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Prescription 10: Transcending Physiology

الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ

Those who believe in the unseen … (Surah al-Baqara, 2:3).

One of the distinct characteristics of a God-wary human being is conviction and faith in the unseen (al-iman bi al-ghayb). In the very beginning verses of the second chapter of the Holy Qur’an, Almighty Allah speaks of the characteristics of the God-wary (al-muttaqun). The very first characteristic He mentions about them is their belief in the ghayb (the unseen):

الم

Alif Lam Mim. … (Surah al-Baqara, 2:1)

ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who guard (against evil). … (Surah al-Baqara, 2:2)

الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ

Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them. … (Surah al-Baqara, 2:3)

Although the physician spends a substantial part of his life in experience and experimentation, which fundamentally rely on the five senses, he must understand that the world of matter is the lowest in the ontological hierarchy of existence.

Intellectual proof, Qur’anic evidence, authentic traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa) and the spiritual disclosures (mukashafat) of the close servants of Allah, reveal that there are different layers of reality, all metaphysically united with one another. The higher levels have a causative effect on the lower ones, and thus one cannot overlook them and take them for granted.

Understanding this primary universal reality opens the door of comprehending so many teachings of the guardians of religion. God-wary doctors, therefore, must transcend the straits of material phenomena and lend their ears to what the divine revelation and its guardians have said with regard to medicine that science cannot understand. Rebuking such remedies, just because of their metaphysical nature, is therefore indirectly rejecting the higher realms of existence and disregarding the words of the great Apostles of God.

Alexis Carrel (d. 1944 CE), the well-known French surgeon and biologist in his book Man, the Unknown says:

In all countries, at all times, people have believed in the existence of miracles, in the more or less rapid healing of the sick at places of pilgrimage, at certain sanctuaries. But after the great impetus of science during the nineteenth century, such belief completely disappeared … Such is still the attitude of most physiologists and physicians.

However, in view of the facts observed during the last fifty years this attitude cannot be sustained. The most important cases of miraculous healing have been recorded by the Medical Bureau of Lourdes.1 Our present conception of the influence of prayer upon pathological lesions is based upon the observation of patients who have been cured almost instantaneously of various affections, such as peritoneal tuberculosis, cold abscesses, osteitis, suppurating wounds, lupus, cancer, etc. 2

Hereunder are examples of effective means of cure that despite being unknown to medical experts, have been communicated to mankind through the Apostles of Allah.

1. The Name Of Allah

Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (ʿa) is reported to have said:

إِسْم الله شفَاء لِكُلِّ دَاء وعون عَلَى كُل دَاءِ

The name of Allah is a cure for every malady and a support against every malady. 3

And in his well-known supplication which he taught to Kumayl, Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) addresses Allah as follows:

یا من اسمه دواء وذكره شفاء

O You whose name is medicine and whose remembrance is a cure.4

The great Shia scholar Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi (d. 573 AH), in assembly number eighty of his Lubb al-Lubab when discussing the meaning of verse 17:82 of the Holy Qur’an, says:

Know that cure (shifaʾ) actually is from Allah. Sometimes the cause (sabab) is mentioned as the effect (musabbab).5 And in the Qur’an this has been done in three ways:

a) Shifaʾ al-ʿAmm (the healing of the masses): that refers to honey and the like, such as the verse: fihi shifaʾun li al-nasi (“in it is a cure for the people”). (16:69)

b) Shifaʾ al-Khass (the healing of a specific class), for He says: Wa nunazziulu min al-Qur’ani ma huwa shifaʾun … (“We send down in the Qur’an that which is a cure” …). (17:82)

c) Shifaʾu Khass al-Khass (the healing of a most specific class), which is the Exalted Master (Himself), as he said: Wa idha maridtu fahuwa yashfin (“And when I turn ill, He cures me”). (26:80)6

It is important to note that the above not only reveals that He alone is the one who heals, but also that He Himself is the cure. A true lover understands very well how powerful the cure of the proximity of the Beloved is.

