A wave of alternative medicine has hit the Pakistani scene … The Faith Healers - They are like a modernised secularised form of Peer that are going around taking money to practice their healing on people - but what is essentially the matter with this? Can we criticise them when essentially they are only doing things that seem to be similar to what Muslims have always done - such as damm and ruqiya …
Let’s discuss this very obscure matter here …
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
As long as they’re doing damm & ruqyah, that is Islamic. But if the healing involves writing Taweezes/amulets/charms/papers (with or without Quranic verses) numbers, shapes, weird names, words, etc. written inside and giving to the patients to tie around their body parts, bury, hang, burn, dissolve in water/food and drink/eat and any other strange practices (I dont know of all but there’s alot more they do or tell the patients to do) & call it "Islamic’ healing. It is not Islamic healing but magic which prevails in all the other religions. But they claim it is Islamic because then how will such muslim magicians earn a living/name/respect of the jaahil muslim followers.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
saHeeH deen se doorii jihaalat ke sabab vujood meN aatii hai. Allah hameN saHeeH deen se roo-shinaas karaaye aur aise mushrikaana fe’l se door rakkhe…aameen
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
I’m not sure what you’re talking about exactly. However, I do know that ruqya is used for healing with the Qur’an. I know of people who have taken this type of treatment and benefited from it.
While ruqya is a legitimate means of healing, that doesn’t mean that you won’t find frauds who claim to practice it.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
What I actually meant to ask was about this new age spiritual healing that is spreading across the world … They use pseudo-science … And incorporate things like Reiki and stuff like that …
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
After a quick read up on Reiki, it seems like some of the concepts seem to coincide with some in Chinese medicine, such as flow of energy, meridians in the body as well as other concepts from acupuncture. Anyhow in terms of your question, I can’t really comment because I myself don’t know too much about it.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
i think this peer and dam wala.culture nurture on people who are away from namaz and quran themselves and put faith in these men instead of Allah and themselves. if ruqya and quranic treatment works as it no doubt does, it should work for them themselves too. i wonder why woud one NOT do it themselves and run to another human like them. if their reason being that that buzurg is more naik and all, they can master that naik-ness themselves by simply following the arkaan e islam and acting upon basic sunnah. but well, if everyone started to do.that, shaitan aor uske mureed to bhoke mar jayenge.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
You see there is a dilemma - there is the stuff that is legitimate and works but then there are other things that partially work in modern and alternative medicine and now there is alternative spiritual medicine - it is as though curing and healing has become secularised and void of reminding us about Allah (SWT) and as a result … I want to grasp the key differences between ruqya and dumm on one side and things like for example “Samda Healing System” on the other side … I have been hesitant to put a link here in case people see it and it behave like advertising for them … Something bugs me about this - but I can’t put my finger on what it is … but here is the link …
Natural Health with Dr. Samad on Health TV, Topic: What Is Samda Healing - Video Dailymotion
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
Technically you are correct that a buzurg is not required to perform the ruqya for it to be effective. However, there are considerations here, such as knowing how to perform it as well as the strength of someone’s duas/amaal as well as proficiency with the recitation of Qur’an. During ruqya sessions there could be complications that arise, such as manifestations of jinn among other things. A person not trained/experienced with this type of thing could find that overwhelming. Of course there are many situations where a self ruqya could be done, but there are also cases, where having someone with more experience conducting/supervising it would be useful.
So going to a “professional” for ruqya can be compared to going to any type of professional for more worldly/material needs/situations. A lot of the types of things we go to professionals for could technically be done by ourselves at home, but we go to people who have experience and would be able to guide us.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
There is the Placebo factor involved. So it could be beneficial.
Where it is unethical is when they charge for their services, assuming they know what they are doing has no genuine medical effect. i suppose they too must believe they are doing some good and their treatment works, so in that case its not unethical of them. However, it is unethical on the part of those who’s job it is to regulate such practices, as allowing such people to offer such services in lieu of proper medical care is clearly wrong.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
I will watch the video :insh: when I have a chance and then let you know my opinion on it.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
IMO, gaining any knowledge or practicing healing systems which are good for the mankind are not forbidden, instead, encouraged in Islam. It’s just like practicing medicine or benefiting from medical treatments do not make you lose your faith. So as far as such knowledge or healing systems do not negatively affect our faith in God and the Quran, there is nothing wrong in practicing / benefiting from them.
