Health is basic need of human being and everybody intends to remain healthy. As far as Islam is concerned, its faith is not merely upon spirit, but also it has given proper place to the physician health. It is a fact that the revaluation in the preserving and restoring health of psychic as well as physical is a gift of Islam. Clearcut guidelines have been given not only for correction of spirit...

The Islamic teachings encourage Muslims to seek treatment when they fall sick. The Prophet (pbuh) said “Seek treatment, because Allah did not send down a sickness but has sent down a medication for it—known to those who know it and not known to others—except for death.”6 In terms of treatment options, Muslim patients resort to modern medicine, spiritual healing, and traditional healing practice...

Islam permits the consumption of meat of halal animals/birds, only when these have been slaughtered in the prescribed manner. This involves, while reciting the name of Allah, making a quick incision on the front of the neck to cut carotid arteries, jugular veins, windpipe and oesophagus. The prerequisites include laying the animal on its left flank, preferably facing towards Kibla. This enables...

Spiritual care is a vital part of holistic patient care. Awareness of common patient beliefs will facilitate discussions about spirituality. Such conversations are inherently good for the patient, deepen the caring staff-patient-family relationship, and enhance understanding of how beliefs influence care decisions. All healthcare providers are likely to encounter Muslim patients, yet many lack ...

Inter-religious cooperation has been recommended to address various issues for the common good. Muslims and Christians in Uganda are working together on HIV prevention in this spirit. A study was done to compare HIV prevalence and HIV-risk behaviors between Muslims and Christians. A total of 2,933 Christian and 1,224 Muslim youth between 15–24 years were interviewed and tested for HIV. The HIV ...

How do we expect the Muslim woman, collectively and individually, to identify with Islam as revered teachings and to act within its parameters, and to accommodate new human knowledge, be it that of a local Mufti's (clergy) injunction or a human rights advocate's recommendation, while neither Muslim societies nor human rights advocates recognize her self-identity as an autonomous spiritual and i...

Assisted reproductive technology is widely practised around the world for the treatment of virtually all forms of infertility. The application of this technology in the Islamic world had been delayed for many years, based on the misconception that Islamic teachings do not approve assisted reproduction. The paper discusses derivation of Islamic rulings and its impact on the ethics of contemporar...

As physicians encounter an increasingly diverse patient population, socioeconomic circumstances, religious values and cultural practices may present barriers to the delivery of quality care. Increasing cultural competence is often cited as a way to reduce healthcare disparities arising from value and cultural differences between patients and providers. Cultural competence entails not only a kno...