Islamic Studies †Death and Disease Essay

Death and disease occur all around us they are habitual hu homosexual experiences. Muslims look upon death as a transitional phase betwixt this sustenance and the next. Since the enjoy ment of the present life is just little as compared with the here aft(prenominal) a true Muslim shall non fear death. Death and disease are both necessary methods of biological control, without which problems such as overpopulation would be widespread. They in addition allow us to appreciate life and safe health respectively, without which our society is likely to take a lot more for granted. The classic theistic view of this life world a running play by God is single upheld by Muslims. In perspective of this, disease is principally viewed as oneness of the ways of carrying out this test the ultimate reward for which being paradise. A practical utopia in which there is no suffering would lead to a military man of automata one in which our freedom would be undermined and thus nullifying the test for which we were placed on land.Those of us who ab pulmonary tuberculosis this freedom and live for this life alone shall be punished by Allah, some remaining in hell for eternity. This open fire be seen by some to conflict with Gods mercy as it may seem harsh, all the same Muslims take the view that it is necessary so as to differentiate fully between good and evil, awarding each provided what they de work. Disease can be one of the means of coming to death and is an experience that comes to us all. It can be seen to have some(prenominal) solves depending on the circumstances. The next verse illustrates Muslims views on life being a test He who has created death and life that he might try you-which of you is best(p) in deeds. In order to be tested we must undergo hardship- disease being one example. Those with patience and who affirm their faith whilst saying as all who are suffering should Surely to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return are those who will h ave succeeded in the test.Those who blame Allah and result in blasphemy or kufr are those who will have failed. This test is essential as it allows differentiation between the latter and the former. The word test in Arabic can also mean misfortune, an example of which being disease, which has some other purposes besides being a test. Yet only Allah is satisfactory to assess these purposes and thus we are only able to make generalised comments. For the mootr, disease or more generally misfortune is a bounty from Allah as it can be a means of civilization of sins and also enduring disease increases our reward. The prophet was reported to have said You are not a believer until you see misfortune to be a bounty and good fortune to be undesirable This is because many of those who are given the illusory pleasures of this life stray from the right path, for as we know cater corrupts. All misfortune to believers is of benefit. A Muslim scholar was reported to have said. God did not ca use disease upon a Muslim in this life but that it will be of benefit to him.Thus it is common that Allah gives Muslims the most misfortune, they are suffering from disease in all parts of the world- yet it shall be of benefit to them. Yet why are those non-believers not usually tested equally? It is because they have already failed in their test- Satan needs not surpass time with those who are already corrupt. The Prophet peace be upon him was reported to have said The greater Allahs love for a person the harder is his test Thus there is a hierarchy of misfortune, the greatest being upon the greatest of us, notably the prophets. Yet for the disbeliever the hereafter begins to manifest itself in this life. Disease can be seen as a just punishment brought upon by themselves And some(prenominal) misfortune befalls you, is overdue to what your admit hands have wrought A contemporary example of this being the sexually transmitted diseases present in todays ever-increasing promiscuou s society.Surely AIDS and the like of it were brought about by their own hands? However, the above verse does not apply to true Muslims as the by-line explains When Ali, son of Hussein-the grandson of the Prophet, was taken to Yazid to be tortured by him, Yazid said And whatever misfortune.hands Ali replied, This verse is not concerning us (me), that which is regarding us is There befalls no misfortune either in the earth or in your own persons, but it is recorded in a Book before We bring it into being Thus Muslims are judge to be patient and to endure disease. Islam has taken several(a) measures to help those with disease. The Quran rightly says, There is no inconvenience for the sick. This is reflected in the fact that those who are ill do not need to fast, those who have a bad leg may sit whilst praying and many other examples.Others with disease should be treated with sympathy, compassion and kindness. Yet the disease of physiological bearing is insignificant when compared with the misfortune that is the spiritual disease. Those who are ill from within are thus also suffering from disease, yet their disease is one of choice. The Quran describes those who are spiritually sick in the following way In their hearts was a disease, and Allah has increased their