I believe that hijama/cupping, reiki, acupuncture, reflexology & similar healing practices if done properly & by genuine practitioners are no doubt beneficial but gaining such knowledge & practices should strengthen our faith in God & not the other way around. I think a good muslim practicing medicine or any other form of healing should be able to heal patients much more effectively.
P.S: “Stopped watching after 1-2 calls because they started talking just like another broken record for the promotion of treatment. Almost all the talks on local & international TV channels are not very useful no matter what subjects they’re talking about. Similarly, this video link you posted also seems like promotion of this new clinic in Pakistan.”
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
You see that is it … It seems to be purely advertising a product … There is no real science explained in any of it … And I put that sort of faith specifically in the practices that RasoolAllah (SAW) has given us, but when others give us things that seemingly do the same treatments then I want to know the mechanism before putting my faith in it. Also, I fear we will replace reading Surah Fatihah, or Yaseen for meditations and other things that effectively take our focus away from Our Deen.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
Even with medication (pharmaceutics) … We are required to put faith in Allah (SWT) not in the doctor or medicine … So we learn about the mechanism so no faith is required and then undertake the treatment all the while knowing it is Allah (SWT) who does it … Presumably we can do the same with these techniques … But something bugs me about them … They are so far fetched it seems like a fraudulent exercise almost …
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
I dont doubt the authenticity of some asian treatments if done properly by authentic practitioners. But today, just like the talk show above, I would be skeptical about any random person practicing it. Because today it is easier to obtain fake certificates to prove you’re professionally trained hence the certificates are actually no proofs of someone’s expertise & the ‘mysterious’ element attached to such healing practices encourages swindlers to adopt new ways to deceit the ignorant ones. Every country has their share of fools who start following like cult anyone who performs ‘strange tricks’ which benefits them even if temporarily. In some cases, believe in their power more than God. Same with fake pirs practicing healing through use of quran but they’re fake. They misguide the masses which leads to disbelief.
I have an interesting picture to share related to this topic 
but dont know how to upload images.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
[quote=“psyah”]
You see there is a dilemma - there is the stuff that is legitimate and works but then there are other things that partially work in modern and alternative medicine and now there is alternative spiritual medicine - it is as though curing and healing has become secularised and void of reminding us about Allah (SWT) and as a result … I want to grasp the key differences between ruqya and dumm on one side and things like for example “Samda Healing System” on the other side … I have been hesitant to put a link here in case people see it and it behave like advertising for them … Something bugs me about this - but I can’t put my finger on what it is … but here is the link …
Natural Health with Dr. Samad on Health TV, Topic: What Is Samda Healing - Video Dailymotion
[/QUOTE
I am sure you will be surprised to know that I witnessed personally, right after a heart surgery there was a patient from Asia who was having a faith healer pass hands over their body. No taweez, no tasbih simply the faith healers bare hands were being waved over the patient.
all this happened in one of the famous Hospitals of New York, The MonteFiore Medical Center.
[Montefiore Medical Center]
(http://www.montefiore.org/)
and the faith Healer was recognized by this Hospital and was compensated for their practice!
How do you like them Apples :hypo:
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
[quote=“SindSagar”]
Its ok as long as the faith healer isnt trying to take the place of actual medical treatment. the scenerio you mention involves a faith healer doing his thing AFTER actual surgery.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
[quote=“SindSagar”]
Rotten tasting … I don’t quite get it … It’s fine for non-Muslims they will believe anything … we should bounce eveything back to Islam.
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
I need to understand the mechanism of placebo and how it differs from ruqya and dumm, and how they differ from faith healing … and also what they share …
My inclination tells me that where there is a ruqya or dumm available then for a Muslim to opt for a faith healing option it would not be correct because they are forsaking the remedy that ties worship and Tawheed to something which is void of that focus. The belief in “Healing oneself” or “naturally without agent” is wrong. The healing regardless of real scientific action or placebo - I feel we must acknowledge God and failure to do this is tantamount to shirk.
The healing may still occur out of a test or mercy
Re: Faith Healing Fitnah - Fair or Faux?
Im not quite sure how the placebo effect works physiologically, but I think it has to do with psychologically facilitating self healing. Another words, the belief that you r well can reduce stress hormones which ultimately allows the body to fight of disease on its own, assuming it can. The person might also interpret internal health cues differently, so while abdominal pain and nausea were a negative sign previously, now its a positive as it means the drug is working.
Self healing, god centered healing… its seems semantic. Call it what you like, if it works it works.