Q: Why do you create this training and why do you think it’s important?

A: I created this training because a lot of times a simple awareness of religious beliefs / cultural practices can make a big difference in a patient’s care. Healthcare providers care for patients from all walks of life, including many Muslims, and a basic understanding of Islam would help make a patient’s visit a little more comfortable.

Q: Have healthcare professionals been open to your advice on how to work with the Muslim community?

A: Yes, the response and demand for this lecture has actually been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. I get many notes of appreciation for shedding light on a topic that doesn’t get a lot of exposure.

Q: How do you recommend we go about creating similar training in our healthcare settings?

A: The training is basically a simple introduction to the tenets of faith and how those play a role in the life of an average Muslim. I think anyone with a good foundational understanding of Islam and an ability to present material in an interesting manner can do the same thing. Keep it simple and focus on the basics; you’ll be surprised by how much people don’t know about Islam and how much they appreciate the similarities that exist within the Abrahamic faiths.

Q: What would be your biggest piece of advice for a healthcare professional working with a Muslim patient? 

A: My biggest piece of advice for a healthcare professional, whether working with a Muslim patient or not, is to leave your baggage at the door. Practice the “care” in healthcare by practicing cultural humility. You are there to care for your patient and you can best do that by appreciating the role their culture/faith plays in their life.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has provided American Muslims with a unique opportunity to put our faith into practice: signing up for health insurance helps us to look after our own health more productively, as well as the health of others in our community.

It is narrated in a hadith (narration) of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) that “Your body has a right over you,” (Sahih Muslim). In other words, Allah has blessed and entrusted us with a physical body, and we have an obligation to take proper care of it. Indeed, dietary restrictions and the instructions to perform ablutions before any prayers indicate the importance of maintaining one’s physical health. By having the proper tools, such as health coverage, one can better afford routine appointments with primary care physicians, who can provide important advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Health insurance also makes preventive services such as cancer screenings more affordable, so that many cancers can be detected and treated before they become dangerous. Thus, taking care of one’s own health is a way of giving thanks to God for His gifts.

In addition, Islam stresses the importance of looking after others in society. The Qur’an says, “They ask you as to what they should spend. Say: Whatever wealth you spend, it is for the parents and the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, and whatever good you do, God surely knows it,” (Qur’an 2:215). Many Muslims receive health insurance through a spouse or parents; thus, buying a health insurance plan enables Muslims to provide healthcare access to their entire family. The ACA makes this process easier by allowing children to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until they are 26 years of age, and making it illegal for insurance companies to charge men and women different premium rates.

Finally, it is the responsibility of American Muslims to look after our community’s well-being. Thus, signing up for health insurance is critical to our community’s long-term prosperity in the United States. It is narrated to us in another hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that, “The believers, in their mutual mercy, love and compassion, are like a (single) body; if one part of it feels pain, the rest of the body will join it in suffering,” (Sahih Bukhari). Inadequate insurance coverage can lead to severe financial hardship when disaster strikes, and medical bills are the most common cause of bankruptcy in the United States. As a relatively small community in America (Muslims are roughly 1% of the U.S. population), it hurts us all when even a single brother or sister faces financial trouble. If we want to contribute to American society we can start by signing up for health insurance and protecting ourselves against financial ruin.

We urge all Muslim Americans to at least become better informed about their options. It is also important to note that signing up for health insurance is not in and of itself enough to improve one’s health; indeed, one must take personal responsibility for one’s health and make sure to keep regular doctor’s appointments, take appropriate medications, and follow nutritional guidelines, among other things. Visit www.HealthCare.gov for more information or to sign up for health insurance today.

“Tell me about ihsan.”

The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) replied: “It is to worship Allah as though you see Him, and though you do not see Him, you know that He sees you” (Bukhari).

Many of the Names that we discussed previously seem to be situation-specific; if you are worried about sustenance, know He is al-Razzaq (The Provider). When you feel lost, know He is al-Haadi (The Guide). Yet Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) is with us always, in the good and bad, as well as the mundane and ordinary. So how can we engage with Allah on an everyday level?

By knowing that Allah is ar-Raqeeb (the all-Observant).

Linguistically, ra-qa-ba (the three letter root of Raqeeb) means to be erect in order to care for something. A marqab is a high place that the watcher stands on to observe what is beneath him. And from this comes ar-raqaba, which is the neck, because it is erect, and one must be upright when he is observing.

And from this root comes ar-Raqeeb. Al-Ghazali states that the All-Observant “is one who knows and protects. For whoever cares for something to the point of never forgetting it, and observes it with a constant and persistent gaze.”

So Allah (swt) is watching over us, all the time, out of His care for us. And this should have a profound effect on the way we live. Allah tells us,

“Does he not know that Allah sees?” (Qur’an, 96:14)

One could say, ‘Of course we know Allah watches over everything. That’s the most obvious thing.’ Yet, there is a huge difference between knowing Allah is Ar-Raqeeb, and living with the effect of that knowledge. In a lecture on this name, Amr Khaled said that `Umar bin al-Khattab radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) admired those who knew Allah is ar-Raqeeb, and told two stories from the life of ‘Umar.

There is a well-known story of the milk seller. While `Umar (ra) was walking at night as he usually did to check on the people, he heard a mother ordering her daughter to dilute the milk they were going to sell with water.  The daughter replied, “Do you not know that `Umar the commander of the believers has forbidden that?”  The mother said, “Well, `Umar does not see us now.”  She replied, “If `Umar does not see us, his Lord sees us.”

`Umar (ra) was so impressed by this young woman and her certainty that Allah is All-Observant, that his son ‘Asem married her. ‘Umar Ibn Abdul-Azeez, the well-known and just ruler who is also regarded as one of the rightly guided caliphs, is descended from this woman.

There is another incident that concerns ‘Umar (ra). He wanted to check up on his people. So he found a shepherd taking care of some sheep, and asked if the boy would sell him one. The boy replied that it was not his. `Umar wanted to see how the boy would react if he was presented with an offer. He said to him “If your master asks you, tell him that the sheep was eaten by a wolf.”  He looked at him and said, “And what would I say to Him (i.e. Allah)?”  `Umar cried and said, “By Allah, you are right.  What would you say to Him?”

The milk-seller and the shepherd were regular people. They were people who were presented with a temptation, but their faith that Allah is All-Observant, meaning He both sees and cares for His servants, prevented them from being blinded. They were mindful that Allah (swt) is All-Observant, and thus they were observant over their own selves.

Knowing Allah is the All-Observant

You are never alone

One of things that should warm our hearts when we know Allah is ar-Raqeeb is that we are never, ever alone. When we are up late at night working on an essay, or awake in the early hours of the morning getting ready for work, Allah is with us.

Watch yourself

Al-Ghazali states, “The attribute of watchfulness is only praiseworthy in man if his watchfulness is directed to his Lord and his heart”. Just like the milk-seller and the shepherd, we should also be watchful over ourselves.

Desire to impress

This Name should also make us want to impress Allah (swt). When we know our parents or someone we love is watching us, we try to do better—so we should be like that when we know Ar-Raqeeb. The All-Observant does not only see our bad deeds, but also our good deeds. Let’s give more charity because we know He is watching; let’s be good to people despite the fact that we may not be feeling it at the moment, all for Allah because we know He sees all.