ART OF SPIRITUAL CARE IN ISLAM
Nazila Isgandarova, C.C.C.
SR & Care Coordinator, Cummer
Lodge LTC
Importance of Spirituality,
Diversity,and Spiritual Resources
• Diversity in spirituality enriches the
educational experience;
• Diversity in spirituality prompts personal
growth – and a healthy society;
• Diversity in spirituality strengthens
communities and the workplace.
What is the Islamic Spirituality?
• God possesses a drink which is reserved
for His intimate friends;
when they drink they become
intoxicated,
when they become intoxicated they
become joyful,
when they become joyful they become
sweet,
when they become sweet they begin to
melt,
What is the Islamic Spirituality?
• when they begin to melt they become free,
when they become free they seek,
when they seek they find,
when they find they arrive,
when they arrive they join
and when they join there is no difference
between them and their Beloved.
• Imam Ali (a.s.)
Importance of Spirituality:
• Imagine yourself in a patient/client situation
where that person suddenly asks you: “Why
did God choose me to suffer?”
• Health professionals take a spiritual history - find
out whether religious or spiritual beliefs are used
to cope, are evoking religious struggles, are likely
to influence medical decisions or are responsible
for other special needs that trained clergy may
help with.
Reasons to Define
• Regardless of different forms of organized religions
spirituality is the affirmation of our essential
humanness through our search to be alive and
fruitful in meaningful ways.
Multidisciplinary Definition of Spirituality
Hay River, NWT Regional Hospital, 1997
• Spirituality is that aspect of every human being ,
rooted in our unique createdness which is on a
sacred journey of completeness, sometimes seeking
to connect with and trust in the divine being and in
pursuit of such things as wisdom, faith, future, love,
justice, hope, meaning, forgiveness, peace and more
in order to affirm who we are in essence as human
beings and with the goal of being alive and fruitful in
ways that are meaningful.
Key aspects of Muslim spirituality
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Search for meaning
wholeness
peace
individuality
harmony
a biological and integral part of being human
way of being
an energizing force for actualization
meaningful and extensive way of knowing the world
Spirituality in Islam has many forms and
can be practiced in many ways:
• Prayer (may be silent or spoken out loud and can be done alone such as
five daily prayer and in any setting or in groups such as the Juma’a prayer
on Fridays)
• Regular attendance at a mosque may involve prayer which focuses on
one's self (supplication) or on others (intercessory prayer).
• Spirituality can also be practiced without a formal religion:
• Meditation, 12-step work (as practiced in Alcoholics Anonymous and
similar groups), and seeking meaning in life all involve spirituality.
• Silent observation, listening, or gratitude can become part of an openended spirituality that can infuse everyday life.
• Spending time with nature, doing creative work, or by serving others.
Forms of spiritual care in Islam
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• ‘Iyâdah (visiting the sick) is the practice,
• rifq (exemplary kindness/care) is the
approach,
• and ihsân (doing what is beautiful) is the
optimal state in which spiritual care should be
offered.
Three Important Sources of Islamic
Spiritual Care
• 1 – The Qur’an
• 2 – The Sunnah (traditions of the Prophet
Muhammad peace be upon him)
• 3 – the social sciences, expecially family
therapy, counselling etc.
Sura al-Isra
• We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur'an
that which is a healing and a mercy to those who
believe: to the unjust it causes nothing but loss
after loss.
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• Wanunazzilu mina alqur-ani mahuwa shifaon
warahmatun
lilmu/mineena
walayazeedu
alththalimeena illakhasaran
• (Surah 17, ayah 82)
Importance of prayer from the Sunnah
• can decrease the negative effects of disease,
• speed recovery,
• and increase the effectiveness of medical treatments.
• to improve coping and provide comfort during illness.
• Religious attendance is sometimes linked with
• improvement of various health conditions such as heart
disease, hypertension, stroke, colitis, uterine and other
cancers, and overall health status.
