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PREVENTIVE MEDICINE IN ISLAM: APPLICATION OF ISLAMIC TEACHINGS IN RELATION TO THE CONTROL OF SOME COMMUNICABLE DISEASES Dr.
Adnan Ahmad Albar, and Dr. Ching L. Liu, Thanks to Almighty Allah and Peace and Prayers Be Upon his Prophet. Preventive Medicine is largely determined by culture and religion. Islamic teachings are rich with preventive measures. The present study attempts to out-line some of these teachings and show how they can be effectively applied to control many Faecal-borne, Air-borne, and Water-borne diseases. Some of these are real major health hazards in various parts of the world including some Islamic countries (due to ignorance in applying the Islamic teachings properly). MATERIALS. A Control of Faecal-borne Diseases. 1 . One of the common routes of transmission of diseases is ingestion of contaminated food1 examples typoid, dysentry, poliornylitis, viral hepatitis... etc. In purely human infections the micro-organisms spread usually from the fasces of the case or carrier to the mouth of the susceptible individual. The direct transmission of faecal pathogens from case to contact via hands or utensils is clearly influenced by hygenic standards in a community2 . The frequency of direct faecal-oral transmission of pathogens is related to the development of a community. If resources are available for improving sanitation and for health education, progress is possible. Islam teaches to use the left hand to clean and wash after defecation and urination so that no soiling reaches the mouth. The right hand is always kept clean for eating. This programme blocks the faccal-oral transmission of diseases. These instructions are clearly stated in two hadiths3. (A) Umar Bin Abu-Salama reported: 1 was under the care of Allah's Messenger ( ) and as my hand used to roam about in the dish he said to me. Boy mention the name of Allah, eat with your right hand and eat from what is near to you. According to Bukhary and Muslim4. (B) Aishal+ said "theMessengers right hand was for his ablution++ and food and his left hand was for evacuation (washing after urination and defecation) and any thing repugnant- according to Abu Dawood3. 2. Almost all bacteria and ova of parasites survive better in cool, moist, and shady places. Ultra-violet light from the sun has bactericidal activity, but this favourable effect is almost negligible in shady places, so growth of bacteria and parasites is better in these places5. It has been reported that the eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides can survive up to two years and remain infectious under these conditions. Consequently it is highly advisable not to urinate, or defecate in shady places (e.g. near or under trees or near dwellings). This instruction was indicated by the Prophet (PBUH) more than fourteen hundred years ago as it is stated in the hadith. Abu Huraria reported: "The Messenger of Allah (SWT ) said: Be on your guard against two things which provoke cursing. They (the hearers) said: Messenger of Allah, what are those two things which provoke cursing? He said: easing on the thoroughfares (where people walk) or under the shades (where they take shelter and rest)." According to Muslim4. 3. Many parasites including hookworms and strongyloides infect people by skin penetration6. It usually happens when people walk around bare-footed, therefore roads, paths, and shady places are risk areas for those-bare-footed. Urination and defecation in these places provides the best chance for the parasites to invade their hosts. Islam preceeded modem science by advising not to urinate or defecate in these place and encouraging its followers to wear shoes when they walk around. It is stated in the Hadith. (a) Abu-Huraira reported: "The Messenger of Allah (SWT ) said: Be on your guard against two things which provoke cursing. They (the hearers) said: Messenger of Allah what are those two things which provoke cursing? He said: Easing on the thoroughfares (where people walk) or under the shades (where they take shelter and rest)." According to Muslim4 (b) Jabir reported: "I heard Allah's Apostle (PBUH) saying: during and expedition in which we also participated: make a general practice of wearing sandals, for man is riding as it were when he wears sandals. "According to Muslim. Nawawy stated 7 in explaining this hadith that it means that the one wearing shoes is like someone riding in regard of more easyness, less effort, and safety of the feet from roughness or thorns on the road while walking. B. Control of Air-borne Diseases. Many infectious diseases can be transmitted by breathing or blowing droplets into the water we drink or the food we eat. Examples of such diseases include. Influenza, Herpes simplex, Poliomyelitis, Mumps, Rubella, Common cold, Streptococcal sore-throat, Chickenpox, Tuberculosis and others mainly viral. Accordingly it is highly indicated not to breath or blow in what we drink and to cover our face with a cloth or hands while sneezing and yawning8. Islam directed its followers to practice these preventive measures from the Prophet's days onwards. Abdullah Bin Abbas said: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH ) advised not to breath or blow in the pot. (any container of water or food). " According