Health & Hygiene

Health and hygiene in Islam

Health and hygiene in Islam - Hijaab

Immunisation

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Question: Is Immunisation allowed in Islam?

What is the ruling regarding getting immunised from diseases . . . Some people are saying that the concept of a vaccine is totally Haraam . . . but when vaccinating you are injecting yourself with part of a virus...so that your body can develop the right antibodies to fight off the virus in the future . . .

Answer

The concept of vaccination is not Haraam. As a matter of fact if the disease may cause severe harm to the individual or prove fatal, then vaccination in this case may become Waajib, obligatory.

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Question: Health and Hygiene in Islam: Etiquette & Practices

I am not a Muslim. I am a nursing student who is conducting a small amount of research on Islam for the sake of an assignment. I am interested in knowing the health needs of Muslims and also certain practices such as washing and praying.

Could anyone please help me with these questions?

Answer

Although your question is a bit general, I shall try to answer your query to the best of my understanding, and if there are any areas you had in mind that I did not cover, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Hygiene and cleanliness in the various domains of human life (material, spiritual, etc.) are strongly emphasised in Islam, and in each and every aspect a Muslim is encouraged to implement them. This emphasis is stretched to the extent that adhering to hygiene and cleanliness sometime becomes compulsory upon the Muslim, and in other occasions desirable (i.e. not compulsory but one is encouraged).

Some of the aspects of concern are as follows:

Personal Hygiene:

Certain aspects of personal hygiene are important and compulsory such that they are pre-requisite to performing such duties as prayers, fasting etc. For example one must do ablution (Wudhu, to use the Islamic term) before the daily prayers, which is the formal washing of the face, hands and forearms, etc. but a pre-requisite to this is the cleanliness of the body. One of the criteria for cleanliness is washing after the use of the lavatories. Any traces of urine or faeces must be eliminated by washing with water, at least. The use of toilet tissues for cleaning is not sufficient.

A formal head-to-toe washing and rinsing, known as Ghusl, is mandatory upon the couple after sexual intercourse, or after ejaculation in the case of men, and after the end of the monthly menstruation period or the postpartum period in the case of women. If one does not perform such mandatory Ghusls no form of any prayers etc. will be valid. A Muslim is even prohibited from reading the Qur'an, if s/he is required to perform such a Ghusl but has not done so.

{If one is required to perform Ghusl but cannot find the water to do so, one is required to perform Tayammum, which is to strike the palms of both hands on earth, or sand to wipe them over the face and the back of the hands.}

A Ghusl must also be performed for the body of the deceased before burial. Anyone who comes in contact with a dead body must also perform a Ghusl.

There are other Ghusls which are not mandatory but Muslims are encouraged to do, such as Friday Ghusl, first-day-of-the-month Ghusl, Ghusls for the Eids and various other occasions, etc.

With such emphasis on washing and personal hygiene, adhering to the practical teaching of Islam on washing would enhance personal hygiene for the individual and therefore reduce the chance of disease and sickness individually, and subsequently for the whole society.

The clothing one wears must also be free from any unclean substance, otherwise one's prayer for instance will be invalid if the prayer is performed using those cloths. So if only one drop of urine is splashed on the cloths, then those cloths may not be worn to perform the prayers unless washed.

Examples of unclean substances:

  • Urine,
  • Faeces,
  • Semen,
  • Dead body,
  • Blood,
  • (Wet contact with) Dog,
  • (Wet contact with) Pig,
  • (Wet contact with) Non-believer,
  • Wine,
  • Beer,
  • An animal that persistently eats unclean substances such as excrement.

The cleaning ‘agents' or ‘process' are such things as:

  1. Water,
  2. Earth,
  3. Exposure to direct Sunlight,
  4. Transformation of the substance from one state to another,
  5. Removal of original unclean substance, etc.

Food & Drink

There are some restriction on the consumption of certain items of food and drink.