2. The Holy Qur’an

The Holy Qur’an says:

وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَا يَزِيدُ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًا

We send down in the Qur’an that which is a cure and mercy for the faithful; and it increases the wrongdoers only in loss. (Surah al-Israa’, 17:82).

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

خير الدواء القرآن

The best medicine is the Qur’an.7

One of the Infallibles (ʿa) is reported to have said:

In the Qur’an there is a cure from every malady8

فِي الْقُرْآنِ شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءِ

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

الْحَمْدُ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ، هِيَ شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلَّ دَاءِ إِلَّا السَّامِ والسام الموت

The chapter of al-hamd is the mother of the book. It is a cure from every malady, except sam, and sam means death.9

So powerful is the effect of reciting the chapter of al-hamd that in a tradition Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

مَنْ لَمْ تبرأه الْحَمْدُ لَم يبرأه شَيء

One whom [chapter] al-Hamd does not cure, nothing would cure10

This nondescript has witnessed how rapid the recovery is of one upon whom this profound chapter is recited. One of my close relatives was suffering from a condition that depicted a dangerous illness and someone recited the chapter over him in the state of desperation, and when the patient visited the doctor and tests were taken to diagnose whether the patient had any kind of serious illness, the response was negative.

3. Supplication To Allah

Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

عليكم بِالدُّعَاءِ فَإِنَّهُ شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءِ

Upon you is supplication, for indeed it is a cure from every malady.11

We must understand that supplication for relief does not contradict taking medicine. Allah has directed us to seek the material causes of cure but reminded us that He alone is the true healer.
Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

إِنَّ نَبِيًّا مِنَ الأَنْبِيَاء مَرضَ فَقَالَ: لَا أَتَدَاوَى حَتَّى يَكُونَ الذي أمرضني هو الذي يشفيني. فأوحى الله تعالى إِلَيْهِ: لَا أَسْفِيكَ حَتَّى تَتَدَاوَى، فَإِنَّ الشَّفَاء مِنِّي

One of the Prophets [once] became ill, whereupon he said: I shall not cure myself until He Who made me sick treats me Himself. Thereupon Almighty Allah revealed unto him: I will not cure you, until you treat yourself, for surely cure comes from Me.12

Hence, while the assistance of the physician and medicine is essential, we must always seek divine help for it is He alone who allows the positive effect to take place.

Supplication has its etiquette. One must therefore try to seek and understand its etiquette and then talk to the All-Beloved.

The close servants of Allah know how to begin and go about addressing Him, and hence we must try to employ their words when presenting our needs and requests before Him.

It has been established in its own place that the best examples of Allah’s close servants are the Prophets and the infallible Ahl al-Bayt of the Holy Prophet (S). Hence, we must try to find, understand, and adhere to their supplications.

Due to the tremendous efforts of our great scholars, today we have at our disposal many beautiful and comprehensive prayer manuals which contain supplications of different instances from the Holy Prophet (S) and his infallible progeny (ʿa). One of the well-known supplication manuals is al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah, a prayer book directly dictated by Imam Zayn al-ʿAbidin (ʿa) to two of his effulgent sons, Imam Abu Jaʿfar Muhammad al-Baqir (ʿa) and Zayd al-Shahid (ʿa). Besides being a divine pattern of etiquette of prayer, it is an ocean of knowledge which has yet to be explored and exhausted.

Professor Annemarie Schimmel (d. 2003 CE), an esteemed German scholar of mysticism and poetry, in an interview said:

I always recite the supplications from the original Arabic and do not refer to any translation. Obviously, I have translated parts of al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah into the German language. When I was occupied with rendering these supplications into the said language, my mother, due to her weakness was admitted to the hospital, and I would always go to visit her, and was perfectly aware of her situation. After she would go to sleep, I would busy myself in the corner of her room with editing the translations.

