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| Spiritual Healing in the
Islamic Tradition Shaykh Hisham Muhammad Kabbani, MD
Renewed interest in spiritual healing
methods will only help to further the state of modern medicine as we
benefit from the experiences and knowledge of our predecessors in this
noble field of healing. Unfortunately, this topic has too often been
ignored and dismissed by many contemporary physicians although these
remedies have been practiced successfully for thousands of years. A scientific mind unclouded by preconceived
notions is able to discern the validity and utility of a comprehensive
approach to health, which includes spiritual healing. Professor John
Taylor of King’s College, London asserted: "A scientific
investigation can only look into that which is physical. The non-physical
realm--be it mental, spiritual, ethereal, eternal or any other so far--has
defied scientific analysis. "There are certainly ways of obtaining
knowledge about the non-physical aspect of experience which provides
helpful insights of their nature, but the results so obtained are
difficult to describe and relate to the general corpus of
knowledge….Indeed, nowadays a scientist must take care to avoid being so
biased in the other direction that he becomes over skeptical. He may well
refuse to believe what is staring him in the face because it cannot be
fitted into his materialistic view of the universe….Science has so much
evolved since a century ago. It should be able to give a satisfactory
answer. If not, the scientific method truly will have been found wanting
and could well suffer a blow from which it might never recover." Science And Spiritual Healing Many modern scientists realized that if a
science does not educate, inspire, or lead to the conclusion and
realization that the beginning and end, the outward and inward of all,
whatever is between the heavens and earth is throbbing with life-giving
energy of this Creating Genius, then this science cannot be qualified as
normal. Dr. Robert G. White, a renowned
neurosurgeon, is one of many scientists and physicians who, through their
research, came to the conclusion that human beings did not just come
together, but are the handiwork of an All-Knowing Creative Genius. He writes, "I am convinced that the
brain is the repository of the human spirit, the soul…for me, the
practice of medicine and religious faith are inextricably interwoven. I
pray a great deal, especially before and after surgery. I find prayer
satisfying. I feel there are immense resources behind me, resources I need
and want…. "Yet the notion that human life is
nothing more than a chance confluence of complex molecular biology and
electrical activity strikes me as a deviance of logic….I have to believe
all this had an intelligent beginning, that Someone made it happen. I
cannot accept the proposition that, at random points in time, such
substantial entities as intelligence, personality, memory, and the human
body just sort of fell together. "I also find it unreasonable to
suppose that, at brain death, those powerful entities of intelligence,
personality, and memory simply cease to exist. Far more reasonable [is] to
believe that the essence of us escapes from a container, the brain, which
no longer is capable of supporting us, and finds support in a new
dimension. "As to what becomes of the essence of
us at brain death, I cannot presume even to speculate. I can only say that
logic leads me inescapably to faith--faith that the uniqueness, the
individuality, of the human being lives on in this concept we call the
soul." The Science Of Spiritual Healing The spiritual healing process rejuvenates
the body’s life force and strengthens it through several focal points
throughout the body. The spiritual technique produces a
neuro-psychological effect, which leads the central nervous system to
produce a carefully orchestrated endocrine response which relieves pain,
heals the disease of the affected areas, and balances the entire body. Health as Related to Physical Fitness
and Activity Though initially one’s condition may
manifest in the form of bowel problems, with time, any greater buildup of
such sediment becomes more dangerous and manifests as localized illnesses
that may spread in the body at later stage. Hence comes the importance of
studying the pathology of disease and the history of its development. Acknowledging physical malaise causing
bowel problems, one may accustoms ones self to strong purgative resulting
in further complications. In fact, most of such drugs are toxic and can
interfere with and eliminate both the good and bad. Addictions to such
drugs can further complicate one's condition because they are hot and
interactive and they can weaken the immune system, predispose patients to
arrythmias, affect the kidney and develop various disorders and
