In light of the previous two articles quoting from Sh Uthaymeen rahimahullaah, the following points should be clear:

• The hadeeth “there is no ‘adwa (contagion)” doesn’t deny the existence or effect of contagious or infectious disease. Rather it refutes the concept that these diseases act separately from the permission and decree of Allaah.
• Other hadith indicate that infectious disease is real. The Prophet sallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam clearly affirmed this and in fact advised people to take precautions from the spread of such disease (by fleeing from the leper and by keeping sick camels separate from healthy camels).
• Such precautions are in keeping with what the modern medical profession advises with – by cleaning, disinfecting, isolating and quarantining the sick, using forms of protection such as face masks and gowns where needed etc. One can see that there is agreement between the Sunnah, the modern-day scholars (such as Sh Uthaymeen and Sh Fawzaan etc.) and the medical profession in these matters. In fact the scholars refer to the doctors in these issues and advise people with this.
• This balanced approach has actually been implemented during the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic in Saudi Arabia where we have seen co-ordination and co-operation between the government, the scholars and the medical profession who have worked together to implement precautions against coronavirus. Although there have been many ill patients – filling up the wards and intensive care units in my own hospital in Jeddah for example, and in many other hospitals around the country, the epidemic has been controlled without hospitals being overwhelmed. This has led to a relatively low death rate when compared to other countries – walillaahilhamd.
• Please beware of bizarre statements about these issues – like for example claims that infectious diseases don’t exist or that taking precautions such as wearing face masks is a type of ‘minor shirk’. No appropriately qualified doctors or scholars say such things. Also please be very cautious when scholars from centuries ago are quoted out of context.
• Spreading medical misinformation is a serious matter. It may lead to innocent and medically vulnerable people becoming ill and dying. Nasa’Allaahal’aafiyah wasSalaamah.

Dr Adnaan Ali
MBBChir (medical doctor)

(In the excerpt below Sh Uthaymeen explains that contagion (i.e. infectious diseases) are real and that the Prophet sallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam affirmed this. He sallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam also said that one should take precautions against the spread of such diseases by isolating the sick from those who are healthy).

 

Sh Uthaymeen continued in his commentary:

With regard to the words “no contagion (‘adwa)”: contagion is something that happens, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Do not put a sick one with a healthy one” i.e., the owner of a sick camel should not bring it to the owner of a healthy camel, lest the contagion be transmitted.

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion.” Leprosy is a serious disease that is transmitted quickly and kills the one who catches it. It was even said that it is a plague. Hence the command to flee from the leper so that the disease will not be transmitted from him to you. This is an affirmation of the effect of contagion, but its effect is not inevitable in such a way that it affects people by itself. The command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to flee and not to bring sick camels to where healthy camels are comes under the heading of avoiding the means (that lead to sickness), not attributing the effect to the means themselves. The means do not affect anything themselves, but we should avoid the things that may be a cause of calamity, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“and do not throw yourselves into destruction”
[al-Baqarah 2:195]

We cannot say that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was denying the effect of contagion, because contagion is something that is proven to exist in real life and is mentioned in other ahaadeeth.

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said “there is no ‘adwa”, a man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, the camels may be healthy like deer, then a mangy camel comes and mixes with them and they all get the mange.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “And who infected the first one?” meaning that the disease came to the first one with no contagion, rather it came from Allaah. By the same token, if it was transmitted by contagion, then it was transmitted by the command of Allaah. A thing may have a known cause or it may not have a known cause. The mange of the first one does not have a known cause, apart from the fact that it happened by the will and decree of Allaah, and the mange that came after it does have a known cause. But if Allaah wills the camel will not become mangy. Hence sometimes a camel may get the mange but then it recovers and does not die. The same happens with the plague and cholera; they may enter a house and some may get sick and die, while others are not affected at all.

[Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, 2/80]

 

(Note that “mange” refers to a type of skin disease which affects animals).

(In the excerpt below Sh Uthaymeen explains that causes do not have an effect in and of themselves, but only do so by the permission and decree of Allah).

From Kitab-ut-Tawhid (Regarding the prohibition of believing in bad omens):

Abu Hurairah radiyAllaahu `anhu said that Allaah’s Messenger sallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam said:

There is no `adwa (contagion), nor tiyarah, nor haamah (types of bad omens related to birds), nor safar (reading bad omens into the month of Safar)

Reported by Bukhari and Muslim.

 

Sh Uthaymeen said in his commentary: