The Prophet's guidance on preventing contagious diseases and enforcing quarantine
Muslim narrated that Jabir bin Abdullah said:
"Thaqifs delegation included a man with leprosy. The Prophet b sent to him, 'Go back, for we have accepted your pledge of allegiance." [Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Ibn Khuzaymah and ibn jarir}.
Al-Bokhary narrated that the Prophet if said:
"Do not keep looking at the person afflicted by leprosy." [Ahmad. At-Tayalisi, At-Tabarani and Al-
Kayhaqi].
Further, in the Sahihain it is narrated that the Prophet s& said:
"A healthy man should not be brought near a sick person." [Abu Dawood, Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Ahmad and Al-Bayhaqy]
Leprosy is an especially harmful disease that occurs due to the accumulation of black bile in the entire body, altering the condition or temperament and shape of the organs. In the final stages, leprosy might cause such bad corrosion that the affected limbs would start to fall off and disintegrate. Leprosy is In addition called the diseases of the lion, for three reasons. First, this disease usually attacks lions (or wild beasts). Second, because this disease causes the face to frown, like the lion's face. The third, leprosy is contagious and will devour its victim just as the lion devours its prey.
Leprosy is a contagious disease, and those who come near the person afflicted with leprosy will be bothered by the foul odor, just like those suffering from tuberculosis.
The Prophet, who was full of mercy and pity for his nation, commanded them not to expose themselves to what might bring harm to their bodies and hearts. There is
no doubt that certain bodies are discese prone and are easily affected by the surrounding environmen’, and as we have stated, leprosy is a contagious disease. Sometimes, someone's fear of the disease might actually help the disease attack the body, because fear prepares the organs of the body for the possibility of catching the disease. Sometimes, when one even smells the foul odor emitted by persons inflicted by certain diseases, they in turn catch the same disease, if their body is susceptible to catch the disease. Some people stated that the Ahadeeth we mentioned in this chapter are overruled by some other Ahadeeth. They brought as evidence what the Prophet m, said: "There is no contagion nor evil omen." [Al-Bokhary, Moslem and Abu Dawood].
We should state that there is no contradiction between the authentic Ahadeeth. When there is an appearance of contradiction, one of the Ahadeeth might not be an authentic Hadith, sometimes, the narrators of Ahadeeth might have made mistakes, although they are truthful themselves. Or, one of the seemingly contradicted Ahadeeth might be overruling the other. Further, there are no two authentic Ahadeeth that are direct in meaning which contradict each other in every respect. Allah forbids that his truthful Messenger should ever contradict himself, and therefore, everything the Prophet b uttered is the ultimate truth, no doubt. Problems and errors sometime arise from the narrators of the Hadith, the
shortcoming in comprehending the true meaning of some Ahadeeth or the inability to distinguish between authentic and forged Ahadeeth.
Ibn Qutaibah said in his book, Al-Hadith, while talking about the enemies of Hadith, They say, "These are Ahadeeth that contradict each other. You narrated that the Prophet said, There is neither contagiousness nor evil omen." And that the Prophet b was told, 'Wet mange attacks the camel's lip and then the camels catch leprosy,’ and that he said, "What has transferred the ailment to the first camel? You In addition narrated, 'No healthy person should be brought near a sick person, and avoid the one with leprosy just as you avoid the lion.' You In addition reported that a man with leprosy came to give his allegiance to the Prophet as on Islam and that he said to him that his pledge is accepted, ordering him to return without meeting him. He In addition said, "Evil omen is in three things: the woman, the animal and the house,’ and all these statements contradict each other."
Abu Muhammad (Ibn Qutaibah) then commented, "We say that there is no contradiction, because each statement has its own meaning and timeframe. When the Hadith is used in its proper context, the appearance of contradiction will not be substantiated. There are two types of contagion, one of them is leprosy like contagion. For instance, when the odor of the person afflicted with
leprosy is felt by those who talk and sit near to the leper for a long time, they might fall victim to the same disease. Such is the case with the wife of the person with leprosy who remains under the same roof with him and thus catches the disease. In addition, the children of the person afflicted with leprosy might catch the disease later on in their life (hereditary). Such is the case with those suffering from tuberculosis, hectic fever and mange. The doctors order that those suffering from tuberculosis and leprosy should be avoided, not because they fear that such cases are contagious but because the bad odor that emits from such people might affect the healthy persons when exposed to it for a long time. The doctors are the farthest people from believing in evil or good omens. The same argument is true in the case with the Nugbah, which is a wet type of leprosy or mange that attacks camels. When the infected came mixes or mingles with other healthy camels, the infection will be transferred through the water [open sores] or the mucus that the camel produces. This is the meaning that the Prophet b intended when he said:
'No sick person should be brought near a healthy person.’