Furthermore, my mother’s room had two beds, and the other bed was occupied by a woman who was strict in the Catholic faith. Out of the faith that she had, when she realized that I am busy with translating the supplications from a Shi‘ite text, she got annoyed, and out of distaste and worry, said: Do we have any scarcity of supplications in Christianity and in our holy books, that you are now inclined to the supplications of the Muslims? I did not respond to her, but when my book [i.e. the translation] was printed I sent to her a copy of the same. After some time, she contacted me through the telephone, and said: “I would like to very sincerely thank you for this attractive gift, for every day instead of the supplications of the Bible, I read it!”13

Another very important element in our supplications must be the state of true desperation and idtirar. The Holy Qur’an tells us:

أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ…

Is He who answers the call of the distressed [person] when he invokes Him and removes his distress … (Surah an-Naml, 27:62).

Here, three important conditions are mentioned:
The caller must be desperate (mudtarr). This can be understood by the object al-mudtarr
The caller must really call Allah, and not merely vocalise. This can be understood be the verb daʿa (calls)
The caller must call Allah and only expect from Him alone. This can be understood by the third person singular pronoun hu (Him) after the verb daʿa

4. Seeking Intercession From The Ahl Al-Bayt (ʿa)

We have ample traditions that teach us that the Holy Prophet (S) and his infallible progeny (ʿa) are the intermediaries of divine grace. And since Allah has placed a system of cause and effect and asked us to seek the causes although His is the ultimate power, influence, and control, asking directly from the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa) is not any kind of shirk (polytheism) whatsoever.
In a lengthy tradition, the Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said to Imam ʿAli (ʿa):

يَا عَلِيُّ لَوْلَا نَحْنُ مَا خَلَقَ اللهُ آدَمَ وَلَا حَوَّاءَ وَلَا الْجَنَّهَ ولا النَّارَ وَلَا السَّمَاء وَلَا الْأَرْضِ

O ʿAli if we did not exist, Allah would not have created Adam, nor Eve, nor Heaven, nor Hell, nor the sky nor the earth.14

In one of his letters, Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) says:

فَإِنَّا صَنايع ربِّنَا وَالنَّاسِ بَعْدُ صَنَابِع لَنَا

Indeed, we are the artefacts of our Lord, and the people thereafter are our artefacts.15

Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) is reported to have said under the Qur’anic verse ‘wabtaghu ilayhi al-wasilah’ (“and seek the means to come to Him”)(and seek the means to come to Him Surah al-Maida, 5:35):

أنا وسيلته

I am His means.16

Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

أبى الله أن يُجْرِي الأشياءَ إِلَّا بِأَسْبَابِهَا، فَجَعَلَ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ سَبَباً

Allah does not permit things to take place except by their causes; thus, He made a cause for every thing.17

He (ʿa) is also reported to have said:

نحن السبب بينكم وبين الله

We are the cause between you and Allah.18

And in another tradition, he (ʿa) says:

بِنَا عُرِفَ اللهُ وَبِنَا عِبدَ اللهُ

Through us Allah is known, and through us He is worshipped and obeyed.19

Imam al-Rida al-Murtada (ʿa) is reported to have said:

بنَا يَمْسِكَ اللهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنْ تَزُولا، وَبِنَا يَنزِلَ الغيث، وينشر الرحمة

Through us [i.e. the Ahl al-Bayt] Allah holds the heavens and the earth from ceasing to exist, and through us He sends down rain and spreads mercy.20

Shirk (polytheism) can only be conceived when one refers to the intermediaries of grace as independent bestowers of grace. If one asks for the cure of his malady from one of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa) with the thought and belief that the Imam has a parallel power to that of God, then one would indeed be entangled in polytheism.

However, one who seeks their assistance because they are the intermediaries of divine grace (wasaʾit al-fayd al-ilahi) who have nothing of their own, has in fact adhered to the natural system that Allah has made. The reality is that in philosophical terms the entire world of contingency is nothing but a sheer link and nexus to the Creator, and thus its existence depends on Him every moment.

Muslims who have understood the station of the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa) and sought their mediation and assistance have had excellent experiences in their lifetimes. A number of collections of anecdotes of those who suffered from the apparently incurable diseases have been published elsewhere.

