Prescription 2: Your Fundamental Role
كُنْ كَالطَّبيب الرَّفِيقِ
Names and their etymological roots can reveal the beliefs, culture and history of a nation. In the English language one who treats the ailing person is known as a physician or a doctor.
The word physician comes from an ancient Greek noun φύσις (physis) and its derived adjective physikos, meaning nature and natural. This informs us that the physician is more of one who deals with the physical being of a person rather than his soul and spirit. There is no mention or indication of the spirit at all.
As for the name doctor, it is a Latin word that literally signifies teacher. It is a contraction of the Greek διδάκτωρ (didaktōr: teacher), from the verb διδάσκειν (didaskein: to teach).1 Considering its usage for Christian priests before medical doctors,2 it might indicate that medical doctors were not only concerned with the physical dimension of the human being, but also his spiritual dimension.
In the Arabic language, however, a doctor is known as a tabib. In order to understand the great difference between calling a doctor a physician and calling him a tabib, let us look at the etymology of the word tabib.
Some lexicographers like Ibn Faris (d. 395 AH) mention that the root of the word tabib are two letters ta and ba’ which signify knowledge and skill about something (ʿilmun bi al-shayʾ wa maharatun fihi).3
Others, like al-Firuzabadi (d. 817 AH) in his al-Qamus al-muhit, say that the word tabba [a verb that shares the same root with the name tabib] means taʾanna li al-umur wa talattafa (he did things slowly and gently).4
Commenting on this, ʿAllamah Majlisi (d. 1110 AH) in his Bihar al-Anwar says:
إنما سموا بالطبيب لرفعهم الهم عن النفوس المرضى بالرفق ولطف التدبير، وليس شفاء الأبدان منهم
Indeed, they were called tabib because they would remove anguish from the souls of the sick ones with friendliness and gentleness of management, and the healing of bodies is not from them.5
There is an interesting tradition narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) which speaks about the origin of the word tabib:
كَانَ يُسَمَّى الطَّبِيبُ الْمُعَالِجُ فَقَالَ مُوسَى بْنُ عِمْرَان: يَا رَبِّ مِمَّن الدَّاءِ؟ قَالَ: مِنِّي، قَالَ: مِمَّن الدَّوَاءِ؟ قَالَ: مِنِّي قَالَ فَمَا يَصْنَعُ النَّاسِ بِالْمُعَالِج؟
قَالَ: يُطَيِّبُ بِذَلكَ أنفُسَهُمْ. فَسُمِّيَ الطَّبِيبُ لذلك
A doctor (tabib) was called al-muʿalij (one who treats) at first, and thereafter Musa ibn ʿImran (ʿa) said: O Lord, from whom is the illness? Allah said: From me. Thereupon Musa (ʿa) said: From whom is the medicine? Allah said: From me. Musa (ʿa) said: What then should the people do with the muʿalij (one who treats)? Allah said: He [through his treatment] makes them feel pleasant (yutayyibu bidhalika anfusahum). And for this reason, a muʿalij was called a tabib (one who makes the patients feel pleasant).6
Hence the fundamental role of a doctor is tatyib al-nufus (to instil a pleasant state in the souls). This reveals that the method of his struggle in treating the patient must be such that it pleases the soul of the patient and makes him feel serene and good. Ibn Zakariyya al-Razi in his Akhlaq al-tabib, underlining the superiority of a doctor, at one point says that kings who select a specific doctor for themselves must always deal pleasantly with him and elevate him more than the rest of their subjects in their gatherings amongst their other servants. Then he says:
فإن هم إلا خدام جسم، والمتطبب خادم روح
For they [the other subjects] only serve the human body (khuddamu jism), whereas the doctor serves the human spirit (khadimu ruh).7
The following are some noteworthy traditions that allude to this important task of a tabib:
Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) is reported to have said:
كنْ كَالطَّبيب الرَّفِيقِ الَّذِي يَدَعُ الدَّوَاءَ بِحَيْثُ يَنْفَعْ
Be like a friendly doctor, who leaves the medicine where it is beneficial.8 Imam al-Rida (ʿa) is reported to have said:
سمِعْتُ مُوسَى بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ، وَقَدْ اشْتَكَى فَجَاءَ المترفقون بالأدوية - يَعْنِي الأطباء
I heard Musa ibn Jaʿfar (ʿa), while he was suffering [from a malady] and those who are friendly with medicine, i.e. the doctors, came to him.9 Note that instead of using the word atibbaʾ (doctors) the Imam (ʿa) employs the words ‘al-mutaraffiqun bi al-adwiyah’ (“those who are friendly with medicine”), thus revealing the fundamental task of doctors as those who are facilitators of the cure, and not the curers. Furthermore, this facilitation is also by Allah’s permission and power.
