Disease Prevention is an Obligation.
Any Negligence is a Failure to Perform Obligations

News:

“WHO and partners are launching a global network to help protect people from infectious disease threats through the power of pathogen genomics. The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) will provide a platform to connect countries and regions, improving systems for collecting and analyzing samples, using these data to drive public health decision-making, and sharing that information more broadly... With this information, scientists and public health officials can identify and track diseases to prevent and respond to outbreaks as part of a broader disease surveillance system, and to develop treatments and vaccines... The IPSN will tackle these challenges through a global network, connecting geographies and disease-specific networks, to build a collaborative system to better detect, prevent and respond to disease threats.” (WHO)

Comment:

The reader of this report may imagine that the World Health Organization is genuinely concerned about people’s health. The reader may even think that the WHO is serious in its quest to combat infectious diseases and deadly epidemics. However, the Coronavirus pandemic has proven its failure, to both the common people and experts. This organization, with its health systems and branches spread in various countries of the world, including major countries, as well as its institutions and medical staff, was proven to be helpless, corrupt and failed. Its quest is actually focused on achieving material gains. It exploits people’s pain for security and political purposes. It is far from taking care of people’s interests from the health perspective.

State healthcare in various countries of the world was able to utilize national economic, media and cultural resources. However, it did not use these immense resources in the easiest and most important matter. That matter is preventing diseases and epidemics, preventing their emergence and spread, in the first place. It involves educating people in the basics of disease prevention. It mandates passing laws and legislation that oblige taking the necessary measures. Even worse, the governments of the world have exploited the Coronavirus pandemic and the concept of disease prevention. They impose policies and legislation that limit the “freedom” of people, as well as their right to hold corrupt governments accountable. They enabled pharmaceutical companies and hospitals to exploit the people’s misfortunes, amassing huge profits as a result.

Islam has obligated the Muslim to take care of his health. It has obligated the state to take care of the people’s health, by providing the correct health advice. The state’s failure in this aspect is forbidden (haram). Its sin is great. It is forbidden for the Muslim to destroy the body that Allah (swt) entrusted him with. On the authority of Abdullah bin Abbas (ra), it was narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, «نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ» “There are two blessings which most people waste, health and free time.” [Bukhari]. The Prophet (saw) said,

«سَلُوا اللَّهَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فَإِنَّ أَحَدًا لَمْ يُعْطَ بَعْدَ الْيَقِينِ خَيْرًا مِنَ الْعَافِيَةِ» “Ask Allah for pardon and well-being, for verily, none has been given anything better than well-being.’” [Tirmidhi]

Taking care of health is different from medication. The jurists differ over taking care of health being permitted (permissible), recommended (mandub) or obligated (waajib). It is related to the Muslim’s performance of his obligations and his abiding to what Allah (swt) has imposed on him in this life, with respect to considering causality and causes. This includes the prevention that protects the body from diseases and avoids harm. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, «لا ضَرَرَ ولا ضِرَارَ» “There is no harming or being harmed.” [Muwatta and ibn Majah]

The corruption of the global health system and the corruption of the medical staff working in it, except for those upon whom the Lord has mercy, does not absolve a Muslim from the responsibility of taking care of his health. He must ensure that he is protected from diseases. The body is a trust from Allah (swt). By taking care of it, the Muslim is strengthened to obey and perform duties, in the most perfect way. The saying that “lifespan is fixed, whilst the decree is written” is not to be misapplied in this situation. Recklessness is not the characteristic of the Islamic personality. The Muslim is defined by serious thinking. It is an obligation to consider causality and causes. The Prophet (saw) said,

«اَلْمُؤْمِنُ اَلْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اَللَّهِ مِنْ اَلْمُؤْمِنِ اَلضَّعِيفِ, وَفِي كُلٍّ خَيْرٌ, اِحْرِصْ عَلَى مَا يَنْفَعُكَ, وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاَللَّهِ, وَلَا تَعْجَزْ»,

“A believer who is strong (and healthy) is better and dearer to Allah than the weak believer, but there is goodness in both of them. Be keen on what benefits you and seek help from Allah, and do not give up.” [Muslim]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Bilal Al-Muhajir – Wilayah Pakistan