Address to Medical Profession 16 November 2012-11-15 Annual General Meeting of Islamic Medical Association-Pretoria Branch

Address to Medical Profession 16 November 2012-11-15

Annual General Meeting of Islamic Medical Association-Pretoria Branch

Bay Leaf Restaurant: Laudium 19:00

Assalamu’alaikum

Khutbah

Ayah

Wa ma khalqtul jinna wal insa illa liya’budun

Hadith

Al Rahimuna yarhamahum al rahman Ir hamu ma fil ardi yarhamukum man fis sama

I am honoured by this kind invitation to address this gathering here this evening. This is an important meeting of your association where you wlcome new colleagues that have joined your fraternity and also acknowledge others who have for their services. I hope that what we will share here tonight may be of relevance to both these guests and all of us here this evening.

By the mercy of Allah Ta’ala you have all been blessed with medical knowledge  which is part of the knowledge of Allah:

Wa allama al insane ma lam ya’lam

Who taught man what he knew not

The study of medicine is an opportunity to recognise Allah Ta’al. Allah encourages believers in several verses of the Quran to tadabbur and tafakkur-pondering and deep thinking about the creation and His ayaat (signs) in the universe. If we are to assume as Allah informs us, that the noblest of all of Allah’s creation is man- and the study of medicine is the study of man, then surely the study of medicine should rank as one of the noblest of professions. It entails revealing Allah’s signs in his most honoured creation-wa fi anfusikum a fa la tubsirun.

The medical practioner should therefore of necessity come nearer to Allah by means of his profession. Recognition of the greatness of Allah Talaa should strengthen his faith, bring him to do good deeds and allow im to develop a relationship with Allah.

He witnesses the birth, growth, sickness, old age and death of those who trust in his knowledge. The miracle in which Allah Ta’ala creates human beings, the way in which Allah Ta’ala causes man to be healed after sickens and the way in which death follows old age and sickness are all signs-ayaat Allah Ta’ala calls it in the Quran e Karim-which should take him closer to Allah and make him realise the purpose in life.

Our purpose in life is encapsulated in the verse:

Wa ma khlaqtul jina wal insa illa li ya’budun

And we have not created Jinn and Insan except for our worship-ibadah.

Ulama of tafsir have interpreted the meaning of ibadah and explained that ibadah entails two duties:

Itaa’a li awamir allah

Al shafqatu li khaliqillah

Obedience to the commands of Allah

And mercy/ compassion  to the creation of Allah

If we consider the profession of medicine then it is a sure way to bring compassion and mercy to Allah’s subjects. Medical practice is therefore an act of worship and charity apart from being a career to earn a living. And just as Allah’s mercy does not iscriminate-terighteous and evil, the friend and foe all enjoy the warmth of the rays of Allah Ta’ala’s sun, the comfort of His breeze, the coolness of His water and the life giving air He gives us to breath. It it therefore on this basis that the health care provider must operate.

As an agent of mercy to those he treats, the medical professional should realise the importance function he serves. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

Ar rahimuna yarhamuhum ar rahimun-Rahman-The Most Merciful shows mercy to those who show mercy. I remember well the words of my late teacher Professor Abur Rahman Doi rahimahullah. He once said to me that doctors and those in the medical profession have the great opportunity to become the friends of Allah. They show mercy to patients and relieve the pain and suffering of oter when those who they treat are most vulnerable and most in need of their services and kindness.

Dear Brothers and sisters, the fuqahah have acknowledged, the importance of your profession. They explain that the study of medicine is a fard ala al kifayah-a collective obligatory duty on society that some of its members can carry out in lieu of whole. Should there be insufficient professionals in this field the entire community carries the legal blame. In an Islamic state therefore it is the duty of the state to ensure that there are sufficiently trained doctors- the ensuing duty being to establish relevant schools, faculties, clinics, hospitals and institutions to fulfil their purpose. The fuqaha (Muslim jurists) recognised and identified this very early on in their works of jurisprudence. The famous scholar Imam Shafi rahmatullah alaihi said: After the science which distinguishes what is halaal and haraam, I know of know of no science which is more noble than that of medicine.” He was grieved to see how much of tiscience was lost to Muslims. He often used to say: “ They have lost a third of all human knowledge and have allowed themselves to be overtaken by the Jews and Christians. He is also reported to have said: “Truly the People of the Book have oversdowed and overtaken us in this supreme art.” And al-Shafi, as well as having immense superiority in the sciences of shariah and an unassailable command of the Arabic language was also a skilled physician.