deficiencies. Appropriate physical exercise is necessary to refresh the
organs, ease the flow of food and nutrients, enhance digestion, and
prevent such accumulations. Furthermore, natural and methodical control
of movements and muscular actions lightens the spirit, refreshes the mind,
rejuvenates the body organs, improves one’s self, strengthens muscular
tone, prevents callousness of the joints, strengthens the tendons and
ligaments, lessens the possibility of somatic disorders, and abates most
illnesses. This also depends on the level of physical exercise, their
balance, moderation, or intensity. In general, routines dedicated to any
particular limb strengthen it just like dedicating one’s thoughts to a
specific subject strengthens one’s memory. Hence, each part of the body
requires specific routines. The lungs require reading exercise and their
levels began from reading silently, and advancing gradually in intensity
and loudness. Hearing exercise require careful responsive attention by
stimulating the auditory nerves and ears, and it develops to the pint
where sound either increases in volume or decreases by distance or by
intensity of one’s wavelength. Speaking exercise increases oral command;
and besides helping recognition by physical and mental vision, eye
exercises enhance one’s vision and strengthen the ocular muscles and in
some cases can help correct nearsightedness and farsightedness. Thus,
hiking, swimming, normal walking, exercise at moderate pace, riding on
horseback, archery, and similar sports, are most healthy for the entire
body. Adopting such programs of physical exercise even can cure chronic
illnesses such as anemia, infectious diseases, ulcers, and colic, among
others. Origins of Islamic Spiritual Healing Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was
once in a session where he was curing people through spiritual methods
when he was asked whether or not remedies should be sought from medicines.
He said, "Yes, you must seek remedy from medicine, because whatever
disease God has created in this world, He has also created its remedy as
well. But there is one disease for which He has not created any remedy,
which is old age." Each and every prescribed Quranic verse has
its unique healing property, which differs from those of other verses. The
following are some examples of verses used in spiritual healing. Six Verses Of Healing: "Ayat Al-Shifa" "Mankind there has come to you a
guidance from your Lord and a healing for (the diseases) in your hearts,
and for those who believe a guidance and a mercy."
Yunus 10:57 "There issues from within the bodies
of the bee a drink of varying colors wherein is healing for mankind."
Nahl 16:69 "And We sent down in the Quran such
things that have healing and mercy for the believers."
Bani Israel 17:82 "And when I am ill, it is [God] who
cures me." "And declare (O Muhammad) that [the
Quran] is a guidance and healing for the believers." About Energy And How Spiritual Healing
Works In different cultures, energy is known by
different names. The word "energy" is referred to as: Energy is the life breath transmitted to us
from the Existing, Everlasting Superpower that overlooks human beings and
all creation. Energy regulates our thought patterns and emotions, is the
source of our life force and is the animating factor in all living beings.
It circulates through our bodies and can be harnessed for healing. It is
the source of all movement in the universe. When the human body loses its
life breath the original energy (or life force) leaves it, allowing the
body to decompose. The body goes back to its earthen origins and the
spirit returns to its angelic origin of spiritual energy. This energy is
never lost and exists without the secret of its nature being understood by
science and modern medicine. This unknown spiritual energy is behind the
life of every drop of blood in animate beings, the motion behind every
living cell, and the driving force of constellations and galaxies. It
carries unlimited perfect and complete powers, which are real, active and
continuous. The action of this force is genuine because nothing can grow
or live in the entire universe without its influence. This is especially applicable on earth
where no trees, grass, vegetation and indeed no life can exist without the
intervention of this unknown, unseen energy. It is with this energy that a
tiny plant pushes through the middle of a huge desert boulder. This
energetic spiritual life force holds the organs, blood vessels, and all
body parts in place. When the body’s life force diminishes, the anatomic
relations of the body’s organs are altered and disrupted, which leads to
pain, organ dysfunction and an overall deterioration of health. The spiritual energetic life force creates
an energy field around itself like a highly charged magnet or electrode.