However, instilling a pleasant state requires a prerequisite: There is a dictum in the Arabic language which is actually an intellectual principle that reveals a reality. The Arabs say, ‘Faqid al-shayʾi la yuʿtihi’ (“One who does not possess something cannot bestow it”). In order for the doctor to be able to make the patient feel pleasant, he himself must enjoy a serene and pleasant soul. It is such a soul that can behave pleasantly and make others feel pleasant. Hence, the doctor must himself work to be tayyib and pleasant, so that he can effectively play his role as a tabib. This is also endorsed by the following Qur’anic principle:
قُلْ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَىٰ شَاكِلَتِهِ فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ أَهْدَىٰ سَبِيلًا
Say, ‘Everyone acts according to his character. Your Lord knows best who is better guided with regard to the way.’ (Surah al-Israa’, 17:84).
We must however be very careful in how we define the state of being pleasant. Is it just in having a physically sound body so that one’s mind and heart is at peace? Or is it in exemplifying characteristics of patience, concern, love, etc.? Therefore, before embarking on anything, the doctor must realize that such a state is not something that can be acquired physically or mentally. It requires struggle and continual practice. In the same way that a doctor goes through different experiments in understanding the human body, he must go through different trials and tribulations of resistance, patience, expression of love, and expression of concern.
It is imperative for the doctor to know the methods through which he can confer a state of serenity, peace, happiness, etc., all of which are elements that can please the ailing patient.
The following are some noteworthy traditions that can enlighten every doctor on how to deal with his patient:
1. Instilling Hope Of Long Life
The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:
إِذَا دَخَلْتُمْ عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ فَنفْسُوا لَهُ فِي أَجَلِهِ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَا یرد شيئا ويطيب نفسه
When you are in the presence of a sick person, then give him hope of the enhancement of his lifespan, for indeed that would not change anything [that would ultimately happen] and it would make him feel pleasant.
Note that in this tradition the phrase ‘… la yaruddu shayʾan …’ does not essentially mean that there would be no increase in the sick person’s lifespan, for there are many traditions that clearly speak of means of increasing the lifespan of a human being. The phrase in this tradition apparently refers to al-ajal al-musamma, the ultimate life span known to Allah in the al-Lawh al-Mahfuz (the Guarded Tablet) that does not change. The Holy Qur’an in this regard says:
وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِمْ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ وَلَٰكِنْ يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
Were Allah to take mankind to task for their wrongdoing, He would not leave any living being upon it [earth]. But He respites them until a specified time; so, when their time comes, they shall not defer it by a single hour nor shall they advance it. (Surah an-Nahl, 16:61).
The most important factor, however, is that in instilling hope of long life the doctor would make the patient feel pleasant and hopeful, and that would also have a positive effect on his physical condition.
2. Instilling Happiness In The Heart Of The Patient
Imam Zayn al-ʿAbidin (ʿa) is reported to have said:
قال رسول الله )صلى الله عليه وآله): إن أحب الأعمال إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِدْخَالُ السُّرُورِ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
The Apostle of Allah (S) said: Indeed, the most beloved of deeds to Allah, the Invincible and Majestic, is to instill happiness in the faithful.10
Note the phrase ‘Inna ahabba al-aʿmal ila Allahi’ (“the most beloved of deeds to Allah”), which reveals something extremely important and serious.
