Perspective
Voices from Practice
Medical Ethics
What is Health from an Islamic Perspective?
Medical Ethics
May We Say 'Incurable'?
Spirituality
Illness & Health: Between Sabr and Shukr
July 2026
May 2026
- Spirituality
Illness as Trial, Purification, and Elevation: The Forgotten Dignity of the Patient in Islam
In the contemporary world, illness is viewed almost exclusively through a material lens. It appears as a disruption of a system oriented toward performance, consumption, and functionality. The sick person is regarded as a “failure”: unable to work, restricted, a generator of costs. Even public discourse speaks of rising “sick days,” of economic burdens on […] - Spirituality
Visiting the Sick as ʿIbādah: A Forgotten Sunnah and Its Revival
It belongs to the quiet but consequential shifts within Muslim practice that actions originally understood as ʿIbādah (conscious acts of worship) are gradually reduced to mere habit or social convention. The visiting of the sick (ʿiyādat al-marīḍ, the visitation of those who are ill) is a striking example. What today often takes place out of […]
April 2026
- Medical Ethics
What Occupies Muslim Healthcare Professionals? – Survey and Prelude to the Obligation to Treat
As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh, dear brothers and sisters, We conducted a survey among medical professionals and asked them which topics they would like to see addressed from an Islamic-legal perspective, so they can better navigate such questions in their daily practice. Survey Results Top 3 topics in the medical field Obligation to treat […] - Medical Ethics
What is Health from an Islamic Perspective?
The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease. This definition is frequently described as progressive — multidimensional and positively framed. And yet, upon closer examination, it remains reductionist. It is embedded in a natural-scientific, materialistic worldview that considers only the […]
March 2026
- Medical Ethics
May We Say 'Incurable'?
About ten years ago, the so-called ICE Bucket Challenge went viral to raise awareness for a disease: ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). The goal was to advance research and care for this long-considered „incurable“ condition. To this day, ALS is generally regarded as not curable, but merely manageable in its progression. Yet a few months ago, […] - Spirituality
Illness & Health: Between Sabr and Shukr
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, dear brothers and sisters, In our society today, illness is often perceived as a burden or even as punishment. Many feel disadvantaged or excluded from life because of it. It is especially difficult to find meaning in illness. Why does it strike a young woman with MS, a child […]