Islamic Studies †Death and Disease Essay

closing and complaint occur all nearly us they atomic number 18 universal hu small-arm experiences. Islamics look upon finale as a tran inductional phase surrounded by this liveness and the next. Since the enjoyment of the insert manners is but little as comp atomic number 18d with the future tense a legitimate Muslim shall non fear closing. termination and malady are both necessary methods of biological control, without which problems such as overpopulation would be widespread. They withal cease us to appreciate conduct and peachy health respectively, without which our society is belike to make full a lot more for granted. The classic theistic befool of this life worldness a raise by immortal is 1 upheld by Muslims. In perspective of this, disease is principally viewed as whiz of the ways of carrying out this probe the ultimate reinforce for which being paradise. A hard-nosed utopia in which in that respect is no suffering would lead to a land of automata one in which our freedom would be undermined and thusly nullifying the test for which we were placed on mankind.Those of us who abhorrence this freedom and live for this life alone shall be punished by onlyah, some remaining in stone pit for eternity. This mint be seen by some to conflict with perfections mercy as it whitethorn seem harsh, however Muslims educate the view that it is necessary so as to differentiate fully between erect and evil, awarding each only what they deserve. Disease abide be one of the means of coming to death and is an experience that comes to us all. It substructure be seen to have several purposes depending on the circumstances. The pursuance 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 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 sufferi ng should Surely to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return are those who will have succeeded in the test.Those who blame Allah and result in execration 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 end also mean misfortune, an example of which being disease, which has other purposes overly being a test. except only Allah is equal to(p) to assess these purposes and thus we are only capable to make generalised comments. For the believer, disease or more generally misfortune is a bounty from Allah as it preserve be a means of purification of sins and also enduring disease increases our reward. The prophet was reported to have said You are non a believer until you see misfortune to be a bounty and keen fortune to be undesirable This is because many of those who are attached the illusory pleasures of this life stray from the right path, for as we know power corrupts. All misfortune to believers is of benefit. A Muslim scholar was reported to have said. God did not cause disease upon a Muslim in this life but that it will be of benefit to him. in that respectof it is common that Allah gives Muslims the nearly misfortune, they are suffering from disease in all parts of the world- to that degree it shall be of benefit to them. barely why are those non-believers not unremarkably tested equally? It is because they have already failed in their test- Satan needfully not spend time with those who are already corrupt. The Prophet quiet be upon him was reported to have said The greater Allahs respect for a person the harder is his test Thus there is a power structure of misfortune, the greatest being upon the greatest of us, notably the prophets. Yet for the discreditr the hereafter begins to manifest itself in this life. Disease can be seen as a just penalisation brought upon by themselves And whatever misfortune befalls you, is due to what your proclaim men have wrought A contemporary example of this being the sexually transmitted diseases present in todays ever-increasing loose society.Surely AIDS and the like of it were brought closely by their knowledge hands? However, the above verse does not apply to true Muslims as the pursuit 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 in that respect befalls no misfortune either in the earth or in your own persons, but it is recorded in a Book in the beginning We make it into being Thus Muslims are expect to be patient and to erect disease. Islam has taken various measures to help those with disease. The account book 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 a nd 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, that 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. finis is an experience that all of us will go through, as Allah reiterates in the holy Quran on three separate occasions every(prenominal) sense 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 decree 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, surely those who on whom d eath had been enjoined would have gone ahead to their deathbeds. With the belief that our lives are not our own possessions and that only Allah has the right to take life from us, homicide, suicide and euthanasia are forbidden in Islam. Also, inordinate 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 trice to life? There are many ways in which this belief may be justified. whizz way takes the form of an experimental argument sinlessly found on physical research, John Hick suggests that even if we discount the entire range of physical phenomena it remains true that the best cases of trance vocalism are puzzling, and taken at face value are common mood of survival and communication after death.There are also unnumbered 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 have created him from a unmixed sperm drop? Yet lo He is an open quarreller. He says Who can resurrect the bones when they are decayed? Say, He who created them the prototypical 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 mundane 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 reside 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 kinship group once approached th e 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, the 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, washout and cleaning their parent, grand parents, great grand parents And so the tribe went confirm to their prophet and asked that he pray Allah return death and death was returned Death can also be unders alsod on different levels. allow us see the following verse Only those who listen can accept. And as for the dead, Allah will raise them to life, consequently 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 and then to Him shall they be brought back. The distinction here can be interpreted as meaning those who do not listen (to All ah), but are physically alive, are spiritually dead. Similarly those of whom one may think 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 in the ass that a pious Muslim shall endure, but for the non-believer it is the startle of an eternity of suffering.One Muslim scholar give tongue to that for the true believer, Death is a expedition 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 nighttime when we are asleep, yet He retains those against which he has decreed death, and sends back the others bowl an appointed time.And so after our death we are unable to don any more reward, except, as the Prophet Muhammad said, From three things are we able to obtain reward after our death A charity, knowledge given to others and noble offspring. At death we are in a rebirth 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 sidereal day of Judgem ent where both body and soul will be resurrected. The practical implications of death to a Muslim are that he must induce that life has a purpose the hereafter. And thus Muslims should use their time on this earth as efficiently as possible, aiming to fulfil this purpose before the toll of death is upon us. This is reiterated by all the pious men of Islam. The after part caliph, Ali Ibn Abu Talibs (peace be upon him) language should be adhered to by all fail 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 everlastingly 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, harmonise to its founder himself is that Sin, disease, whate ver seems real to material sense is unreal. The argument being that suffering does not really 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 to 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 torturous 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 third approach seems much more feasible, and has some grounds in Islam. But is disease caused by angels who come peck to earth and exercise 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 before, 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 times 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 pick up 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 b e 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 injure, there are enough signs leading to Allah for those who think and reflect and Allah has sent down many prophets and scriptures to guide mankind. Any deviation is thus out of mans own arrogance and thus should be punished deservingly. inferno 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 better place. Socrates goes one measure 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 inwrought balance.BibliographyAn introduction to the philosophy of religion by Brian Davies Islam by Rosalyn Kendrick Islamic belief 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 Religion by John Hick Summa Theologiae by doubting Thomas The translation of the sanctum sanctorum 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