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Medicine
Throughout history nations have developed materially in all spheres of life. Advancements in science have made this possible, particularly in the field of medicine. However, unknown to many, much of modern science today has emanated from the Muslim world. Whilst Europe was (and still is) stuck in the Dark Ages, the Islaamic State , which is called the Khilaafah, was leading the world in Science and Medicine. It boasted the founding fathers of many sciences that diagnosed and treated meningitis as well as numerous other illnesses. Also the words Retina and Cataracts are derived from Arabic, as the Muslims were experts in Ophthalmology.
The Health Service of the Islaamic State
Before Islaam there were no hospitals, as we would see today, there were places for the sick to stay, but these were mainly temples cared for by priests with 'God' playing a major role in healing people. The Islaamic State was responsible for the formation of such institutes as the hospital. There were far more hospitals in the Islaamic Empire than in Europe itself. At one time, in Baghdad there were 60 hospitals while in London there was just one. The hospitals were multifunctional, they were not just used to treat the ill but there were also departments and theatres where medical students could attend lectures. Also hospitals under the Islaamic State were used as nursing homes to look after the old especially if they had no families and to look after the insane who also had no one to care for them.
All the hospitals in Islaamic lands were financed by the Bait ul-Maal, the treasury of the Khilaafah, and the services were provided free of charge to all citizens irrespective of race, colour or creed.
Characteristic features of Hospitals in the Islaamic State
The hospitals consisted of separate wards and separate nurses. Segregation between the sexes was strictly observed as this is ordered by the Sharee'ah. Also different types of diseases extremely infectious ones, in particular were allocated to different wards to avoid cross contamination etc. Pregnant women did not have the worry about foreign men walking into the labour rooms and violating their honour, unnecessary internal check-ups were not done and there was no issues of having to take your husband into the hospital with you out of the fear that a male doctor would be present or that even the female nurses and doctors could not be trusted.
The Khilaafah was the first State in history to keep detailed records of its patients and the medical care they were receiving. Keeping the records detailed, organised and concise was taken with great seriousness therefore a strong administration was a regular operation within the hospital.
Pharmacy had developed to an outstanding degree with new drugs and compounds being developed. The Khilaafah had access to numerous resources as it was ruling over two thirds of the civilised world. Chemistry became an advanced science and one of its founders was Jaabir bin Hayan. He discovered Evaporation and Crystallisation as well as being the first to classify substances into animal, vegetable and mineral.
All the hospitals in the Muslim world were models for medieval hospitals built later in Europe. They became international centres for medical studies and sciences where those seeking advanced medical knowledge from the East or West would travel to learn.
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The Muslim Ummah is an unique Ummah among the whole of mankind.
Thier Land is One.Their War is One.Their Peace is One.Their Honour is One.And Thier Trust is One.
Muhammad (Peace and Blessing be Upon Him)
[Narrated by Ahmed]
Contributions to medicine by Muslim women
Throughout history and at the time or prophet Muhammad (saw) in particular, one can discover examples of great stateswomen who made vital contributions to medicine and the health service motivated by their concern for the affairs of the people. The Sharee'ah obliges the Muslims to have great concern for the Ummah in all spheres of life. Thus the pursuit of scientific knowledge in Islaamic history was considered an act of worship to Allaah (swt). The following are examples of some of these women.
Rufaidah bint Sa'd
Rufaidah bint Sa'd also known as Rufaidah Aslamiyyah was the first professional nurse in the Islaamic history. She lived at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the 1st century AH/8th century CE. Rufaidah's father was also a great physician, from whom she learnt most of her medical knowledge from by working as his assistant. She was kind, empathetic and a capable leader and organiser. With all the clinical skills she had she trained other nurses and worked very closely with them. Also she did not limit her profound skills to public health but she also approached society as a social worker helping to solve the social problems that lead to disease. She also came to the assistance of other Muslims in need, who were poor, orphans, or handicapped. She looked after the orphans, nursed them, and taught them general skills of life.
Over time Rufaidah Aslamiyyah became an expert in medicine and surgery. When the Islaamic state was well established in Madeenah, Rufaidah devoted herself to nursing the Muslims who were sick. Over time she set up a tent outside the Prophet's mosque in Madeenah where she tended to the ill who come to for help. During the time of war she led groups of volunteer nurses who went to the battlefield and treated the casualties. At the battle of the trench ( Ghazwat al-Khandaq), Rufaidah set up her hospital tent. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) instructed that Sa'd bin Mu'aadh who had been injured in battle be moved to the tent. Rufaidah nursed him, carefully removed the arrow from his forearm and achieved haemostasis.
