Services at KHCC

Faith and strong believe in God and acceptance of His decree are hallmarks of our culture. This faith has its deep roots in our region and becomes at utmost importance when the challenge of dealing with cancer becomes a fact that one has to face. KHCC realizes this and the staff find themselves humble in front of what religion can offer to the patients. We strive to meet the spiritual needs of our patients and to encourage positive thinking that may be influenced with prayers and other religious rituals.

KHCC houses a modern mosque that gives our patients and their families a peaceful and quite place for worshipping. The Imam of the mosque is active in counseling newly diagnosed patients and helping those going through difficult times. In coordination with our psychosocial program, the Imam reaches to those in need for support and often becomes a great source of help for them.

Islam and Cancer

Muslim perception of illness

Muslims believe that Allah is Merciful and accept His decreed acts. Being ill or healthy is an essential part of life and one should thank Allah in all his conditions.
Some verses of the Quran and sayings of the Prophet highlights these facts:
وبشر الصابرين الذين إذا أصابتهم مصيبة قالوا إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
“..yet give thou good tidings unto the patients who, when visited by an affliction, say, 'Surely we belong to Allah, and to Him we return.'" ( 2:156)

Jaber, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet () said; "None of you will believe unless he believes in fate, either be it good or evil, and unless he knows that what has befallen him was not to miss him and what has missed him was not to befall him."

Having an illness is perceived as an opportunity to enhance the Muslim's degree or expiating his sins. It was narrated by Ahmed, on the authority of Mahmoud Bin Labid, who said, the Prophet () said; "When Allah loves some people, He will afflict them, and whosoever is patient, the reward of patience is his, but whosoever feels uneasy, the consequence of uneasiness is his."

Inasmuch as the calamity is great, the merit of patience is great. Therefore, whosoever is patient and seeks the reward from Allah, paradise will be his reward for patience. It was narrated by Al Shaikhan (Al Bukhari & Muslim) and Al Tirmizi, on the authority of Anas who said the Prophet () said; "Allah the Elevated said; 'If I deprived my slave of his two beloved eyes and he remains patient, I will let him enter paradise in compensation for them.'"
It was narrated by Ibn Maga, on the authority of Abu Huraira, who said; "The fever was mentioned in the sight of the Prophet () and a man cursed it. The Prophet () replied; "Don't curse it! It goes away with sins as fire goes away with the badness of iron."

During his sickness, the Muslim becomes very close to Allah. It was narrated by Al Tirmizi and Ibn Abul Donia, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, that the Prophet () said; "The supplication of the patient will not be returned until he recovers." Al Tirmizi and Ibn Maga narrated, on the authority of Omar Ibn Al Khatab, that the Prophet () said; "When you visit a patient, ask him to pray for you, as his praying is like that of the angels." Al Tabarani narrated on the authority of Anas that the Prophet () said: "Visit patients and ask them to pray for you, as the patient's prayer is accepted and his sins are pardoned."

When the patient feels that in his state of illness he is close to Allah, it will become easy for him to bear his pains, and he will cope with all he faces of ordeals, away from annoyance and depression. This serenity and tranquillity are the quintessence of mental health, which will return with good both in the present life and the Hereafter. It was narrated by Muslim on the authority of Abu Yahia Suhaib Bin Sanan that the Prophet () said; "How wonderful the affair of the Faithful is, it is wholly good. This is not as such except for the Faithful. If a joyful thing befalls him, he will be thankful to Allah, and if a harmful thing befalls him, he will be patient, and that will be good for him."

If a patient's health deteriorates to the extent that his recovery may be considered impossible, his morale may be affected. In this situation, the Muslim patient is distinguished because he does not reach a state of complete despair or collapse under any worldly circumstances, either in health or social levels. Allah says;

ولا تيأسوا من روح الله إنه لا ييأس من روح الله إلا القوم الكافرون
"Never give up Allah's smoothing mercy: Truly no one despairs Allah's smoothing mercy, except those who have no faith." (12:78) And; إن مع العسر يسرا  “Verily, with every difficulty there is relief."(94:6) This continued hope is a natural guard against collapse.

The attitude of the Muslim, in case of illness, is a compliance to this remarkable Islamic view, with which he can face all his problems in life. This is a unique attitude, in which Islam is unprecedented. The Moslem hates disease and seeks to avoid it, but if it befalls him, he will accept it as an act of divine fate and a decreed and doomed affliction. He will seek patience with the intention (Niyah) of getting the reward from Allah. At the same time, he will adopt all the means he can, such as worldly treatment and approaching Allah, until recovery is achieved. So, in case of illness, he is rewarded for his patience and his sins are pardoned due to the affliction incurred upon him; and in case of recovery, he is rewarded for his thankfulness to Allah Who granted him the grace of good health.

Death is a must

"Every soul shall have a taste of death; and We test you by evil and by good by way of trial, to Us must you return" (Holy Quran 21:35).

It has to be understood that cancer may not be a lethal disease in many cases, especially with correct treatment. However, as any illness, death may be encountered in advanced stages. So how do Muslims perceive death? Before we understand the Islamic view of death, one has to realize the Islamic view of life which may be summarized as follows:

1.  Life on earth is the preliminary stage which determines man's fortune in this World and in the Hereafter.

2. Trial and affliction are the underlying reasons for which Allah created worldly our life on earth. Allah says; (الذى خلق الموت والحياة ليبلوكم أيكم أحسن عملا وهو العزيز الغفور)
   "He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving." (67:2)

3. Man is involved in the experiences of trial in life while equipped with tools of success and failure, as he is endowed with mind and will to choose the path of good or evil.