This force reflects its energy throughout the human body and becomes the
driving life force behind all of its activities and processes. The life
force not only energizes the body but also gives it its identity. As an
atom is defined by its constituent electrons, protons, and neutrons--which
are also its energy components--so too does the spiritual life force give
energy and identity to the physical body. The healing spiritual energy is analogous
to a waterfall. If a waterfall is channeled in the right way, it can be
harnessed to produce energy and give light. Similarly, if our blood flow
is properly channeled through a balanced, equilibrated system, the driving
force of that energy will augment the energy of the weak organs. In those organs where the life force has
been weakened and dissipated, spiritual healing will increase and activate
these vital forces. The spiritual healing technique allows the life
energies to be exponentially expanded to activate the ill member and heal
it. A similar phenomenon is seen in an atomic
reaction, where tremendous power is released from the internal energy of
the atom. The energy produced increases geometrically as the activated,
energized atom spreads its energy to its neighbors, propagating a chain
reaction of energy release. The same principle of the atomic reaction
is used by spiritual healers to harness and activate the life force within
the patient. Much in the same way that contemporary physicians direct
lasers to heal affected areas of the body, spiritual healers access a
similar chain reaction of the body’s existing energy, channeling it to
the affected areas to heal pain and suffering. When one organ begins to
heal, the other organs use the released energy to activate and release
their own inherent energy, which in turn promotes physiological
equilibrium and relief from pain. The Three Phases Of Spiritual Healing The energy is channeled to the cerebral
cortex, which is the processing center of our thoughts. From there it will
be intensely focused and channeled in the nuclei of the brain stem, which
are activated and stimulated by this focused life force. In turn impulses
are sent to the autonomic nervous system, regulating the body’s
functions, keeping it in equilibrium and free of pain. The concentration
of energy in the brain comprises the first phase of spiritual healing. This process in turn stimulates the vagus
nerve to send electrical impulses down the heart’s conduction system to
the sinoatrial node, through the internodal tracts, through the
atrioventricular node, down the Bundles of His, out the Purkinje fibers
and into the myocardial wall to begin systole. This migration of energy
which fills the heart is the second phase of spiritual healing. Conditions
such as angina, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy and hypertension,
in addition to many other related cardiac diseases, are healed and the
patient can then find health and relief from pain. The energy is then pumped with the blood
out of the heart into the vascular system and delivered to the entire body
in the third phase of spiritual healing. A major focus of phase three is
the aorta, which is the conduit for the healing waves of energy that are
carried by the blood. As the blood flows from the heart, it is
first channeled back to the heart via the coronary arteries in a chain
reaction that sustains and increases the energy in the heart itself, much
in the same way that the sun increases its light through its own nuclear
reactions. This cycle produces more and more energy, which pours out into
the vascular system with foci in the major arteries, supplying the brain
via the carotid arteries. It also travels through the subclavian arteries
to the upper extremities, the splanchnic circulation to the abdomen,
through the renal arteries to the kidneys, and through the iliac vessels
to the lower extremities. The huge volume of drops of blood are like
a waterfall made by a huge river descending over the side of a tall
mountain cliff. All vegetation and animals in the water’s path are
nourished and given life, and every cell in the body is healed when the
vital spiritual energy wave reaches it. A healthy heart will sustain a weak body,
but when the heart is weak and diseased--even in a young person--the body
will not be healthy or live long. Therefore, maintaining the heart is the
first priority for spiritual healers. Furthermore, maintaining the brain
is also another important priority to keep the flow of messages
functioning properly. Contemporary Physicians and Spiritual
Healers The contemporary physician is concerned
primarily with the physical body as well as the psychological aspects of
human existence. Therapeutics for illness are largely physical, whether in
the forms of medication, surgical intervention, or otherwise. Spiritual healers, on the other hand, use
an inward approach to healing by applying spiritual techniques and methods
to utilize the body’s own energy. The difference between the spiritual
healers and the physician healers is that the former is healing from
inside-to-outside while the latter is healing from outside-to-in. Each are
doing good for their patients and both meet on the common ground of curing
disease and relieving pain and suffering. High Sense Perception As A Diagnostic
Tool HSP is a way of perceiving things beyond
the normal range of the five senses. With it one can see, hear, smell,
taste, and touch things that cannot normally be perceived. HSP, sometimes referred to as clairvoyance,
is not imagination but is a type of seeing in which you perceive a picture
in your mind without the use of your normal vision. HSP reveals the
dynamic world of the fluid, interacting spiritual energy fields which
surround and permeate all living things. This energy supports us,
nourishes us, and gives us life. We sense each other with this energy as
we are a part of it and it is a part of us. With HSP, the patho-physiology of pain and
disease processes lies right before one’s eyes. HSP reveals how most
diseases are initiated in the energy field. Distortions in the energy
field caused by time and unhealthy living habits are transmitted to the
body, becoming a serious illness. Many times the source or initiating
cause of this process is asso-ciated with psychological and/or physical
trauma. Since HSP reveals how a disease is
initiated, it also reveals how to reverse the disease process. Spiritual
energies and auras aid healers in formulating their diagnosis. To develop
HSP it is necessary to enter into an expanded state of consciousness.
