حَسْبِيَ اللّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ

Every sickness has a Cure

وَعَنْ جَابِرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لِكُلِّ دَاءٍ دَوَاءٌ فَإِذَا أُصِيبَ دَوَاءٌ الدَّاءَ بَرَأَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ. رَوَاهُ مُسلم

Ibn al-Qayyam wrote : Jabir Radi Allaho Anh reported Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم as saying: “There is a medicine for every disease, and when the medicine is applied to the disease it is cured by Allah’s permission.” (Muslim, Mishkat al-Masabih 4515)

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ دَاء إِلا أنزل لَهُ دَوَاء. رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ

And in both Bukhari and Muslim, from Ata, from Abu Huraira Radi Allaho Anh, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "Allah has not sent down any disease except that He has also sent down its cure."

وفى "مسند الإمام أحمد": من حديث زياد بن عِلاقة عن أُسامةَ ابن شَريكٍ، قال: "كنتُ عندَ النبىِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، وجاءت الأعرابُ، فقالوا: يا رسول الله؛ أَنَتَدَاوَي؟ فقال: "نَعَمْ يا عبادَ اللهِ تَدَاوَوْا، فإنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وجَلَّ لم يضَعْ داءً إلا وَضَعَ لَهُ شِفاءً غيرَ داءٍ واحدٍ"، قالوا: ما هو ؟ قال: "الهَرَمُ

In Musnad al-Imam Ahmad, from the narration of Ziyad bin Ilaqah, from Usama bin Shareek, he said: "I was with Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, and some Bedouins came and asked, 'O Messenger of Allah! Should we seek medical treatment?' He replied, 'Yes, O servants of Allah, seek treatment, for Allah, the Almighty, has not created a disease except that He has also created a cure for it, except for one disease.' They asked, 'What is that?' He replied, 'Old age.'

In another version, it is narrated: "Indeed, Allah has not sent down any disease without also sending down its cure, known by those who know it and unknown to those who do not."

وفى المسند من حديث ابن مسعود يرفعه: "إنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وجَلَّ لم يُنْزِلْ داءً إلا أنزَلَ لَهُ شِفاءً، عَلِمَهُ مَنْ عَلِمَهُ، وَجَهِلَهُ مَنْ جَهِلَهُ

In Musnad, from the narration of Ibn Mas'ud, that Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم: "Indeed, Allah, the Almighty, has not sent down any disease except that He has also sent down its cure, known by those who know it and unknown by those who do not."

وفى "المسند" و"السنن": عن أبى خِزَامةَ، قال: قلتُ: يا رسول اللهِ؛ أرأيْتَ رُقىً نَسْتَرْقِيهَا، ودواءً نتداوى به، وتُقَاةً نَتَّقِيهَا، هل تَرُدُّ من قَدَرِ اللهِ شيئاً ؟ فقال: "هى من قَدَرِ الله

In Musnad and Sunan from Abu Khuzamah, who said: "I asked, 'O Messenger of Allah! What do you say about incantations that we use, medications we take, and precautions we observe—do they repel anything from Allah’s decree?' He replied, 'They are part of Allah’s decree.'"

These Ahadith affirm the concept of causes and effects and invalidate the views of those who deny them. The phrase "for every disease there is a cure" can be taken in a general sense, including deadly diseases or those which cannot be cured by any physician. Allah, the Almighty, may have created cures for such diseases, but He has withheld knowledge of them from humanity and has not made a way to reach them, as human knowledge is only what Allah has taught them. For this reason, Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم linked healing to the right medicine meeting the disease.

(The meaning of Hadith: seek medical treatment, but do not rely solely on it for healing; rather, be true servants of Allah who trust in Him. Whoever seeks treatment should firmly believe that medicine does not produce healing by itself, just as disease does not produce illness by itself. Rather, the Almighty creates everything in a sequence, with a wisdom known best by Him, and "the disease of old age" or aging is likened to a disease, as it is inevitably followed by death).

Indeed, nothing in creation exists without its opposite, and every disease has a remedy that counteracts it. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم linked recovery to the medicine appropriately matching the illness, which is something beyond the mere presence of the medicine itself. If the medicine exceeds the required intensity for the disease, or if the dose is too large, it may transform into another ailment. If it falls short, it may not be effective enough to counteract the disease, and the treatment would be insufficient. If the physician fails to match the right medicine to the illness, or if the medicine does not align with the disease, healing does not occur. Furthermore, if the timing is not appropriate for that specific medicine, it will be ineffective. If the body is not receptive to it, or if the strength of the body cannot bear it, or if there is any hindrance preventing its effect, recovery will not occur due to the lack of congruence. But when the treatment perfectly aligns, healing occurs by Allah’s permission, without fail. This is the best interpretation of the Hadith.

