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Islam and Medicine

20 August 2021

As important as it is for us to consume halal and good food, it is also important for us to understand the importance of taking medication, either as a form of treatment or protection against harmful diseases and illnesses. Let us understand the differences between medicine and the food that we eat.
For our daily food consumption, there are various halal foods and alternatives that we can choose from. The production is also relatively easy. Whereas, medicine addresses various needs and the choices are limited. For example, there are medicines that treat illnesses and there are some used to protect ourselves from illnesses, and amongst them are vaccines. The production of vaccines is limited and requires time to be developed and distributed.
Scholars have discussed extensively on the many differences in medical interests and purposes. The ruling for every medication will consider the principles and purposes behind them, or daruriyyat syar'iyyah, which discusses Islamic ethical principles, and the degree of dependency on the medicine, and not simply look at the ingredients and the production process.