Does an epidemic or an infectious disease exist?
Does an infectious disease or a epidemic exist as per Islam? Isn’t bird flu that is affecting the world an infectious disease?It has been scientifically proven that not only avian influenza but also viruses that cause various diseases can be transmitted through air, water or any other means.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَغَيْرُهُ، أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " لاَ عَدْوَى وَلاَ صَفَرَ وَلاَ هَامَةَ ". فَقَالَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَمَا بَالُ إِبِلِي تَكُونُ فِي الرَّمْلِ كَأَنَّهَا الظِّبَاءُ فَيَأْتِي الْبَعِيرُ الأَجْرَبُ فَيَدْخُلُ بَيْنَهَا فَيُجْرِبُهَا. فَقَالَ " فَمَنْ أَعْدَى الأَوَّلَ ". رَوَاهُ الزُّهْرِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ وَسِنَانِ بْنِ أَبِي سِنَانٍ.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'There is no 'Adwa (no disease is conveyed from the sick to the healthy without Allah's permission), nor Safar, nor Hama." A bedouin stood up and said, "Then what about my camels? They are like deer on the sand, but when a mangy camel comes and mixes with them, they all get infected with mangy." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Then who conveyed the (mange) disease to the first one?"
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5717
In-book reference : Book 76, Hadith 34
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 71, Hadith 615
(deprecated numbering scheme)
URL reference : https://sunnah.com/bukhari/76/34
According to the above hadith, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that there is no epidemic. But a villager who had experienced the epedemic by an infected camel to another had questioned Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The answer of the Prophet (PBUH) is noteworthy here.
Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) made an argument as to who brought that disease to the first camel?
By this question, Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) did not outrightly deny the epidemic rather he insisted that one should not deny the destiny of the Creator over an epidemic.
If one is afflicted with the disease, it must be believed that it is as per the will of Allah.
Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) did not deny that a person can infect another, however he denies the belief that epidemic alone is the sole cause for a disease. By questioning, who caused the first camel to infect, he had explained well that it is Allah S.W.T only who will get infected first and who else will be infected furthermore to cause the spread.
We have experienced this in our day to day reality of life.
A particular disease would cause alarming consequences in the world, later may cause no harm to people over time. After a few years, there is another repeat. Through this we can understand that there is no disease that occurs naturally. However it affects people only when Allah SWT wills to.
Also we can sometimes observe that a person had been infected at a home and no others in the home got infected but someone in the next street found to be infected by the same disease. From this it is clear that who will get infected is destined by the will of Allah.
The above hadith reveals this and does not deny an epidemic. Also, there are several authentic hadiths which establish that the epidemic diseases does exist.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ زَيْدِ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ نَوْفَلٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ خَرَجَ إِلَى الشَّأْمِ حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ بِسَرْغَ لَقِيَهُ أُمَرَاءُ الأَجْنَادِ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ وَأَصْحَابُهُ، فَأَخْبَرُوهُ أَنَّ الْوَبَاءَ قَدْ وَقَعَ بِأَرْضِ الشَّأْمِ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ ادْعُ لِي الْمُهَاجِرِينَ الأَوَّلِينَ. فَدَعَاهُمْ فَاسْتَشَارَهُمْ وَأَخْبَرَهُمْ أَنَّ الْوَبَاءَ قَدْ وَقَعَ بِالشَّأْمِ فَاخْتَلَفُوا. فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ قَدْ خَرَجْتَ لأَمْرٍ، وَلاَ نَرَى أَنْ تَرْجِعَ عَنْهُ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ مَعَكَ بَقِيَّةُ النَّاسِ وَأَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلاَ نَرَى أَنْ تُقْدِمَهُمْ عَلَى هَذَا الْوَبَاءِ. فَقَالَ ارْتَفِعُوا عَنِّي. ثُمَّ قَالَ ادْعُوا لِي الأَنْصَارَ. فَدَعَوْتُهُمْ فَاسْتَشَارَهُمْ، فَسَلَكُوا سَبِيلَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَاخْتَلَفُوا كَاخْتِلاَفِهِمْ، فَقَالَ ارْتَفِعُوا عَنِّي. ثُمَّ قَالَ ادْعُ لِي مَنْ كَانَ هَا هُنَا مِنْ مَشْيَخَةِ قُرَيْشٍ مِنْ مُهَاجِرَةِ الْفَتْحِ. فَدَعَوْتُهُمْ، فَلَمْ يَخْتَلِفْ مِنْهُمْ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلاَنِ، فَقَالُوا نَرَى أَنْ تَرْجِعَ بِالنَّاسِ، وَلاَ تُقْدِمَهُمْ عَلَى هَذَا الْوَبَاءِ، فَنَادَى عُمَرُ فِي النَّاسِ، إِنِّي مُصَبِّحٌ عَلَى ظَهْرٍ، فَأَصْبِحُوا عَلَيْهِ. قَالَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ أَفِرَارًا مِنْ قَدَرِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ لَوْ غَيْرُكَ قَالَهَا يَا أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ، نَعَمْ نَفِرُّ مِنْ قَدَرِ اللَّهِ إِلَى قَدَرِ اللَّهِ، أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ كَانَ لَكَ إِبِلٌ هَبَطَتْ وَادِيًا لَهُ عُدْوَتَانِ، إِحْدَاهُمَا خَصِبَةٌ، وَالأُخْرَى جَدْبَةٌ، أَلَيْسَ إِنْ رَعَيْتَ الْخَصْبَةَ رَعَيْتَهَا بِقَدَرِ اللَّهِ، وَإِنْ رَعَيْتَ الْجَدْبَةَ رَعَيْتَهَا بِقَدَرِ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَجَاءَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ، وَكَانَ مُتَغَيِّبًا فِي بَعْضِ حَاجَتِهِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ عِنْدِي فِي هَذَا عِلْمًا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ بِهِ بِأَرْضٍ فَلاَ تَقْدَمُوا عَلَيْهِ، وَإِذَا وَقَعَ بِأَرْضٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِهَا فَلاَ تَخْرُجُوا فِرَارًا مِنْهُ ". قَالَ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ عُمَرُ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ.
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Abbas:
`Umar bin Al-Khattab departed for Sham and when he reached Sargh, the commanders of the (Muslim) army, Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah and his companions met him and told him that an epidemic had broken out in Sham. `Umar said, "Call for me the early emigrants." So `Umar called them, consulted them and informed them that an epidemic had broken out in Sham. Those people differed in their opinions. Some of them said, "We have come out for a purpose and we do not think that it is proper to give it up," while others said (to `Umar), "You have along with you. other people and the companions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) so do not advise that we take them to this epidemic." `Umar said to them, "Leave me now." Then he said, "Call the Ansar for me." I called them and he consulted them and they followed the way of the emigrants and differed as they did. He then said to them, Leave me now," and added, "Call for me the old people of Quraish who emigrated in the year of the Conquest of Mecca." I called them and they gave a unanimous opinion saying, "We advise that you should return with the people and do not take them to that (place) of epidemic." So `Umar made an announcement, "I will ride back to Medina in the morning, so you should do the same." Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah said (to `Umar), "Are you running away from what Allah had ordained?" `Umar said, "Would that someone else had said such a thing, O Abu 'Ubaida! Yes, we are running from what Allah had ordained to what Allah has ordained. Don't you agree that if you had camels that went down a valley having two places, one green and the other dry, you would graze them on the green one only if Allah had ordained that, and you would graze them on the dry one only if Allah had ordained that?" At that time `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf, who had been absent because of some job, came and said, "I have some knowledge about this. I have heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, 'If you hear about it (an outbreak of plague) in a land, do not go to it; but if plague breaks out in a country where you are staying, do not run away from it.' " `Umar thanked Allah and returned to Medina.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5729
In-book reference : Book 76, Hadith 44
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 71, Hadith 625
(deprecated numbering scheme)
URL reference : https://sunnah.com/bukhari/76/44
The above hadith tells that one should not go to the town where there is an epidemic and no one from that infected town should leave out during the outbreak as well. If there is no such thing as an epidemic, then Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) wouldn’t have ordered this to do so. So this hadith explains that epidemic diseases certainly exist.
Islam does not deny the infectious diseases caused by germs or any epidemic. At the same time, one should also not deny that it is indeed the will of Allah behind the infectious diseases and their outbreak.
Translated by: Brother Fareed
The original source (Tamizh): http://www.onlinetntj.com/articles/thotru-noi-unda
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