Practicing medicine is considered a noble profession in
Islam (1, 2). The ideal Muslimphysician must be
trustworthy, compassionate, and have the genuine desire
to alleviate their patient’s physical, mental, and
emotional pain. They must acknowledge and value their
roles as knowledgeable advisors and pure-intentioned do-
gooders who are entrusted with their patient’s care.
Muslim physicians must be humble and understand that
they are not healers, for only Allah heals. (1, 2) With
patience and steadfastness, they have the profound
opportunity to positively influence their patient’s lives.
Optimally, a Muslim doctor should adhere to the
following hadith:
A Muslim is a Muslim’s brother: he does not wrong him
or abandon him. If anyone cares for his brother’s need,
Allah will care for his need; if anyone removes a
Muslim’s anxiety, Allah will remove from him, on
account of it, one of the anxieties of the Day of
Resurrection; and if anyone conceals a Muslim’s fault,
Allah will conceal his fault on the Day of Resurrection.
(Sunan Abi Dawud 4893, 43:121) (1, 3)
Throughout this brutal war on Gaza (4), there have been
deliberate attacks on the healthcare system. (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Yet Gazan physicians have shown they possess
admirable characteristics, (10, 11) unshakable faith, (12)
and an ability to be insanely resourceful. (7, 13) They
work unpaid 24-hour shifts, (7, 11) are detained, (14) shot at, (15) and killed. (6, 7, 12) They choose duty over
the natural human desire to escape safely with family. (7,
12) Often, they only reunite with their families when they
arriveinjured or dead at the hospital.(16,17,18)
Their mental and religious strength is indescribable by
humanitarian mission workers volunteering to assist
them. (7, 11, 12, 19) This war’s healthcare workers
should be studied by all Muslims not just those in the
healthcare profession.
Additionally, Gaza’s community atlarge should be
acknowledged for their efforts to create such aspirational
leaders. It is seen as an Islamic duty upon the entire
community (fard kifayah) to train and have a sufficient
number of healthcare workers to serve them(2)
All 3 of my children were medical students at the Islamic
University of Gaza, (20)2 of whom were wartime
volunteers. I can attest to the fact that the entire
community of extended family, friends, and neighbours
as well as the medical school and hospital system (from
the north’s Indonesian Hospital to the south’s European
Hospital) actively supported thenew generation of
physicians-in-training.
Living in Gaza as a non-Arab and American was
challenging. However, it was ablessing to liveamong
some of the best Muslims in this world. Having travelled
to 49 States and 18 countries, I am not inexperienced. Evacuating this war means my family and I lost and
suffered much. However, we have not lost our memories,
nor have we lost our experiences. As painful as it is, I
feel compelled to tell the tales of and historicise Gazans.
(21) It is my hope thatGazan healthcare workers can be
studied and, God willing, emulated.
Acknowledgements:
The authors would like to thank ZM Sabra and Shamailah Haque for her editorial assistance.
Funding: None
Competing interests: None declared
Disclaimers: The views expressed in the submitted
article are those of the authors and not an official position
of our institutions.
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