His words should serve as encouragement for Muslim to be at the cutting edge of medical advances. This is in fact our legacy and Muslims of the past took heed to te advices of the fuqahah. You are all well aware of  the contributions of Muslims to medicine. Between 872-874 of the common era, Muslims established the Ahmad ibn Tulun hospital in Cairo. It treated patients free of charge and provided the best medical treatment know to man at the time. These facilities were custome designed and the surgical instruments were outstanding. Forceps, still used today, were designed by Muslim surgeons over a thousand years ago. Cutting edge operations such as cataract operations (you would remember that al-Mawsilli had invented the technique of suction removal of cataracts by the use of a hollow needle, internal stitching and bone setting were part of standard practice. Rigorous medical education in a teaching hospital such as the al-Nuri hospital in Damascus or the al-Mansuri hospital in Egypt was the order of the day. By the way, The Mansuri hospital was built on the land donated by the famous doctor Ibn Nafis. Ibn Nafis had described the pulmonary blood circulation system-the system of oxygenation of oxygen poor blood by the lungs, well before the 17^th century scholar William Harvey had done so.    

As Muslims we need to recommit ourselves to achieving excellence in our professions. The physician should strive to keep abreast with scientific progress and inovaton. Is zeal or complacency, knowledge or ignorance all have a direct bearing on the health and well being of his patients. Just as in Islam, the poor have a right in the wealth of the rich, so too do the patients share in the doctors time spent in study and following the progress of medicine.

Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidina Aisha Radiallahu anha is a sterling example in this regard. She continuously improved and grew the information and knowledge she had about medicine. Hisham ibn Urwah radiallahu anhu  says: “ I never saw anyone who knew more about medicine than Aishah radiallahu anha. I once said to her Oh my aunty, where did you learn your medicine? She replied: “I used to listen topeople when they prescribed remedies for each other , and I stored up what they said in my memory.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters; the well know principle is that the more nobe and respectable a man’s work is, the greater his responsibility becomes and consequently the more exacting are the criteria to assess his acts. So what are the Islamic values that a Muslim medical professional should be cognisant of. We have spoken of the need for tafakkur and tadabbur-pondering over the creation of Allah, as means to his ma’rifah and recognition- we have also said something about the need for mercy and that all we due needs to be coloured with mercy. We have also touched on the need of rising to the challenge of excelling in our fields and the importance of continuous learning. Apart from these there are other teachings of Islam that have a bearing on our professions. Within the ambit of Iman is the belief in qadar-predestination. Qadar guides the health care practioner in his work to know that life and health, illness and cure are ultimately in the hands of Allah Ta’ala. The physician has limited knowledge and limited ability and therefore should never be arrogant. After during everything humanly possible for his patients the Muslim doctor trusts in Allah Ta’ala’s help and support. A believing physician will know that he cannot change the time of death-the ajal-of a person. Sint that is under Allah Ta’alas direct control.

He will concentrate on improving the quality of the remaining life of his patients. Medical knowledge and the real and practical experiences he has with patients increase his Iman because he realises the power and majest of Allah Ta’ala who has created complex human organisms and who cures the most severe diseases.

