نشریه پاسخ
پیاپی 18 (تابستان 1399)

Contagious diseases have always been regarded as one of the most serious threats to human societies. Nowadays, powerful scientific and healthcare tools as well as awareness and knowledge of controlling the contagious diseases undoubtedly play an important role in this regard. Therefore, in comparison with past times when there was not adequate awareness of this issue, human beings in the present era can better cope with deadly diseases. Among these widely known diseases one could refer to cholera and plague. In the past, Muslim countries were threatened from time to time by contagious diseases such as the plague of Amwas (Emmaus) and other types of plague with a high mortality rate. Coping with this disease is an important issue; therefore, this article has explored the history of these diseases in addition to making a reference to the ways of handling them as well as behaviors and reflections in this regard. The scientific capabilities of human beings progressed to such an extent that they discovered vaccines, antibodies as well as medication for preventing or reducing the prevalence of such diseases. Furthermore, Islam has provided human societies with significant preventive health instructions that need to be expounded and presented systematically. These instructions have resulted in remarkable advances in fighting diseases.

The Quran has attached more importance to the stories of the Children of Israel than other stories, regarding their life story as a lesson for posterity. One of these stories pertains to the outbreak of contagious diseases among the Children of Israel, which has been implied in several Quranic verses. Therefore, the present article seeks to provide an answer to the question as to the causes of contagious diseases in the community of the Children of Israel from the perspective of the Quran. The present article has utilized a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach as well as library sources, drawing the conclusion that the Quran has not made an explicit reference to contagious diseases, but they could be deduced in three Quranic verses by drawing upon proofs, Islamic traditions as well as studying vocabulary and making comparisons with sciences. On the other hand, the Muʿiddah cause which provided the Bani Israel with these diseases was they themselves, and Allah was just the Mujiba cause who brought about these punishments on them due to their disobedience and turning away from jihad.

Relevant Islamic traditions, contains indications of the fact that some diseases originate from absolutely tiny creatures that are not visible by naked eyes and that these tiny creatures are of various kinds and contribute to the transmission of the disease from one person to another as well as from one region to another. It would be quite natural to bring up the question as to whether Islam that had anticipated the existence of such creatures has made any suggestions as to how to bring them under control. Using the library method and studying Islamic narrations, one could maintain that the very notion of the disease transmission and the role of tiny creatures in its transmission had been accepted in Islam and our Infallible Imams (‘a) have worked out various solutions such as banning the entrance of people into a city where the contagious disease has broken out as well as evacuating the area where the disease is spreading. They have also attested to the efficacy of quarantine by offering their own particular definition of it.

In the wake of the outbreak and spread of coronavirus disease, many governments imposed necessary restrictions so as to cope with this disease and survive the crises resulting from it. these restrictions denied individuals their natural rights and freedom, albeit temporarily. Accordingly, the circumstances that authorize the government to put such restrictions in place must be specified and then it must be determined to what extent such restrictions would be permissible. The present research aims to look into the theoretical principles of this issue and explain the jurisprudential and legal reasons for that, the fundamentals and the scope of the government's authority and responsibility in imposing the necessary restrictions in order to cope with epidemic diseases such as coronavirus disease as well as the relevant sanctions to be protected in this respect. Therefore, the proofs of ‘the obligation of making attempts to amend the affairs of Muslims’, the proofs of ‘the guardianship of a jurist’, the articles "79" and "176" in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been investigated as the jurisprudential and legal authority and responsibility of the government in this area, and the scope of the government's authority and responsibility in this regard has been delineated in accordance with it

The concept of evil and its relationship with the existence and attributes of Allah is one of the most important issues that have always preoccupied thinkers. Now that human societies have been afflicted by coronavirus disease, the relationship between evil and prayer is of great importance in global community in general and in religious societies in particular. Nowadays some questions have been raised in this regard, such as whether or not there is any longer a need to pray for the cure of diseases in modern societies with respect to scientific and technological advances, or whether praying could function as an alternative to the material treatment of a disease. The present article maintains that the Divine tradition is based on curing diseases by means of natural remedies, and that not turning to this kind of cure can be a sign of irrationality; however, prayer is effective in curing some diseases provided that all the necessary conditions for it are fulfilled, and this effect is in line with the law of cause and effect, and it is one of the other Divine traditions in curing diseases. Furthermore, prayer has a number of other functions such as staying safe against the temptations of Satan, gaining peace and quiet, hopefulness about life as well as boosting the immune system of our bodies.