and thus save themselves individually and collectively from perdition. In so doing, they develop their vast potential by obeying God’s moral law. For many, Islam is not just a religion but a way of life. There is a strong emphasis on families in Muslim societies. This includes not only includes immediate family members but also all blood relatives and the Islamic community, where a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood is an integral aspect of Muslim faith. In the Muslim worldview, God gives rights that cannot be separated from duties toward the Creator and fellow human beings. For example, while all healing ultimately comes from God, Muslims have a duty to seek out medical attention when ill and a right to receive appropriate medical care. Physicians have a clear obligation to provide medical care. The reciprocity of rights and duties differs from the Western conception of inherent and inalienable rights. Islam does not distinguish between religion and spirituality. There is no spirituality without religious thoughts, practice, and experience. Religion pro- Islam 81 vides the spiritual path for salvation and a way of life. Muslims accept the Divine and seek meaning, purpose, and happiness in a worldly life and the hereafter . At the core of the Islamic system lies the practice of spiritual discipline, which educates and trains the inner person. It frees a person from the slavery of him- or herself, purges the soul from the lust of materialistic life, and instills in humans a tremendous love for God. Through patience, perseverance, and gratitude, one can open the door for spiritual and physical well-being. No matter how high a person’s moral and spiritual station, he or she cannot take it for granted and feel immune; a person has always to try not to fall but to climb up. For Muslims...