5. Giving Charity (Sadaqah) To The Poor

In a conversation between the Holy Prophet (S) and his close companion Abu Dharr, the Prophet (S) is reported to have mentioned some important merits of giving sadaqah, and finally said the following:

والصَّدَقَةُ شَيْءٍ عَجِيبٌ والصدقة شيء عجيب والصدقة شيء عجيب

And sadaqah is amazing, sadaqah is amazing, sadaqah is amazing.21

Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) is reported to have said:

الصدقة دواء منجح

Sadaqah is an effective medicine.22

Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

وداووا مرضاكم بالصدقة

And treat your sick ones with sadaqah.23

Note that there is no mention of sadaqah being a treatment for a specific disease. Rather, the direction to give sadaqah is of a general and absolute nature, and hence it pertains to all kinds of illnesses.

It is reported that a man complained to Imam Musa ibn Jaʿfar (ʿa) that all ten members of his family were sick. Thereupon Imam Musa ibn Jaʿfar (ʿa) said to him:

داوهم بالصدقة فَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَسْرَعُ إِجَابَةً مِنْ الصدقة ، ولا أجدى مُنْفَعَةَ لِلْمَرِيضِ مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ

Treat them with sadaqah, for there is nothing swifter in response than giving sadaqah, nor is there anything of greater benefit for the sick one than giving sadaqah.

Some traditions mention that it is better for a sick person to give sadaqah by his own hand. Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

يستحب للمريض أن يعطِي السَّائِلَ بِيَدِهِ وَيَأْمُرَ السَّائِل أن يَدْعُو لَهُ

It is recommended for the sick person to give to a beggar with his own hands and to tell him to pray for him.24

6. Clay Of The Grave Of Imam Al-Husayn (ʿa)

Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

طين قبر الحسين علَيْهِ السَّلَامَ شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءِ

The clay of the grave of al-Husayn (ʿa) is a cure from every malady25

Although Islam strictly prohibits the consumption of clay, the clay of the grave of al-Husayn (ʿa) has an outstanding and unique position, and it is confirmed to be a remedy for all illnesses. However, eating the clay of the grave of Imam al-Husayn for purposes other than what has been mentioned in the traditions is highly discouraged and prohibited:

Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

منْ أكل من طين قبر الحسين عليه السّلامُ غَير مُسْتَشْفَ به فَكَأَنَّمَا أَكَلَ مِنْ لُحُومِنَا فَإِذَا احْتَاجَ أَحَدُكُمْ لِلأَكْلِ مِنْهُ لِيَسْتَشْفِي بِهِ، فَلِيَقُلْ: بِسْمِ اللهِ وَبِاللهِ، اللهم رَبَّ هَذِهِ التَّرْبَةِ الْمُبَارَكَةِ الطَّاهِرَةِ، وَرَبِّ النَّورِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ فِيْهِ وَرَبَّ الْجَسَدِ الَّذِي سَكَنَ فِيهِ وَرَبِّ الْمَلائِكَةِ الْمُوَكِّلِينَ بِهِ اجْعَلْهُ لِي شِفَاء من دَاء كَذَا وَكَذَا

Whosoever eats some clay of the grave of al-Husayn (ʿa) not seeking any cure thereby, is as if he has eaten some of our flesh. Therefore, if anyone of you needs to eat some of it for the sake of seeking cure thereby, must say: In the name of Allah, and by Allah, O Allah, Lord of this blessed and pure clay, and Lord of the light that He sent down upon it, and Lord of the body that rested in it, and Lord of the angels entrusted with it, render it for me a cure from such and such malady26

So powerful is the turbah (earth) of Imam al-Husayn (ʿa) that in some traditions it is also referred to as the greatest medicine (al-dawaʾ al-akbar).27

It is important however to know the exact location from where such clay can be gotten. According to a tradition, Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

يُؤخَذُ طيْن قَبر الحسين عليه السلام على سبعين ذرَاعًا مِنْ عِنْدِ الْقَبْرِ

The clay of the grave of al-Husayn (ʿa) is taken within the ambit of the length of seventy arms-length from the grave28