The second interpretation is that it may be a general statement meant to apply in a specific way. Allah has not created any disease that is receptive to treatment except that He has also created a cure for it, excluding those diseases that are not treatable. This is like Allah’s statement about the wind sent against the people of ‘Aad,

تُدَمِّرُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّهَا فَأَصْبَحُوا لا يُرَى إِلاَّ مَسَاكِنُهُمْ كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْقَوْمَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ (احقاف: ٢٥)

“It destroys everything by the command of its Lord” (46:25), meaning everything that is susceptible to destruction, which falls within the nature of the wind to destroy. Many similar examples exist. Whoever contemplates the creation of opposites in this world, their mutual resistance, some repelling others, and the subjugation of some to others, will see the perfection of the Lord’s power, His wisdom, the precision of His creation, His uniqueness in lordship, oneness, and dominion. Everything besides Him has an opposing counterpart, just as He alone is self-sufficient, while everything else is inherently needy.

The authentic Ahadith include the command to seek medical treatment, affirming that it does not contradict reliance on Allah (Tawakkul). Just as pushing away hunger, thirst, heat, and cold by their opposites does not contradict Tawakkul, seeking treatment for illness also does not. In fact, true monotheism (Tawheed) is not complete without using the means that Allah has created as causes for their outcomes, both by divine decree and law. Neglecting these means undermines reliance on Allah, as well as the wisdom behind His commands, and weakens faith, as those who neglect the means may think that avoiding them strengthens their trust in Allah. In truth, abandoning the means due to helplessness contradicts Tawakkul, whose essence is the heart's dependence on Allah for achieving what benefits a person in both religious and worldly matters and for warding off harm. This reliance must include employing the necessary means; otherwise, it would negate wisdom and the law. Thus, one should not turn their inability into a form of reliance, nor turn reliance into helplessness.

These Ahadith also refute those who deny seeking medical treatment, arguing that if healing is decreed, treatment will not affect it, and if it is not decreed, then treatment is likewise ineffective. They argue that illness occurs by Allah's decree, which cannot be repelled or altered. This question was indeed posed by the Bedouins to the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. However, the prominent Companions were more knowledgeable about Allah, His wisdom, and His attributes to pose such a question. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم answered them sufficiently by saying that medications, incantations, and protective measures are part of Allah’s decree, and that nothing falls outside His decree. Rather, one decree is countered by another, and this counteraction is part of Allah’s decree. There is no escaping Allah's decree in any way. This is similar to countering hunger, thirst, heat, and cold by their opposites or countering the decree of an enemy through jihad. Both the defensive means and the adversities they counter are part of Allah’s decree.

To the one who raises this question, it can be said: "This reasoning obligates you to avoid all actions that bring benefit or prevent harm, for if benefit or harm is decreed, they will inevitably occur, and if they are not decreed, they cannot occur at all. Such a view would lead to the ruin of both religion and worldly life and result in corruption throughout the world. Only someone opposed to the truth would say this, using the concept of divine decree to reject the proof against them—similar to the polytheists who said:

‏‏لَوْ شَاءَ اللهُ مَا أَشْرَكْنَا وَلاَ آبَاؤُنَا‏‏ (سورة أنعام: ١٤٨)

'If Allah had willed, we would not have associated partners with Him, nor would our fathers' (6:148)

‏‏لَوْ شَاءَ اللهُ مَا عَبَدْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيءٍ نَّحْنُ وَلاَ آبَاؤُنَا‏‏ ‏(سورة ‏النحل‏:‏ ٣٥)‏

'If Allah had willed, we would not have worshipped anything besides Him, neither we nor our fathers' [16:35]. They used these statements to evade Allah’s proof against them through the messengers."

The answer to this questioner would be to say: there is a third category you did not mention, which is that Allah has decreed such and such through a particular means. If you bring forth the means, the intended result will happen; if not, it will not. If the questioner says, “If Allah has decreed the means for me, I will do it, and if He has not, I will not be able to do it,” it could be responded: “Would you accept this argument from your servant, child, or employee if they used it as an excuse for disobeying your commands or disregarding your instructions?” If you accept it, then do not blame those who disobey you, take your property, slander your reputation, or neglect your rights. But if you do not accept it, how can it be acceptable to deny Allah's rights over you?

In an Israelite narration, it is reported that Prophet Ibrahim Alaih as-Salaam, the beloved (Khalil) of Allah, asked, “O Lord, from whom is illness?” Allah replied, “From Me.” Ibrahim then asked, “And from whom is the cure?” Allah replied, “From Me.” Ibrahim then asked, “So what is the purpose of a doctor?” Allah replied, “He is a person through whom I send the cure.”

Saying of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, "For every illness there is a cure," strengthens the resolve of both the patient and the doctor and encourages them to search for that cure and to seek it out. When the patient realizes that there is a cure for his illness that can relieve it, his heart fills with hope, the heat of despair fades, and the door of hope opens. When his spirit is strengthened, his natural vitality is stimulated, which strengthens the physical and psychological forces within him. As these forces grow stronger, they carry the body's strength and overcome the illness, driving it away. Similarly, when the doctor knows that there is a cure for this illness, he is motivated to seek it and search for it.

Bodily illnesses are analogous to the illnesses of the heart. (i.e. diseases that affect the body are much like those that affect the heart). Just as Allah has provided a cure for every illness that troubles the heart, He has also provided a cure for every ailment that affects the body. When a person gains knowledge of these cures and uses them correctly, Allah Willing, his heart will be healed.

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