Imam al-Baqir (ʿa) is reported to have said:
قَالَ رَسُولُ الله (ص): مَنْ سَر مُؤْمِنًا فَقَدْ مؤْمِنًا فَقَد سرني، ومن سَرَّنِي فَقَدْ سَرَّ الله
The Apostle of Allah (S) said: Whoever makes a believer happy, has indeed made me happy, and whoever makes me happy, has indeed made Allah happy.11
This is among those traditions that reveal the most profound truths that the insightful scholars only reveal when and where it is essential. It alludes to monotheism in its purest form.
Imam al-Baqir (ʿa) is reported to have said:
ومَا عُبِدَ اللهُ بِشَيْءٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ مِّنْ إِدْخَالِ السُّرُورِ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِ
And Allah has not been worshipped with anything more lovable to Allah than instilling happiness on a believer.
The tone of this tradition is extremely powerful, and one must not take it lightly. It not only reveals the greatness of the reward of instilling happiness in the heart of a believer, but also underlines the sanctity of a believer’s station near Allah. No wonder Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is also reported to have said:
الْمُؤْمِنَ أَعْظَمُ حَرْمَةٌ مِنَ الْكَعْبَةِ
A believer is greater in sanctity than the Kaʿbah12
There is a subtle condition however that must be observed with regard to instilling happiness: instilling happiness is due, in actual fact, to the character and real disposition of a true believer. Imam ʿAli (ʿa) is reported to have said:
سرور المؤمن بطَاعَةِ رَبِّهِ وَحُزْنُهُ عَلَى ذَنْبِه
The happiness of a believer is in the obedience of his Lord, and his grief is over his sin.13
Therefore, when the physician would like to make the patient feel pleasant, it should be according to what a believer naturally desires.
Taking recourse to lying, matters of base pleasure, etc. are therefore not reckoned to be the correct means of instilling happiness in the heart of a true believer.
3. Encountering The Sick With A Joyful Countenance
Hadrat Fatimah al-Zahraʾ (ʿa) is reported to have said:
البشر في وجه المؤمن يُوجِبُ لصاحبه الْجَنَّةَ
Expression of joy in the face of a faithful necessitates the garden of Heaven for a person.14
Imam al-Baqir (ʿa) is reported to have said:
تبسم الرجل في وجه أخِيهِ حَسَنَةٌ وَصَرَفَ الْقَدَى عَنْهُ سنه
The smile of a person in front of his brother is a good deed and averting a thorn from him is a good deed.
The kind of joy a faithful experience is not the same as that which a disbeliever experiences. The phrase ‘fi wajhi akhihi’ therefore bespeaks of the origin and nature of joy: it is not a joy that springs from material attractions, but rather a joy whose basis is belief and faith.
4. Removing Anguish From The Ailing One
Imam al-Kazim (ʿa) is reported to have said:
مَنْ فَرَّجَ عَنْ أَخِيهِ الْمُسْلِمِ كُرَبَةً فَرَّجَ اللهُ عَنْهُ كَرْبَةَ يوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، ويَخْرُجُ مِنْ قَبْرِهِ مَثْلُوجَ الصَّدْرِ
Whosoever relieves his Muslim brother from a deep anguish, Allah would relieve him from the deep anguish of the Resurrection Day, and he would leave his grave with a tranquil heart.15
Depending on the kind of grief the patient experiences, the doctor should always try to think of how to deal with the patient so that the anguish can be gradually decreased and finally removed.