Other battles she participated in were the battles of Badr, U hud, Khandaq, Khaybar, and others. Rufaidah's field hospital tent became very famous during the battles and the Prophet (saw) used to pass order for all the casualties to be carried to her tent so that she may treat them with her medical expertise.
Other women experts during the time of the Prophet (saw)
The Companion ash-Shifaa bint Abdullaah al-Qurashiyah al-Adawiyah was one of the wisest women of her time. Her real name may have been Laylaa. Ash- Shifaa is a title derived from her profession as a medicine woman, it meant, healing. She was literate in an illiterate age, she was also skilled in medicine, involved in public administration, and had a strong presence in early Muslim history. She used to conduct preventative treatments against ant bites before the advent of Islaam. After Hijrah, she approached the Prophet (saw) and said, "Oh Messenger of Allaah, I used to do preventative medicine for ant bites during Jaahiliyyah, and I want to demonstrate it for you." He (saw) said, "Demonstrate it." Ash- Shifaa said: "So I demonstrated it for him, and he said '[continue to] do this, and teach it to Hafsah [a wife of the Prophet].' She apparently taught Hafsah, and many others, she also taught them to read and write, at the personal request of the Prophet
Other women experts in the time of the Prophet (saw) in medicine and surgery were Umm Muta', Umm Kabashah, Hamnah bint Jahsh, Mu'adhah, Laylaa, Umaimah, Umm Zaid, Umm 'Atiyyah, and Umm Sulaym. They were all great women with superb knowledge and skills in the arena of medicine, teaching, surgery etc. There skills and expertise helped the Ummah of Muhammad (saw) immensely throughout history.
Course of history
Over time Muslim women have contributed greatly to the field of health and medicine taking roles as, midwives, specialising on female anatomy and physiology, aiding in the development of cosmetics, perfumes, ointments and medicines for all parts of the body; constructing scientific instruments and contributing enormously to society as social workers. Unfortunately after the destruction of the Islaamic state in 1924 societies became contaminated by the non-Islaamic way of life, with kufr, shirk and bid'ah. Even the Muslim countries were eventually ruled by Taaghout rulers who aided in the people forgetting their Islaamic heritage, of all the greatness the Khilaafah contributed to the world. These situation hindered Muslim women with regards to the field of science and many of the professions and skills which they acquired.
Islaam encouraged women to apply their minds and discover what Allaah (swt) has created for the benefit of mankind on the basis of being in a continuous state of concern about the affairs of the people. However now a days our realities are different. No longer is the moral idea of segregation observed, subjects are no longer taught from an Islaamic angle and kufr concepts are indoctrinated into the people.
We as Muslim women today have great examples or role models to follow (above are only a few examples of many). It is unfortunate that the Khilaafah has become the figment of ones imagination, so much so that Muslims take the Kufr state and society as their example. Why should we do this when we ourselves are the ones that formed history and a base for the rest of the world to follow? Islaam gave women the dignity, honour and importance of being mothers, daa'ies, wives, daughters, stateswomen and even pioneers of the medicine world. Islaam had elevated the Muslim women in all arenas of life and each role has extremely important duties to full fill to please only Allaah (swt) and not anyone else.
Allaah (swt) did not instruct us to go out to kufr education institutions to become these great women by participating in free-mixing, socialising between sexes, being in a room were Allaah (swt) and the religion of Muhammad (saw) is condemned and is looked upon as minor or insignificant. And neither did he instruct us to learn subjects from the angle of the non-Muslims, to not stand up for the honour and rights of the Creator when it is attacked by the secularists and atheist, the Mushrikeen and the Faasiqs! Unfortunately there are no Islaamic environments where we can go to acquire the positions the great Muslim women of history had once done until the Khilaafah State returns and brings back the wonders it once left behind.
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http://londonmetisoc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=267&sid=7ea5b4eb434c230ea1e6c0465877e301
Instead of coming down hard on you, I should thank you, for exposing what ails some members of this umma..
May Allah grant us shifa from all that ails us, especially diseases of ignorance!