7. The Food That Falls From The Table Mat

Amir al-Mu’minin ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (ʿa) is reported to have said:

كُلُوا مَا يَسْقُطُ مِنَ الْخَوَانِ فَإِنَّهُ شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءِ بِإِذْنِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِمَنْ أَرَادَ أنْ يَسْتَشْفى بِهِ

Eat that which falls off the tablecloth for indeed it is a cure from every malady with the leave of Allah, the Invincible and Majestic, for one who would like to seek cure by it.29

It is beyond the likes of the common man to understand the secret of how the food that drops off from the table mat can have a powerful effect such that it can cure every malady. However, those who have conviction that the guardians of faith are aware of the secrets of the universe will never doubt the effects.

8. The Water Of Zamzam

Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) is reported to have said:

ماء زمزم خير ماء على وجه الأرض

The water of Zamzam is the best water on the face of the earth30

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

ماء زمزم دواء لما شرب لَهُ

The water of Zamzam is a medicine for the malady it is drunk for.31

Imam al-Sadiq (ʿa) is reported to have said:

مَاء زَمْزَمَ شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ دَاء

The water of Zamzam is a cure for every malady32

  • 1. Ref: http://en.lourdes-france.org/
  • 2. Alexis Carrel, Man, the Unknown.
  • 3. Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi, Lubb al-Lubab, v.2, p. 84.
  • 4. Shaykh al-Tusi, Misbah al-Mutahajjid, p. 850
  • 5. In simple words, sometimes the cause which is the medicine is mentioned as the healing itself. Hence, for example, The Qurʾan instead of being mentioned as a medicine (dawaʾ) is known as shifaʾ (cure).
  • 6. Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi, Lubb al-lubab, Assembly no. 80, v.2, p. 83.
  • 7. Al-Rayshahri, al-’Ilm wa al-Hikamah fi al-kitab wa al-sunnah, p. 183.
  • 8. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.89, p. 176.
  • 9. Al-‘Amili, Wasaʾil al-Shi’ah, v.4, pp. 874-.875.
  • 10. Al-‘Amili, Wasaʾil al-Shi’ah, v.4, p. 875.
  • 11. Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi, al-Da’awat, p. 18.
  • 12. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.59, p. 66.
  • 13. Ghulam Reza Guli Zawareh, The Light of Sahifah in the Heart of a German Lady, Kawthar Journal, Spring 1382 [AH solar], no. 57, Internet edition, http://www.hawzah.net [13 Sept 2012].
  • 14. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.18, p. 345.
  • 15. Shaykh al-Tabrasi, al-Ihtijaj, v.1, p. 260.
  • 16. Al-Bahrani, al-Burhan fi tafsir al-Qurʾan, v.2, p. 292.
  • 17. Mawla Fayd Kashani, al-Mahajjat al-bayda’, v.8, p. 292
  • 18. Shaykh al-Tusi, al-Amali, p. 157; ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.23, p. 100.
  • 19. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.26, p. 260.
  • 20. Shaykh al-Saduq, Kamal al-din wa tamam al-ni’mah, p. 202.
  • 21. Al-Samarqandi, Tanbih al-ghafilin, n. 389.
  • 22. ‘Allamah Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.62, p. 269.
  • 23. Al-Barqi, al-Mahasin, v.1, p. 294.
  • 24. Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi, al-Da’awat, p. 228.
  • 25. Shaykh al-Tusi, Misbah al-mutahajjid, p. 733.
  • 26. Shaykh al-Tusi, Misbah al-mutahajjid, p. 733.
  • 27. Ibn Qulawayh, Kamil al-ziyarat, p. 462.
  • 28. Shaykh al-Tusi, Misbah al-mutahajjid, p. 732
  • 29. Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v.6, p. 300
  • 30. Al-Barqi, al-Mahasin, v.2, p. 573.
  • 31. Al-Barqi, al-Mahasin, v.2, p. 573.
  • 32. Al-Barqi, al-Mahasin, v.2, p. 573.