Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: This hadith establishes that for every illness there is a treatment and a remedy; no disease is incurable. However, it is not necessary that the knowledge of the remedy for every illness be known. When Allah, the Exalted, wills to break an illness, He causes its remedy to be discovered, and when compatibility and suitability are established between the remedy and the illness, then, by Allah’s permission, healing is attained. The remedy is merely a means and an intermediary; healing is in the hand of Allah. As long as He does not will it, healing will not occur. Under this belief, seeking and administering treatment is, according to the majority of the Salaf, a praiseworthy act. Therefore, the claim of the extreme Sufis is not correct—that since illness is from Allah’s decree (qada) and predestination (qadar), there is no need for treatment—because treatment and remedy are also included in Allah’s decree and predestination. Without His will and permission, healing is not attained. Just as Allah, the Exalted, has commanded supplication (du‘a), has commanded fighting and combat against the disbelievers, has commanded protection and self-defense, and has forbidden throwing oneself into destruction, even though the time of death is fixed and cannot be advanced or delayed, the same is the case with remedies. Health and healing are in Allah’s control; when He wills to grant health, the remedy matches the illness, and by Allah’s permission, healing occurs.