4. Successfully passing the experiences of trial in life leads to the achievement of viceroyalty on earth at best. Allah the Almighty has willed that people are not to be one nation. Thus, some of them choose the path of right, while others choose the path of manifest error.

Based on this, Muslims believe that committing suicide is one of the greatest sins. Allah the Almighty says:
(و لا تقتلوا أنفسكم إن الله كان بكم رحيما) "..Nor kill yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you most merciful." (4:29)

On the authority of Abu Huraira who said: the Prophet (r) said; "Whoever throws himself off a mountain and kills himself, will be thrown in the Fire of Gehenna, abiding therein forever. And whoever swallows poison and kills himself, will have his poison in his hand swallowing it in the Fire of Gehenna, abiding therein forever. And whoever kills himself with a piece of iron, will have this piece in his hand stabbing his belly in the Fire of Gehenna, abiding therein forever."

So, for Muslims, death is just a natural part of the life cycle that will take them to the eternal life after death. Death should not be scary, but be viewed as an opportunity to leave this world to a better place. Muslims should accept the decree of Allah and realize it is always dictated by his Mercy.

Treatment with Quran

The writer of this page believes strongly in the healing power of the Quran. If I get sick, I rub my hand at the site of pain and recite verses of the Holy Quran and often feel better immediately. Being an oncologist who deals with patients having cancer, I’ve seen this pattern of faith that helps all of us to go through the pain of illness. However, another form of “extreme” faith is unfortunately witnessed. Some people claim to have super powers and make their living by claiming to cure patients using the Quran. I’d like to highlight the following points:

• The Quran has healing power that is documented in accurate Ahadeeth.

• Upon healing one’s illness by reading verses of Quran, it is allowed to accept a modest payment or gift

• Not all illnesses are to be cured with Quran. The Prophet died with an illness and if anyone was going to be healed, it would be the Prophet himself. His sons and daughters (except Fatima) died in his life as well.

• The Prophet used medicine and Hejamah for cure. These are well reported facts.

• Based on this it is OK to seek healing in the Quran as long as you don’t stop other forms of medical treatment because that contradicts the teachings of the Prophet himself.

• Some “healers” use healing with Quran as a cover for sorcery and claim super powers that even prophets did not claim. Among those, some are now very rich. It is clear that selling Quran for money is not acceptable in any way and contradicts the purpose that Allah revealed this Book for.

• Alternative medicine using herbs is spreading all over the world. We believe that herbs can be beneficial in some cases, but can be harmful or at least useless in most cases. Unfortunately, some of the so called “healers” use Quran and Sunnah as a cover of their unethical experiments. Two KHCC patients stopped treatment and chose to alternative herbal treatment provided by a well known religious healer. When they felt little better, they went on TV and thanked the man for his work. Soon later, they both got sick as the effects of chemotherapy began fading. Upon second requests to appear on television to tell others about how they had been tricked and to expose this man’s lies, they were denied. Sadly enough, the TV channel continued to air their clips even after their deaths.

• Mixing Quran with other forms of alternative medicine, including the recent advent of “healing using Energy or Power” is another form of unethical experimental treatment that is using Quran as a cover.

In light of all of this, our view is clear. Patients should tell their physicians if they are considering any form of alternative medicine and should be cautious of people claiming supernatural powers. Under no circumstances should medical treatment be stopped to test another form of treatment. This in and of itself contradicts the correct understanding of Islam.

End of life issues

This is a complex topic that is open for debate. We try to talk to our terminally ill patients and their families about issues death and religion. It is a policy to be very sensitive to individual levels of belief and understanding of the meaning of these issues. The views presented here should represent the writer’s understanding of what should likely reflect the opinions of most Muslim scholars to the best of his knowledge.

• Assisted suicide “euthanasia” is completely prohibited by Islam. The unethical practice contradicts the teachings of Islam to respect life even in the most difficult and challenging of times.

• The use of narcotics and other pain killers is allowed for terminally ill patients along with the use of sedation, if and when necessary. The judicious use of these medications to effectively control symptoms may make a terminally ill patient unconscious. This should not be mixed in any way with assisted suicide.

• Do Not resuscitate order (DNR) is an internationally accepted procedure to stop unnecessary interventions including cardiac massage and use of a breathing machine (ventilator) once a patient’s heart and lung stops working. This indeed preserves human dignity and allows the natural process of death to take place.

• Once the treating physician discusses this order with the patient or his family if the patient is unable to make decisions, they may accept the order or take their time to think about the issue. Many patients and their families are not familiar with this process and may not be able to make this decision at the right time. In these cases, the treating physician may sign a DNR order if it is agrees upon and co-signed with another physician.

• Brain death, which is defined by the complete absence of brain activity due to prolonged period of oxygen deprivation is considered by most Muslim scholars as equivalent to clinical death and should be enough to stop all kinds of support that assists the heart and lung functions.

• If a patient is intubated, but his medical situation is considered futile, it is not permitted to stop supportive treatment that keeps him/her alive before the patient is pronounced dead (cardiac arrest or brain death).

  
  
  Christianity and Cancer
  -Christian perception of illness
  -Death and end of life issues
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