The Prophet of Cures
The Flamingos by Henri Rousseau
“Seek treatment.”
–Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace
Do we believe in healing? Muslim astronomers were inspired by Qur'anic mentions of the cosmos and the necessity to determine prayer times and the qibla. What they created went far beyond actual religious needs, shaped by general Qur'anic appeals to observe nature as a means to know and love God. They pushed the limits of what was knowable and ushered in a new era as a result. Muslim physicians were once similarly inspired by verses and hadith about cures and health, becoming pioneers in medical research and practice. Yet today, Muslims aren't at the forefront of seeking cures. Are there limiting beliefs around illness and messages that caution against displeasure with one's fate?
When Maryam experienced the pangs of childbirth she fled to a date palm tree that could bear her weight and support her. “She said, ‘Would that I had died before this and were a thing forgotten, utterly forgotten.’” Her grief, some commentators say, was the result of the physical pain of labor as well as her anxiety over having to confront her community with this unexplained birth. Exegetes like Ibn Ajiba in Bahr Al-Madid and Al-Tabari in Jami al-Bayan are careful to note that Mary’s anguish was not inconsistent with her status as a siddiqa: supremely pious or saintly. Maryam had wholeheartedly accepted the mission of cultivating Prophet Isa, bearing her own kind of revelation. Her faith is unquestionable. Al-Razi makes a connection between Maryam’s lament and Ali’s statement on the occasion of the Battle of the Camel, both figures solemnly acknowledging the immensity of what lay before them. Imam Ali reportedly said something along the lines of “I wish I had died before this.”
Help came to Maryam in many forms. A voice, likely Angel Jibrail’s (or possibly a pre-born or just born Prophet Isa), said: “Grieve not! Your Lord has placed a stream at your feet. Shake the trunk of the date palm: fresh, ripe dates shall fall upon you. So eat and drink and cool your eyes.” The stream and the fresh dates were miraculous creations of God for that very moment. The water appeared, as did the fresh dates, out-of-season, much like Maryam’s pregnancy. Beautifully, the announcement of Allah’s miraculous material help–the fresh dates and water–came between consolations to her sadness. Her grief was acknowledged and treated not only with kind words, but also material support.
The strain of labor is expected and common and still those were not reasons to dismiss it. So what of pain and illnesses that are neither expected nor common, nor couched in a clear and obvious purpose like childbirth? We turn to the story of Prophet Ayyub, notably referred to as “servant” by Allah in the passages that hold his story. “And remember Our servant Job, when he called upon his Lord, ‘Truly Satan has afflicted me with weariness and punishment.’ Ayyub’s illness was uncommon, without a known material cause nor a known cure. Allah tells him: “‘Strike with your foot; this is cool water spring wherewith to wash and drink.’ And We bestowed upon him his family and their like along with them as a mercy from Us and a reminder for possessors of intellect. And, ‘Take with your hand a bundle of rushes (a variety of plants) and strike therewith, and break not your oath.’ Truly we found him to be patient. What an excellent servant! Truly he often turned to God.” 38:41-44 According to commentators, both the spring and the plants were means for Ayyub’s healing. Allah decides to heal him, through miraculous and ordinary means, despite the probability that Ayyub could have persisted in patience till his death. Allah still describes him as a patient and an excellent servant whose defining characteristic was turning his heart to Allah over and over again. Ayyub expressed his anguish to God and desire for healing in yet another chapter. In Chapter Al-Anbiya, Prophet Ayyub says: “Truly affliction has befallen me and You are the most Merciful of the merciful.” In response, Allah tells us: “So We answered him and removed the affliction that was upon him…as a mercy from Us and a reminder to the worshippers.” 21:85
The worshippers or servants (abideen) are those who benefit most from the story of Ayyub, as the above verse states. The spiritual teacher Abu Yazid Al-Bistami said he asked God, “How do I draw close to you?” God replied, “Draw near to Me by what is not Mine.” Abu Yazid inquires, “My Lord, what isn’t yours?” God answers, “Humility and dependence.” For the notetakers, dhilla and iftiqar. Both dhilla and iftiqar are intense words, chosen over others that would have communicated the same idea but with less passion - words like tawadu' and adab, for example. The three qualities Allah describes Ayyub with–a patient servant who oft-turned to God–are qualities of humility and dependence on Allah. These treasured qualities are an ocean apart from the qualities of lordship. Perhaps it is more prudent to stand on the safe shores of servanthood—embracing dependence on Allah through, among other things, asking of your Lord—than to risk slipping into the boundless waters between the shores of servanthood and lordship. Allah is alone in being without need.
Far from expressing displeasure with our fate, seeking healing while maintaining dependence on Allah exemplifies the very servanthood that draws us near to Him. In their hour of need, Maryam and Ayyub show us the small gift of voicing our pain–whether it be physical or emotional–to Allah, the most compassionate listener. Their wholehearted belief in God as their patron and guardian transformed them into perfect servants and believers. Dependence on Allah as our comforter and healer is genuine ‘ubudiya. In that disposition, we are trusting, humble, and receptive. “If Allah touches you with affliction, none can remove it but He.” (Quran 6:17) The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, Allah sent down the disease and the cure, and for every disease He made a cure. Seek treatment, but do not seek treatment by the unlawful.” If one wonders what level of intervention is acceptable for a believer, then the spirit of his guidance is permissive. For the individual, turning to Allah for healing – through whatever miraculous or ordinary means–is an expression of tawhid. As a community, searching for the treatments the Prophet said exist, is fulfilling our role as “the best community ever raised forth from humanity.”