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Chapter 7 - Public Health, Hygiene, and Islam

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2025

By
Howeida Hassan Abusalih  and
Husameldin Elsawi Khalafalla
Edited by
Basil H. Aboul-Enein ,
G. Hussein Rassool ,
Nada Benajiba ,
Joshua Bernstein  and
MoezAlIslam E. Faris
Basil H. Aboul-Enein
Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
G. Hussein Rassool
Affiliation:
Charles Sturt University
Nada Benajiba
Affiliation:
Ibn Tofail University
Joshua Bernstein
Affiliation:
A. T. Still University of Health Sciences
MoezAlIslam E. Faris
Affiliation:
Applied Science Private University
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Summary

Public health aims to promote and protect the health of people and communities. This is clearly adopted by Islam as a way of life. Many of the Islamic teachings and practices promote spiritual, mental, social, as well as physical health. Details of that are contained in the Holy Qur’an and the Prophetic guidance (Hadith). Many verses in the Holy Qur’an emphasize the importance of personal hygiene and a healthy lifestyle. There is emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene, as well as guidelines for how to respond to major public health threats such as epidemics and fighting infectious diseases. In this chapter, we outline how public health is portrayed in Islamic values, principles, teachings, and practices related to hygiene. Special attention will be paid to hygienic practices in Islam and their role in the primary prevention and control of infectious diseases that were so prevalent in ancient times and continue to constitute a global threat to people’s well-being as well as the role of environmental hygiene.

Keywords

Personal hygieneenvironmental hygieneepidemics
Type
Chapter
Information
Contemporary Islamic Perspectives in Public Health , pp. 43 - 47
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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