There are many means to achieve this but spiritual meditation is fast
becoming the most well known. The Nasma and Meditation By using the nasma, HSP is made available
to the spiritual healer. The nasma derives its nourishment from the
esoteric energy which is released whenever we act, think, or form a belief
or intention. The nasma in human beings is capable of leaving the physical
body at any time through the universal driving force. When the flow of spiritual energy is
disturbed or insufficient, the health of the patient is adversely
affected, leading to pain, disease, distress, and so forth. These are
signals that we need to rebalance our energy. A positive energy flow
nourishes the nasma and maintains its structure and foundation, balancing
the human system. This balance leads to increased awareness of the
body’s sensations which in turn leads to good living, following of
proper diet, and enjoyment of exercise. The nasma then supports and
maintains a healthy physical body, in which the chemical and physical
systems remain balanced and functioning normally, thus perpetuating
physical health. In the healthy system, the energies in each
body not only remain balanced but also support and influence the energy
balance in other peoples’ bodies. The nasma can influence others like a
magnet bringing the charges of adjacent metal into its alignment. The
energy of a healthy system is thus both self-healing and self-propagating
in that it maintains the individual health while strengthening the health
of those in one’s aura. That is, good health attracts and develops more
good health. The nasma can, not only influence the
physical body, but it can also be affected by a sick body and become weak
because of the weakness of the organs. For example, in a weak body a weak
nasma shows its symptoms in the mental and physical aspects of a person.
In the mental sphere, any one of the following will occur: neurosis,
depression, hysteria, psychosis, seizures, sleep terror, and insomnia. If
this state of affairs is allowed to continue without treatment, the nasma
becomes so weak that it is rendered incapable of defending itself in the
weak body. The patient at this stage suffers either from seizures,
psychotic fits, or aggressive behavior. The spiritual healer can
strengthen the patient’s organs and thereby the nasma through the
universal driving force, creating a high-energy state in which symptoms of
sickness disappear. Meditation And The Focal Point Of
Treatment Overactivity even in this field and lack of
proper supervision and devotion of a concerned and learned parent, or the
dedication of qualified teacher also may lay a heavy burden on the
person’s intellect. Alternatively, an impasse in spiritual progress may
hinder one’s spiritual growth, and only a qualified guidance can break
through such obstacles. Such training must keep advancing until it
develops genuine character, positive traits, and healthy energy flow. Without personal change in the body’s
energy flow, one will eventually create other problems which leads back to
the source that caused the disease in the first place. Thus, dealing with
the source of disease is the focal point of treatment. This search
stimulates the deeper part of ourselves that is sometimes called the
"higher self" or the "spark of divinity" within us.
This divinity within us, the deeper part of ourselves, sends us
information about what type of sickness needs to be treated and what type
of contact points need to be touched through our meditation. Meditation is
a tool which gives deep relaxation and to quiet the mind. This helps to
alleviate stress, and therefore enable the internal chemical and hormonal
system to regain their equilibrium. Medical tests have shown that there are
definite measurable physiological changes in meditating subjects. The
brain itself undergoes changes in the type of electrical waves generated.
By using an electroencephalogram (EEG) there is an increase in the
generation of alpha waves and sometimes also in the number of theta waves.
These indicate a shift of consciousness into a tranquil state of awareness
quite different from that of sleep. This state is therapeutic and very
restful although the patient is both fully conscious and functional. The body demonstrates the effects of
meditation in various ways. The breathing pattern slows, as does the heart
rate, and there is a marked decrease in the level of oxygen consumption
and carbon dioxide elimination. However, the physical effects of
meditation last longer than the meditation period itself. This is
demonstrated by the fact that sufferers of hypertension and many other
diseases have, through meditation alone, made such clinically-measurable
improvements that they have been able to discontinue their medications.
