A Nurse’s Character

It must first be made clear that there are many nurses who work devotedly day and night caring for their patients, despite their inadequate salary. However, we will discuss here those nurses who abide by the morality which is far removed from the true religion. Such persons have become calloused to their patients’ problems, because of the numerous hours they are required to spend under adverse conditions caring for the sick. Some have lost all feeling for their patients and, instead of treating them with understanding and compassion, behave harshly towards them, often forcing them to wait for their care. It is not unusual for a nurse to even criticize or chastise a patient. Such individuals think that most patients are mere hypochondriacs, that they exaggerate their illnesses, and may even withhold the help that patients ask for.

Aware that the sick are helpless and in need of their assistance, nurses, who are ignorant of the morality of the Qur’an, behave arrogantly towards them. They look down on the patients, humiliate them and sometimes even berate them. They are in a position of being needed and, as far as they are concerned, “important people” ought to act haughtily towards ordinary people.

And, the way these people living by these wicked morals treat one another is not different from the way they treat their patients. They will behave towards others according to their station; for example, they show great respect towards the head nurse, but belittle other nurses.

Just as the lives of some housewives living by the morality of ignorance are confined within the four walls of her house, similarly, nurses confine much of their world to the hospital. They think quite highly of themselves in their situation. They think it to be themselves who heal people, not realizing that they are only the means. However, if they were themselves sick, they would not able to cure themselves, and therefore should recognize that they cannot prevent illness from themselves. However, majority of them are obstinate in this false belief. In the Qur’an, Allah tells us that no one other than He has the power to cause good or harm.

If you ask them, “Who created the heavens and the Earth?” they will say, “Allah.” Say: “So what do you think? If Allah desires harm for me, can those you call upon besides Allah remove His harm? Or if He desires mercy for me, can they withhold His mercy?” Say: “Allah is enough for me. All those who truly trust put their trust in Him.” (Surat az-Zumar, 38)

Allah has revealed to us that we should trust only in Him. As discussed earlier, from the Prophet Ibrahim’s (as) prayer related in the Qur’an, believers should learn to trust only in Allah and look for assistance from Him alone. They sincerely believe that Allah ordains both good and harm and, apart from Him, there is no other power that can prevent such things from happening. They do not forget that Allah created every cure, as well as all doctors and nurses in the world, as the means for healing people.