to Abu-Dawood. It is referred to in the Hadith that "The Prophet (PBUH ) advised not to blow in the fluid (which we drink). A man (of his companions) said: what about the little dirt I see in the pot? the Prophet said: Discard it. The man said but I don't get enough drink in one breath? The Prophet said: then take the pot away from your mouth. (so that he breathes outside it then have another drink and so on). "According to Tirmizy. In this Hadith the argument between the Prophet (PBUH) his companion and his insistance not to breath in the container brings the issue to the level of a command and indicates that the Prophet (PBUH) realized how harmful it is, a fact which was not clear to his companion at that time but very obvious to modern preventive medicine. Abu-Huraira reported that 'When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH ) sneezes he covers his face with his hands or cloth which also lowered its sound. According to Abu-Dawood & Tirmizy3. Abu-Saeed AI-Khudari reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH ) said: "if one of you yawns he should put his hand on his mouth... " According to Muslim C. Control of Water-borne Diseases. 1. (a) Many
pathogenic bacteria such as Cholera Salmonella, Shigella, and Leptospira
species survive well in stagmant Water9. Islamic instructions stated from the days of the Prophet (PBUH) provide preventive measures which limit the extent of these problems and control them. It is stated in the Quran10. FOR GOD LOVES THOSE WHO TURN TO HIM CONSTANTLY AND THOSE WHO KEEP THEMSELVES PURE AND CLEAN (S1: V222) Abu-Huraira reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah saying: No one of you is to urinate in the constant water which does not flow then showers in it. According to Muslim. 2. Drinking contaminated fluids causes many diseases, so it is highly advisable to have clean drinks. This is stressed in various Hadiths. It came in the Hadith that "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) advised not to blow in the fluid. A man (of his companions) said: what about the little dirt 1 see in the pot? The Prophet Said.. Discard it. According to Tirmizi. This Hadith
indicates the importance of purity of water in two ways: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS We have seen that there are a large number of communicable diseases which can be controlled and prevented by following tenets of Islamic. Because of the ignorance of some muslims to these teachings certain preventable and controllable diseases exist among them and some of these are endemics in their areas. Example 1. Tuberculosis is a common Air-borne disease in some Islamic Countries and interestingly enough El-Hassan and Taj Eldeen11 reported that most of Primary abdominal tuberculosis in the Sudan was due to Human mycobacteria although it is known to be due to Bovine Mycobacteria. They think that a possible explanation is the practice of churning milk in rural areas. The milk is poured into a skin bag to half fill it. The bag is then distended with air blown through the mouth (which is prohibited in Islam) and churning is begun. The butter is eventually removed and the remaining milk "robe"' is commonly consumed without boiling or heating. This practice is found in other parts of the Muslim world. 2. Schistosomiasis is an endemic water-borne disease in Egypt, Sudan and other tropical countrieS6,12. In Egypt alone there are fourteen million cases (14,000,000) 13. 3. Hookworms, stronglyoides and other round worms are common in tropical countries (including Islamic countries) and their incidence is increased by the habits of urination and defecation in the shades, common roads, and water and while people walking bare-footed. Muslims get Guilt if they do these things. Finally one might say: All preventive measures you discussed are known to modern preventive medicine. So what is new? And the answer is that in this paper we showed that: (a) these
measures were known to muslims for more than fourteen hundred years as
part of their religion. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Muslims
have to adhere to these instructions first because they are part of the
religion and a muslim gets guilt if he does not comply to them, and secondly
they have proved to be of significant value to health. ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to thank Professor Tawfik M. Tamimi, Dean, Colleges of Medicine & Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia and Sheikh Abdulmajeed A. E1-Zandani, Lecturer, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for their continuous support throughout this work. My thanks are also extended to Professor Ahmad El-Hassan, Professor of Pathology & Director of Research, Publications and Translation, College of Medicine & Medical Sciences, King Faisal University,. Dammam, Suadi Arabia and Dr. Seif Eddin Gaafar Ballal, Assistant Professor of Occupational Health, College of Medicine & Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia and Dr. T.K. Williams, Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia for their help and advice. REFERENCES 1.FARMER,
R.D.T. & MILLER, D.L., "Lecture notes on Community Medicine" Blackwell
Scientific Publications reprinted 1980. |
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