At times—and this is a problem many of the laity experience—the grief of the patient is intellectually unfounded and baseless, and this is when he is affected by the insinuations (wasawis) of Shaytan or personal unfounded speculations (zunun). Instead of hope, taints of despair accumulate the heart and turn it into a vessel of deep sorrow and anguish. How astute and intelligent would the concerned physician be to diagnose not only the physical malady but even the spiritual illness that may even worsen the situation of the patient if he continues paying heed to baseless speculations?!
5. Observing Specific Guidelines
The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:
اذا دخل أحدكم على مريض فليصافحه وليضع يده على جبهته، وليسأله كيف هو، وَلِيَنْسِي لَهُ فِي الأَجَلِ ويسأله أن يدعو لهم، فَإِن دُعَاءَ الْمَرِيضِ كُدُعَاءِ الْمَلَائِكَة
When one of you enters the presence of a sick person, (1) he must shake his hands, (2) place his hand on the latter’s forehead, (3) ask him about his health, (4) instill hope of long life in him, and (5) ask him to pray for him, for indeed the supplication of a sick person is like the supplication of the angels16
This tradition is universal and not particular to visitors that exclude the doctors. The phrase ‘Idha dakhala ahadu- kum ʿala al-marid’ (“When any one of you enters the presence of a sick person”) which is a general statement also includes the doctors who are responsible for the treatment of the patient.
A noteworthy point in the above tradition is that although we have rendered musafahah as shaking hands, in more accurate terms it is the process of joining one hand to another. It transpires when the palm of one hand is joined to the palm of another, and there is nothing like shaking involved.
In some traditions, we are informed that if one would like to observe a complete visitation (tamam al-ʿiyadah) of the patient, then he must touch the patient, whether by giving hands, placing his hand on the latter’s arm, or placing his hand on the latter’s forehead, etc.
Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:
تَمامُ الْعِبَادَةِ أَنْ تَضَعَ يَدَكَ عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ إِذَا دَخَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ
A complete visit is that you place your hand on the patient when you enter his presence.17
تَمَامُ الْعِيَادَةِ لِلْمَرِيضِ أَنْ تَضَعَ يَدَكَ عَلَى ذِرَاعِهِ وَ تُعَجِّلَ القيام من عنده
A complete visit of the patient is that you place your hand on his arm; and that you leave quickly [and do not prolong your visit].18
مِنْ تَمَامِ الْعِيَادَةِ أن يَضَعَ العائد إحدى يديه على يدي الْمَرِيضِ أو عَلَى جبهته
A complete visitation is that the visitor places one of his hands in the hands of the patient or on his forehead.19
A very important etiquette when giving hands is that one must try not to be the first to release his hand, until the other releases. Shaykh al-Kulayni (d. 329 AH) in his al-Kafi mentions a tradition worthy of consideration.
Imam al-Baqir (ʿa) is reported to have said:
إِذَا صَافَحَ الرَّجُلُ صَاحِبَهُ فَالَّذِي يلزم التَّصَافُحَ أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا مِنْ الَّذِي يَدَعُ، أَلَا وَإِنَّ الذُّنُوبَ لَتَتَحَاتُ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُم حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى ذَنْبٌ
If a person joins his hand with his companion, the one who adheres to the joining receives greater reward than the one who releases his hand first. Indeed, know that sins are erased between them, until no sin remains.20
6. Observing The Correct Body Language
Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) is reported to have said:
لسَانُ الْحَالِ أصْدَقُ مِنْ لِسَانِ الْمَقَالِ
The tongue of the state is more truthful than the tongue of speech.21
This dictum of Imam ʿAli (ʿa) reveals ample information for every insightful human being, not excepting the physician, whose body language can truly instill love, happiness, and patience in the ailing patients.
A smile can actively transform the heart; words of encouragement, complete attention to the patient, and so many other elements that the astute physician knows due to his vast experience, can serve to create the sparks of happiness in the ailing patient.