He disliked that the sick people associated with healthy people, so that the healthy are not exposed to any substances or rashes that the body of the sick person produces. The second type of contagion, is the plague, for
instance, that appears in a land and the person thus seeks to flee that land for fear of catching the disease. The Prophet s& said, 'If it (the Plague) appears in a land where you are residing, do not depart that land. If it appears in a land, do not enter it,’ The Prophet gs ordered the people not to depart the land afflicted by the plague, as they might be thinking that by fleeing they would be avoiding Allah's appointed destiny. In addition, the Prophet # ordered the people not to enter a land afflicted by the plague, for remaining in the healthy land brings calmness "to their hearts and tranquility in their livelihood. In addition, this type includes the husband who suffers an affliction and attributes it to the bad omen of his wife or the house as is common. This is the type that the Prophet b meant when he said, "There is neither contagion..." "
Some other people said the Prophet safe only recommended that leprosy patients be avoided and that it is still allowed to eat with them, as the Prophet himself did.
Some other people said that these Ahadeeth contain specific commands for different types of people. For instance, some people have such a strong faith and reliance on Allah that the strength of their faith would save them from contagious diseases, just as the natural powers that exist in the body sometimes fend off the harm of the disease. Suine people, on the other hand, do not
have a strong faith, so the Prophet * commanded them to be cautious, The Prophet b implemented his own commands in both cases, so that the strong imitate his acts, depending on their trust in Allah. On the other hand, the weak would imitate the Prophet b (when he avoided leprous patients, for instance) to be cautions. Both ways are correct, but one is suitable for those who have strong faith while the other is suitable for those who have weak faith. Consequently, both groups of the believers will have their own method that is suitable for their own situation. As another example, the Prophet s has used fire for medicinal purposes, cauterization. Yet, he praised whoever refrains from using cauterization and mentioned avoiding it with the good deeds of shunning the bad omen and having total dependence on Allah. There are many other examples on this subject. The Prophet's method is always very gentle, and those who comprehend it in the correct manner will get rid of many suspicions that the authentic Sunnah contradicts itself.
Some other people stated that ordering the people to run away from the one with leprosy prevents the transfer of the disease by mingling with the sick or by smelling their odor when such mingling and associations are extensive. As for short visitations with such people for a good purpose, there is no harm in it and catching the disease will not be plausible during these brief contacts. The Prophet b prohibited long exposures to sick people to
preserve health and allowed brief contacts that would not cause harm. Therefore, where is the contradiction here?
Another group of people said it is plausible that the person who suffered from leprosy with whom the Prophet as sat and ate was suffering from mild leprosy. There are several types of leprosy that vary in their seriousness and the degree of their contagion. In such cases, it is possible to mingle with some people suffering from mild leprosy that has not progressed and avoid catching the disease. When the illness is unable to progress in the sick person's body, it will be even less able to attack another person's body.
Another group of people said that the people before Islam believed that diseases themselves are contagious, without referring this matter to the power and will of Allah in the beginning and the end. The Prophet refuted their belief and ate with a person with leprosy to prove that Allah is the One Who causes the disease to come and Who brings about the cure. The Prophet In addition prohibited the Muslims from mingling with the sick to teach them that sickness and diseases are made by Allah to have a certain effect on people. The prohibition affirms these effects while his action teaches us that such effects are totally controlled by Allah, and that if He wills, these effects will not have any power. In addition, if He wills, these effects will cause the harm that He has
decided and willed,
Finally, some other people say that these Ahadeeth might be overruled by other Ahadeeth, and that in case we are unable to produce the latter Hadith that overrules the previous Hadith, we should refrain from discussing this matter further *