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ISLAMIC MEDICAL EDUCATION RESOURCES

11.1 LIFE, hayaat
By Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr.

11.1.1 DEFINITION OF LIFE

Life is a complex phenomenon with biological, chemical, and spiritual components. Both life and death are
earthly phenomena. Life exists in the hereafter; but death does not. Humans share biological life with plants
and animals. They share spiritual life with angels. No other creation of Allah resembles humans in having
physical and spiritual life at the same time. Life without any spirituality is not a full human life but is a life of
animals. Life can be described at various levels: ruh, the whole living organism, the organ, the tissue, the
cell, sub-cellular structures, the molecule, and the atom. The highest level is that of the ruh about which we
know very little. We however know that the ruh is the essence of human life and that it is eternal. The ruh is
inserted in the fetus during intra-uterine life to give it human life, nafakh al ruh. Human life started with the
stage of ruh when Allah took the covenant. This was life at a spiritual level. It became life in a material form
with the creation of Adam and his wife Hawa. They were created from clay and became full perfect humans
when the ruh was inserted into them. Biological life can be looked at in three stages: pre-uterine, uterine, the
post-uterine phases. The post-uterine phase has in return got two stages: life on earth, hayat al duniyat, and
life in the hereafter, hayat al akhirat. Life belongs to Allah and not the human. Allah gives and takes away
life. Humans do not own their life but are temporary custodians of life enjoined to take good care of it.
Humans have no control over life or death (25:3).

11.1.2 THE QUR'ANIC CONCEPTS OF LIFE

Allah gives life and takes it away. Nobody else has control over life. Humans created from the basic
elements of earth and water. They result from semen and the union of male and female gametes, nutfat. The
Qur’an has in many verses described the stages of creation starting with the soul, then the nutfat, then the
clot then the flesh. The Qur’an describes processes of life after birth that are basic necessities of life,
dharurat, such as eating, drinking, reproduction and defecation. The processes may also be needs, haajiyaat,
that make life more meaningful for example vision, hearing, and speech. The processes may also be
tahsiinaat such as the intellect, ‘aql, consciousness, shu’uur, and the qalb. The nature of the insertion of the
ruh is not known for certain to us. It may be a purely spiritual phenomenon or may have some biological and
physical aspects. The ruh is the permanent essence of life.

11.1.3 NATURE OF LIFE

There is a continuum in human life. The start is the state on non-existence, 'adam. Allah then created the
souls and took an undertaking from them to worship him. Starting with Adam (PBUH) Allah created a
physical body to house those souls during life on earth, hayat al duniyat. The physical part of existence on
earth ends with physical death and the souls continue existing into eternity. Life in the integerrum, hayat al
barzakh is an intermediate stage between life on earth, hayat al duniyat, and life in the hereafter, hayat al
akhirat. In the hereafter human life will re-assume its physical form with the resurrection, al ba’ath. Life in
the hereafter will be eternal. Human life on earth has a definite time span, ajal. No human endeavor
including the most advanced medical procedures can shorten or extend this time span. The whole purpose of
medicine is to exert maximum efforts to improve the quality of remaining life since Allah alone knows the
timing of the ajal. The first and most important purpose of life is worship of Allah, ‘ibadat. Life can be a
happy one, hayat saidat/hayat taibbat, or unhappy, hayat dhankat. A good life is related to good deeds
(16:97). Success and failure are experienced both on earth and in the hereafter.

11.1.4 QUALITY OF LIFE

The quality of life can be defined in physical, mental, or spiritual dimensions. The physical criteria are:
absence of disease, comfortable environment, and basic necessities. The mental criteria are: calmness,
absence of neurosis and anxiety, and purposive life. The spiritual criteria are mainly correct relation with the
creator.

11.1.5 VALUE OF LIFE

Human life is a gift from Allah, ni’imat al hayat. Humans must be grateful to Allah for the gift of life by
worshipping Him, ibadat. The prophet said that good health, sihhat, and afiyat are two bounties that many
people do not enjoy. Each human has an inalienable right to life from Allah, haqq al hayat. The sanctity of
life, hurmat al nafs is guaranteed by the Qur’an. The life of each single individual whatever be his or her age,

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social status or state of health is important and is as equally important as the life of any other human.
Protection of life, ‘ismat al hayat/hifdh al nafs, is the second most important purpose of the shariat coming
second only to the protection of the diin. No material value can be put on human life. Every life is as
important as any other life. Destroying the life of one person is equivalent to destroying the life of all
humans.

(c) Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. 2004

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