This is very well noted and recorded in spiritual healing books and
manuscripts. How Energy Relates To Disease Lata‘if in adults have a protective
screen over them. In a healthy system, these lata‘if spin in
synchronized rhythm with the others, drawing energy from the universal
energy field into their center for use by the body. Each one of them is
tuned to a specific frequency that helps the body to remain healthy.
However, in a diseased system these vortices are not synchronized. The
energy of the lata‘if that make up these vortices may be fast or slow,
jerky or lopsided. Sometimes breaks in the entire energy pattern can be
observed in which a lateefa may be fully or partially collapsed or
inverted. These disturbances are related to dysfunction or pathology of
the physical body in that area. Healing Through Meditation And Focal
Points Of The Lata’if There are seven focal points of the
lata’if. These are located above and below the heart, above and below
the left breast, above and below the right breast, and one on the
forehead. Every lateefa has a different energy color, and every energy has
a different effect on a specific disease. The two focal points above and
below the heart are green. The points above and below the left breast are
yellow, the ones above and below the right breast are black, and the one
on the forehead is white. Through meditation these seven focal points
of the lata’if generate energy. Then, like a magnet, these activated
focal points attract more energy from the universal cosmic energy source
in the shape of tiny floating spheres of light. The size of these spheres
depends on which lateefa is activated, as there is a different sized
sphere for every different color lateefa. Depending on the illness, the
healer activates the appropriate lateefa needed to cure that sickness. In
turn, the lateefa produces more of its energy color which itself attracts
from the universal energy source more of the same light. The result of
this positive feedback loop is a tremendous outpouring of shimmering
globes of light which descend from the cosmic energy source onto the
person of the healer. Through this flood of colored energy
spheres, the healer is energized to the point where he radiates heat from
his body through his hands and projects light from his forehead. As a
scientist shoots a laser, the spiritual healer emits the light and energy
that he receives from the universal force. The healer massages the
affected areas and this combination of heat from the hand and light from
the forehead immediately begins the healing process. The healer also prescribes that the patient
sit alone for a few hours each day fully relaxed, repeating several
thousand times different holy names of God in a special format for the
duration of treatment. These holy names are like energy sparks which
ignite more flow from the universal energy source. This ignition also
activates the focal points of the lata’if causing heat to be generated
in the body of the patient. This heat is considerably less than the
immense power transmitted by the healer, but it is sufficient to cause the
patient to break out into a sweat. At this time, the patient goes to the
healer who transmits more energy as before, advancing the patient’s
treatment. As the moon reflects the light of the sun onto the earth, so
too does the healer reflect the universal energy through his body to the
patient. This produces a state of immense heat and spiritual interaction
between the healer and the patient. This process is repeated for several
days or even weeks until the patient recovers. As he recovers, the patient begins to
experience a psychological effect from the dynamic, synergistic
interaction between himself and the healer. This psychological effect of
recovery and relief from pain induces the endocrine glands to secrete
hormones which balance the whole system and begin to cure the ill organs,
raising the patient to higher levels of health and spirituality than would
be possible in the former painful, diseased condition. As the surgical patient is anesthetized, so
too is the spiritual patient put in a pain-free state in which the
spiritual healer can work on him in the way he finds suitable. Conclusion Pain is the driving belt in the body’s
own self-defense mechanism that alerts us to correct a situation. Pain is
like a warning bell in our system which brings our attention to the fact
that something is wrong and forces us do something about it. Pain says,
"You are not listening to your whole self." Pain teaches us to
ask for help and healing and is, therefore, a key to the education of the
soul and to the function of the spirit and the body’s energy. A comprehensive approach to pain relief and health in general which includes spiritual healing will greatly help the progress of modern medicine. While volumes can and have been written on Islamic spiritual healing, it is hoped that this brief introduction will help bring this subject to the attention of the medical community and foster greater appreciation and understanding of this rich tradition and science. © Shaykh Hisham Muhammad Kabbani, 1997 Source: Harvard Medical School's SPIRITUALITY
& HEALING IN MEDICINE - II |