The Muslim Doctor

The Muslim doctor shares with the Muslim patient the two main characteristics: the faith in God and destiny, and the conviction that there is a cure for every disease But the doctor must have something more; he is supposed to know, or at least try to know, the proper diagnosis and the proper cure. He must be aware of his mission or commission entrusted to him in his capacity as the agent of healing. Being an agent, he believes that the act of healing is not entirely his, but it depends on God's will. It seems to me that medical doctors are more aware than others of the divine power and God's will. They meet every day with cases where destiny plays the major pan and they encounter the most unexpected results. Our Prophet (P.B.U.H), on the authority of Yasir, says: "For each disease there is a cure; and when the (fight) treatment is given, the disease is cured by the Will of Allah", (cited by Ahmad and Muslim).

The art of healing, which is called the medical profession in modern language, has been highly respected all through the ages.,For a long period in human history this an was closely correlated with religious leadership and quite often confluent with magic and miracles. Since the advent of Islam 1400 years ago, medicine has become a science subject to human intelligence and discovery. Nevertheless, the medical doctor has persistently captured the appreciation and respect of his contemporaries, especially as medicine was usually associated with other philosophical and social knowledge. In fact this close marriage between philosophy and medicine distinguished the medical history of Islam. The gist here is that doctor's prognosis included the spiritual, psychological and social sides of the patient over and above the pathological aspects. I earnestly believe that in an Islamic state, all Muslim doctors in course of their every day practice, and when dealing with Muslim patients in particular, should keep this traditional prognostic attitude in mind. I am sure, if they do they will never regret the act.

But what is it that makes a Muslim doctor different from other non- Muslim doctors? From the technological and scientific points of view, all doctors fall in one category. However, when it comes to practice, the Muslim doctor finds himself bound by particular professional ethics plus his Islamic directives issuing from his belief. In fact, the Muslim doctor - and I mean by this that doctor who tries to live his Islam by following its teachings all through - such a doctor is expected behave differently in some occasions and to meet greater responsibilities than other non-Muslim doctor..