The consumption of any amount of anything that is intoxicant is not allowed. Therefore the consumption of any alcoholic drink is forbidden. Also if any food or drink contains a minute amount of alcohol, then it becomes unfit for Muslim consumption.

The consumption of the meat of certain common animals such pig, rabbit, etc. is not allowed. Also if animals such as sheep, cow, chicken, etc. are not slaughtered according the prescribed Islamic way, i.e. in Halaal way, then the consumption of such meat is also unfit for the Muslim. Furthermore, if any ‘allowed' food is contaminated by food which is not allowed, then that food also becomes unfit for Muslim consumption. Fish that does not have scales is also not fit for consumption, and only the fish does have scales on its body, such as Salmon, Trout, Grey Mullet, etc. are considered to be fit for consumption.

Fasting during the Holy month of Ramadahn is another tradition that must be observed by the Muslim. This is not only beneficial from the physical health point of view, but it is highly uplifting from the mental and spiritual viewpoints. Fasting constitutes refraining from any eating, drinking or even smoking (for those who smoke) during the ‘day'. The period that one must refrain from such and other practices is from ‘Dawn break', which is approximately two hours before sunrise, until just after Sunset. When one is fasting, s/he must also refrain from any sexual activity with partner. Spiritually, fasting constitute refraining from any immoral act such lying, backbiting, slandering, not to mention any forbidden act. Fasting is in fact a staging post and a reflection period to help one to demote vice and promote virtue and in effect to ‘get fit' morally and physically for the next 11 months of the current year.

Sex

There is much sexual etiquette that is observed by Muslims, as taught by Islam, where some of them are obligatory and some are desirable. Needless to say sex outside marriage is forbidden, and within marriage man and woman may not engage in sexual intercourse when the woman is going through her monthly menstruation period or during postpartum period, or the first minimum period of ten days after childbirth – preferably this period should be up to 40 days after childbirth – this is to ensure the health recovery of the mother. Sex between spouses is forbidden when one is fasting and for a number of particular days when s/he on the Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah ( Mecca ).

There are prophetic traditions and teachings about days of the month when one is recommended to have sex and those days that one is recommended not. These teachings and traditions go on to explain how the days on which a woman conceives affect the health and psychology of the child. It is suggested that even the position of the couple during intercourse affects the well being of the child to be, if the woman conceives.

I hope that this brief outline has been helpful. If there are any issues, which have not been covered here, please feel free to contact me.

 

PS the reply given above has been prepared in consultation with relevant experts and references.

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Question: Do Muslims have to observe Hijaab when admitted to hospitals?

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question with such a detailed reply (above). Your reply has been extremely helpful and many of my queries have now been satisfied. However, I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to answer a few more questions for me.

If a Muslim married women is admitted to hospital would she still be required to adhere to her traditional method of dressing, i.e. would she still be required to wear the Hijaab?

If a Muslim man or women is admitted to hospital would it be prohibited for health members of the opposite sex to touch them?

I hope the next question is not too sensitive.

If a Muslim man or women are dying are their any religious ceremonies that must be performed to help them on their way such as the last rights that are performed for Catholics?

Thank you for your help and consideration regarding these matters.

Answer

  1. A Muslim woman, married or not, is required to adhere to her dress code, i.e. she must still wear her Hijaab even when admitted to hospital. A Muslim individual is ‘duty-bound' to wear Hijaab, Pray, Fast during Ramadahn, etc. when s/he reaches the age of adolescence. In the case of a woman, the age of adolescence could be as low as ten.
  1. A Muslim man or woman admitted to hospital should arrange so that health members of the same sex only deal with them. Only if this is not possible, and no members of the same sex are available, then health members of the opposite sex may deal them if they can avoid touching them. It is only as a matter of last resort, and if no other means are available then health members of the opposite sex may touch them, etc.
  1. Yes. If a Muslim man or woman is dying there are religious ceremonies that must be performed to help them. Do you require them?

 

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