Another demand on a Muslim doctor is that of taqwah.He is conscious that Allah Ta’ala is watching and ever present. He will strive to uphold what is permitted and avoid the haram. Medical procedures that result in the destruction of human life such as abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide have no part of his practice. He will keep away from fraud, false evidence, lying and misrepresentation. He will not dispense forbidden, haram, medication. It is therefore sad to get reports of the increasing number of doctors who abuse medication for personal use. It is unthinkable that Muslim medical professionals would so blatantly flaunt the commands of Allah Ta’ala. Apart from the sin and punishment that goes with the disobedience of Allah, Imam Suyuti provides us with another reason why the medical practitioner should always be exemplary in his conduct. He states that the physician should offer a good example by caring for his own health. It is not befitting that his “do’s” and “don’t’s” are not observed primarily by himself.

Linked to this is the requirement that Muslim health care practitioners broaden the scope of their knowledge. Al-Ruhawi in his Adab al-tabib (The Morals of Physician or The Practical Ethics of the Physician) is very explicit with regard to the amount of religious knowledge that a Muslim physician should have. Al-Ruhawi’s book is really an amazing contribution that we need to study carefully. His Adab al-Tabib is divided into twenty chapters, each dealing with a specific topic of medical ethics. They fall into three general categories: the conduct of the physician, the conduct of the patient, and the conduct of the public at large towards the medical profession and their patients. The text covers a physician's personal beliefs and practices, placing great importance on his faith in God and personal health and hygiene, as well as his manner with his colleagues, nurses, and patients. Al-Ruhawi emphasizes respect for the physician in patients and visitors, even allowing for a doctor to overrule a patient's wishes when it is necessary for their health to do so. He says that doctors should be placed high in the social hierarchy, with enough pay that they aren't forced into other work, although he also instructs doctors not to flaunt their wealth. Al-Ruhawi says that the fees charged for rich patients should be enough to cover the expenses of poor patients who cannot pay for themselves, as otherwise medical care for both the rich and the poor suffer.

In Adab al-Tabib, Al-Ruhawi also discusses legislative practices and penalties for false and incompetent doctors. To weed out quacks, he advocates medical exams and licenses, the contents of which would be heavily based on the works of Galen. He encourages doctors to keep records of the patient's symptoms, treatments, and progress, so that it may be reviewed by peers should the patient die under his care. Although he admits that patient survival is not always possible and is ultimately up to Allah Ta’ala, Al-Ruhawi recommends severe penalties for doctors who allow patients to die through negligence, even up to execution. This is, one of the oldest books written about Islamic medical ethics , Adab al-ṭabīb (Conduct of a Physician) by Isḥāq ibn `Alī al-Ruhāwī in the 9^th century AH/ CE.1415.  The author stated that the true physician is the one who fears God. The point we are making here is that it is necessary for the physician to have that amount of knowledge of Islamic law, the ibadat (worship) and the essentials that enable him to give counsel to patients seeking guidance about those aspects of health that have a bearing on worship and religious observances. Men and women are subject to symptoms, ailments and physiological situations like pregnancy and would like to know the religious ruling pertaining to tahaarah, salaah, fasting, haj etc. We should all therefore have sufficient knowledge

to provide the necessary guidance to our patients.

Another demand of faith that has a direct bearing on the attitude we have in all we do is our ikhlas. Ikhlas plays a pivotal role in all we do. It is no different for the health care professional. Sincerity-and a sincere intention, increases commitment. Medical practice is ibadat if done for the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala. The rewards of actions are dependent on the extent of the sincerity. The motivation of the medical practitioner should therefore be service and not personal gain. His sincerity should bring him to the realisation that he is accountable before Allah Ta’ala-and also that he is accountable to his profession and to society at large. He has a responsibility to provide his services to the community. As such he would be required to take up social leadership and advocacy for the less privileged or oppressed. This would tie in with the responsibility he has for da’wah. He has to use the opportunity he has to give da’wah to his patients and their relatives. 

We pray to Allah that he guides the graduates we honour here this evening. WE pray that the doctors who are been recognised for their long service are blessed and that they continue to serve for His Pleasure.

We also pray for guidance in all we do, for motivation to be the best, for a focus for the aakhirah and for a meeting with our Rabb when we are happy with Him and He with us.

I thank you

Wassalam