How should we understand the hadith "Diseases do not spread"?

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Diseases do not spread, and bad omens from birds are not real. I like to interpret things positively." The companions asked: "What does it mean to interpret things positively?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: "A good word." (Bukhari, Muslim)

In the time of ignorance (before Islam), Arabs believed that diseases had their own power and could transfer from one being to another by that power. Today, it is common for people to say, "It is scientifically proven that infectious diseases can spread from one person to another."

However, in this hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) clarified the Islamic perspective on this issue. According to our aqeedah (religious belief), a sick person’s illness does not transfer to a healthy person by itself. If a disease does spread, it is only by the will, knowledge, decree, and decision of Allah. Contact between a healthy person and someone with an infectious disease can be a cause for transmission, but as Muslims, we do not believe with absolute certainty (100%) that a disease will spread; rather, we say it happens if Allah wills. There are many examples where infectious diseases have not affected healthy people.

Before Islam, Arab society widely believed in various superstitions. For example, they would interpret the flight of birds as good or bad omens. If they were uncertain about doing something, they would release a bird: if it flew to the right, they would proceed; if to the left, they would refrain; if it flew straight, they would release it again. Islam abolished such superstitions.

The Prophet’s (ﷺ) approach was not to always expect bad outcomes or live in fear and sorrow, but rather to always interpret situations positively and look to the future with hope. By "a good word," the Prophet (ﷺ) meant always speaking positively and expecting good from the future.

In another hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Do not bring a sick person to a healthy one" (Bukhari). This was said regarding camels: the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade bringing a sick camel to drink with healthy camels, because if a healthy camel became ill, its owner might regretfully say, "It caught the disease."

There are other hadiths with similar content. In some, it is said "diseases do not spread," while in others, it is emphasized that "one should take precautions against infectious diseases." This shows that "diseases do not spread by themselves" is a matter of belief, while "taking precautions against infectious diseases" is a requirement of our religion. Islam always encourages taking preventive measures and seeking Allah’s protection from the harm of epidemics. Knowledge about infectious diseases has existed for a long time. It is worth noting that Muslim physicians were among the first to scientifically prove the transmission of diseases.

The medieval scholar Abu Ali ibn Sina (980–1037) wrote in his works that some diseases can spread quickly from sick people or animals, and that invisible "miasmas" are responsible for this.

In the famous German scholar Sigrid Hunke’s book "Allah’s Sun Shines Over the West," it is mentioned: "In 1348, Andalusian (now Spain) statesman, physician, and vizier of the Sultan of Granada, Ibn al-Khatib, wrote a scientific article about how diseases spread from sick people and how to prevent their dangers. Through this, Muslims rendered invaluable service to humanity" (pp. 275–276). The Kazakh scholar Öteiboydaq Tileukabyluly (1397–1492), in his 15th-century manuscript "Shypagerlik Bayan," explained the origin of diseases as the entry of worms (visible and invisible) into the human body.

Hasan AMANKUL

"Munara" newspaper, No. 6, 2020