Tools for Islamic Spiritual Care - 1
Tools for Islamic Spiritual Care - 2
Who are the Muslim spiritual care
givers?
• Muslim clergy such as Imams are the religious
leaders of Muslim community;
• Muslim Chaplains are the professional
healthcare providers trained to do the
spiritual care in hospitals, prison, long term
care homes, tc.;
• Muslim medical clinicians are the Muslim
doctors, nurses, etc.
Spiritual Concerns of Muslims
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Loss
Mortality
Dignity
Hope
After-death
Isolation and connection, etc.
Spiritual Questions Muslims Ask
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Why me?
Why now?
What does this mean?
Is there hope?
Can I be forgiven?
What happens when I die?
How will I be remembered?
Signs of Spiritual Crisis
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The Dreaded Questions
Loss of long-held beliefs and practices
Seeking forgiveness, feeling abandoned
Depression/anxiety/isolation/anger
Non-adherence
Unexplained symptoms
The Greater Needs of Muslims
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Companionship
Soothing
Authentic interest
Hope and Joy
Intimacy/Connection
The power of
conversation
What is Healing?
• In Islam, there are two main words for the
purpose of treatment:
– shifa’ which means healing and
– another one is ‘mualija’ which means
treatment.
• The Muslim tradition of spiritual healing or
shifa which is based on the recognition of
the effect of spiritual health on the physical
body (Isgandarova, 2006).
Importance of Spiritual Care
• In Islamic tradition, visiting the sick and showing a
spiritual care is a basic duty one Muslim has for
another, and is not reserved only for close friends
and family.
• It is actually a basic form of worship to bring one
closer to God.
• In times of distress or illness, the Muslim finds the
greatest solace and comfort in the remembrance of
God.
Religious Accommodation of Muslims
It is about:
• Respect
• Dignity
• Obeying Law
• Challenges:
• Freedom of Religion – To observe a religious practice
• Freedom from Religion – Freedom from religious
proselytization and evangelism
Common Areas of Accommodation
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Dress
Public Worship Service
Diet
Holidays
Obligatory Practices
Gender Issues
Iconography
Dietary Requirements
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The Quran prohibits the consumption of alcohol
and pork.
• Muslims won’t eat any food that has touched
pork. For example: picking the pepperoni off
pizza isn’t going to work.
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Muslims follow certain standards called Halal
(permissible) to slaughter meat.
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Some Muslims won’t eat any meat that isn’t
certified Halal and some will, as long as it’s not
pork.
www.cairhouston.org
Slide 25
Dressing Modestly: Clothing and Dress
•In public, some Mennonite, Jewish, Muslim
women wear headscarf. This attire may vary
in style and includes a head covering. But
some believe they do not need to cover their
hair in order to maintain modest dress
Slide 26
•Some men are also required to dress modestly
•You might see some Jewish, Muslim, Sikh boys
wearing a small, sometimes flat cap on their heads.
This is called a Kufi for Muslims, Turban for Sikhs,
and Kippa for Jewish.
•If you see someone wearing a turban it doesn’t
necessarily mean they are a Muslim. In fact
chances are they’re not.
•Cultural symbols for some countries in the
Middle East so some men may wear one but it
looks very different from a Sikh turban.
www.cairhouston.org
Slide 27
Benefits of Spiritual and Religious Care to
Muslims
– decrease the depression and build the community
for them
– old and new friendships
– share activities, communication and selfdisclosure , etc.
The ongoing crisis of faithful and the
secular: Some examples
• A Muslim woman has a seizure in the library. Only male staff are available
to help. What to do?
• A Muslim mal patient refuses to receive a care from a female nurse. What
to do?
In all of these cases, Muslims have strong positions on matters
which a secular worker may see as non-issues. Are these
issues of religion, mythology, superstition, etc?
Modesty from an Islamic Perspective
Conclusion