A Monotheistic Perspective
Although a medical doctor is known as tabib, he must know that even the bestowal of a pleasant situation for the ailing one is actually entirely through divine strength and power. Therefore, not only is Allah al-Shafi (the Curer), but also al-Tabib (the One who makes the patient feel pleasant). In the well-known supplication of al-Jawshan al-Kabir we address Almighty Allah with this sacred name in various instances. Some of them are as follows:
اللهم إنى أسئلك باسمك يا حبيب يَا طَبيب
O Allah, surely, I ask you by Your name, O Beloved, O tabib (the Doctor who makes the patient feel pleasant)22
یا كَاشِفَ الْكُرُوبِ يَا مُقَلْبَ الْقُلُوبِ، يَا طَبِيبَ الْقُلُوبِ يا منور القلوب
O Reliever of deep anguishes, O One who turns the hearts, O Tabib of the hearts (One who makes the hearts feel pleasant), O Enlightener of the hearts.23
يَا حَبِيْب مَنْ لا حَبِيبَ لَهُ، يَا طَبِيبَ مَنْ لَا طَبِيبَ لَهُ يَا مُجِيْب مَنْ لَا مَجِيبَ لَهُ
O Lover of one who has no lover, O Tabib (one who makes the patient feel pleasant) of one who has no tabib, O Responder of one who has no responder.24
يا نعم الحسيب، يَا نِعْمَ الطَّبِيبِ، يَا نِعْمَ الرَّقيب
O best Accounter, O best Tabib (One who makes the patient feel pleasant), O best Observer.25
اللهم إِنِّي أَسْتَلْكَ بِاسْمِكَ يَا رَبَّنَا يَا إِلَهَنَا يَا سَيِّدَنَا يَا مولَينَا يَا نَاصِرنَا يَا حَافِظَنَا يَا دَلِيلَنَا يَا مُعِينَنَا يَا حَبيبنا يَا طَيْنَا
O Allah, surely, I ask You by Your name, O our Lord, O our God, O our Leader, O our Guardian, O our Saviour, O our Protector, O our Guide, O our Helper, O our Lover, O our Tabib (One who makes the patient feel pleasant).26
The insightful scholars believe that in the purely monotheistic sense other than Allah and His manifestations who occupy themselves in treating the patients, there is no Tabib.
- 1. http://physician.askdefine.com/ [8/18/2012].
- 2. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Etymology-Meaning-Words- 1474/doctor.htm, [19/8/2012].
- 3. Ibn Faris, Mu’jam maqayis al-lughah, v.3, p. 407.
- 4. Al-Firuzabadi, al-Qamus al-muhit, v.1, p.97.
- 5. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.59, p. 62.
- 6. Shaykh al-Saduq, ‘Ilal al-sharayi’, v.2, p. 525.
- 7. Muhammad ibn Zakariyya al-Razi, Akhlaq al-tabib, p.32.5
- 8. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.2, p. 53.
- 9. Al-’Amili, al-Fusul al-muhimmah fi usul al-aʾimmah, v.3, pp. 53-54.
- 10. Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v.2, p. 189.
- 11. Al-Husayn ibn Sa’id, Kitab al-Muʾmin, p. 48.
- 12. Shaykh al-Saduq, al-Khisal, p. 27.
- 13. Al-Wasiti, ‘Uyun al-Hikam wa al-mawa’iz, p. 286.
- 14. Tafsir al-Imam al-’Askari, p. 354.
- 15. Al-Husayn ibn Sa’id, Kitab al-muʾmin, p. 50.
- 16. Al-Hindi, Kanz al-’Ummal, v.9, p. 103, h. 25191.
- 17. Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v.3, p. 118.
- 18. Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v.3, p. 118.
- 19. Al-Tabrasi, Makarim al-akhlaq, p. 360.
- 20. Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v.2, p. 181
- 21. Al-Wasiti, ‘Uyun al-Hikam wa al-awa’iz, p.420.
- 22. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.91, p. 385.
- 23. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.91, p. 391.
- 24. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.91, p. 390.
- 25. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.91, p. 390.
- 26. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.91, p. 390.