disease. Death is an experience that all of us will go through, as Allah reiterates in the holy Quran on three separate occasions Every understanding shall taste of death Muslims believe that every person on earth is given a specific time in which to live, thus no person can die except by Allahs leave- a legislation with a fixed term. With this in mind, Muslims should not fear the future.If a persons time has come, there is no evading Azrail, the angel of death Say, If you had remained in your homes, for sure those who on whom death had been enjoined would have gone forth to their deathbeds. With the feeling that our lives are not our own possessions and that only Allah has the right to take lif e from us, homicide, suicide and mercy killing are forbidden in Islam. Also, excessive mourning and lavish graves are also forbidden. Yet how can Muslims believe in life after death? Is it possible that after decaying in the earth we can be brought back to life? There are many ways in which this belief may be justified. virtuoso way takes the form of an experimental argument entirely based on physical research, John Hick suggests that even if we send away the entire range of physical phenomena it remains true that the best cases of trance utterance are puzzling, and taken at face value are revelatory of survival and communication after death.There are also count slight philosophical arguments notably in Platos Phaedo or in the works of Socrates that may also account for the practicability of resurrection. Yet the argument presented in the Quran, in my opinion, is the most direct and feasible. The argument put forward in surat Yasin is self-explanatory Does not man see that We hav e created him from a mere sperm drop? Yet lo He is an open quarreller. He says Who can resurrect the mug up when they are decayed? Say, He who created them the first time will resurrect them Verily his command when he intends a thing is only that He says to it, Be and it is. Death signifies the end of our worldly life. It is the parting of the material and non- material forms the body and the soul. The soul, or al-Nafs, differentiates man from the rest of creation, constituting humans to be the crown of Allahs creation. Muslims believe that Allah only gives to us what is just, similarly our dying is a means of justice for us and others.Death is a necessity and not just a reality, this is highlighted in the following hadith Prophet Muhammad was reported to have said A tribe once approached the prophet of their time and said, Pray to your Lord that death shall no longer be bestowed upon us. And so the prophet prayed and Allah no longer bestowed upon them death. As the years passed, t he population grew until the houses became cramped and the generations many. Men were no longer able to go out and work as they spent their time feeding, washing and cleaning their parent, grand parents, great grand parents And so the tribe went back to their prophet and asked that he pray Allah return death and death was returned Death can also be understood on different levels.Let us consider the following verse Only those who listen can accept. And as for the dead, Allah will raise them to life, then to Him shall they be brought back Yet is not resurrection the same as being brought back to life? So why has Allah said that He will raise them to life then to Him shall they be brought back. The distinction here can be interpreted as meaning those who do not listen (to Allah), but are physically alive, are spiritually dead. Similarly those of whom one may imagine to be dead may also be alive Think not of those, who have been slain in the cause of Allah as dead. Nay they are living in the presence of their Lord and are granted gifts from him. For the believer, death can be seen as a purification of his sins, it is the last pain that a pious Muslim shall endure, but for the non-believer it is the first of an eternity of suffering.One Muslim scholar stated that for the true believer, Death is a journey from a prison to a palace, as the life of this world is nothing but an illusory enjoyment . Yet death can also be seen as a mercy for non-believers Death signifies a rest for he who obeyed his desires in this life, for surely the longer he lived the greater would be his punishment. From the countenance of the angel of death, Azrail, one can tell where he shall reside. It is said that upon death we are shown our position in heaven or hell. For the believer the soul will depart easily, however the non-believer says My Lord, send me back that I may do righteous deeds in the life that I have left behind and the soul departs in a struggle. Yet death is an irrevocable barrier. It is true that our souls leave our bodies every night when we are asleep, yet He retains those against which he has decreed death, and sends back the others cashbox an appointed time.And so after our death we are unable to acquire any more reward, except, as the Prophet Muhammad said, From three things are we able to cause reward after our death A charity, knowledge given to others and noble offspring. At death we are in a transition state between this life and the hereafter, known as al- Barzakh. The Quran describes those in the Barzakh as being Sakra or in a state of stupor. There they will be