THE DISEASE

The purpose of human existence is affliction and trial.  Allah says;

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“..Who created death and life that He might try which of you is fairest in works, and He is the All mighty and the All forgiving.” (67:1)

Man’s life is but a series of afflictions, either be they painful or joyful. Allah says;

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“We try you with evil and good for a testing, and unto Us you shall be returned.” (21:35)  Sickness is a trial from Allah to be enacted by His Decree.   Allah’s ruling has so willed that His decree is to be carried out by natural causes as in the case of germs.  But germs entering the body are not cause enough for contracting a disease. The body possesses immune mechanisms  created by Allah to control these germs.  Allah’s decree is enacted either by recovery  through bodily resistance or by the disease winning over the body by powerful germs.  So, contagion is not  cause enough for human bodies to contract diseases.   But it is rather one of the factors of enacting Allah’s will, as there are other causes determined by Allah, which turn these peaceful germs into harmful ones, or for harmful ones to be controlled, destroyed and their effects invalidated by others.  This interprets  what  was narrated by  Al Bukhari  and Moslem from Abu Huraira who narrated from the Prophet (r) these two speeches: “There is no contagion, drawing an evil omen from birds, or Hama (drawing an evil omen from owls).” “The sick of a contagious disease should not contact the healthy.”

Although the Prophet (r) forbids mixing patients with healthy persons, this should not be considered the sole cause of contracting diseases.  His statement of no contagion negates that mere contact is the cause of disease and would rather invite us to consider other causes.  So, it is necessary for humans to probe the perceived worldly causes of diseases, which lie in the domain of human limited capacity, for the treatment and prevention of diseases.  Yet, whether to avoid or recover from diseases, if contracted with, is left to Allah’s will and decree.