questioned as to what they did in this life. Punishment or reward starts in this state yet in a non-material form until the Day of Judgement where both body and soul will be resurrected. The practical implications of death to a Muslim are that he must realise that life has a purpose the hereafter. And thus Muslims should use their time on this earth as efficiently as possible, ai ming to fulfil this purpose before the toll of death is upon us. This is reiterated by all the pious men of Islam. The fourth caliph, Ali Ibn Abu Talibs (peace be upon him) words should be adhered to by all Live for this life as if you are to live forever, and live for the hereafter as if you were to die tomorrow.To make full use of these implications, death should be constantly in our minds. To fully understand why Allah allows his servants to suffer from disease, we may consider other views on this topic. The problem of suffering has lead many to disbelieve In Allah. There are three main classic theistic views on this matter. One approach taken by Christian Science, jibe to its founder himself is that Sin, disease, whatever seems real to material sense is unreal. The argument being that suffering does not rattling exist. Another approach put forward by Swinburne and Hick focuses on the notion that all evil is punishment which is justly inflicted by god. Another view, according t o Alvin Platinga says that all suffering comes from the abuse of free will. With regards to disease he proposes that non-human persons have caused us disease by abusing their freedom. Yet all three views can be seen to be flawed. The first view, probably is the most ridiculous of all, and yet even if one could rationally defend this odd conclusioneven if evil is an illusion, it is a painful one and it is therefore false that evil is nothing but an illusion.The second approach being that all disease or suffering is a just punishment from God can also be challenged. D.Z. Phillips asks, What then are we to say of the child that is dying from cancer?, surely this cannot be deserved. The ternary approach seems much more feasible, and has some grounds in Islam. But is disease caused by angels who come down to earth and wreak havoc due to their abuse of free-will? This view by Platinga is one that has no basis in Islam. Islam has provided us with a synthesis of these views. As stated befo re, for the non-believer it can be punishment, for the believer it can be a test of faith or a purification of sins. It is also true that a world without suffering would render our purpose of life null. Disease also serves to emphasise, through contrast, good health.Thus it allows us to appreciate our time of good health more. Eternal hell is mentioned several times in the Quran and Muslims thus believe that some people will go to hell for eternity. Yet it is seen that this does not contradict Allahs mercy for several key reasons. Allah is the most merciful but only to those who actively go about seeking his mercy, for Allah only helps those who help themselves. One who disobeys Allahs orders cannot be expected to be shown as much mercy as those who are good Muslims. And yet it is not as if Allah has left us without direction and guidance. Every man and woman instinctively knows the difference between right and wrong, there are enough signs leading to Allah for those who think and reflect and Allah has sent down many prophets and scriptures to head up mankind. Any deviation is thus out of mans own arrogance and thus should be punished deservingly.Hell for the sinners is also justice to those who did good in life, for if those that lived for the pleasures of the worldly life too went to heaven this would be a grave injustice to the pious amongst us. As opposites, heaven and hell serve to emphasise each other. Thus the prospect of hell acts as a deterrent preventing many from doing wrong and thus making the world a fall apart place. Socrates goes one step further claiming that heaven comes from hell, opposites come from opposites in the case of things which have an opposite.Although the words of Socrates seem somewhat extreme, taken in a less literal sense, what he says has bearing on all that which we have discussed Death, disease and hell. We may ask our selves, would there be death without life? Or would there be disease without good health? Or would there be hell without heaven? All of which Allah has bestowed upon us creating a perfect natural balance.BibliographyAn induction to the philosophy of religion by Brian Davies Islam by Rosalyn Kendrick Islamic Teaching Course, volume one by the IPCI Meezan Al-Hikmah volume 1,4 and 5(in Arabic) by Mohammed Shahristany Platos Phaedo by Plato Philosophy of morality by John Hick Summa Theologiae by Aquinas The translation of the blessed Quran by Yusuf Ali Holy Quran, 938 Holy Quran, 673 Holy Quran, 2157 Holy Quran, 4231 Holy Quran, 5723 Holy Quran, 2462 Holy Quran, 211 Holy Quran, 3186, 2136, 2958 Holy Quran, 3155 Hick, J., Philosophy of Religion, p128 Holy Quran, 3678-83 Holy Quran, 637 Holy Quran, 3170 Holy Quran, 3186 Holy Quran, 23100 Holy Quran, 3943 Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Ia, 13,5. Davies, B., An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, 37 Ibid,37 Gallop (ed.), Platos Phaedo, 17ff