Verse 6:42

﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ﴾

• English Translation: “And We have already sent [messengers] to nations before you, [O Muhammad]; then We seized them with poverty and hardship so that perhaps they might humble themselves.” [1][2]
• Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): اور ہم نے آپ سے پہلے بھی کئی امتوں کی طرف رسول بھیجے، پھر ہم نے انہیں تنگی اور بیماریوں میں مبتلا کیا تاکہ وہ گڑگڑائیں (اور عاجزی اختیار کریں)۔

Verse 6:43

﴿فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُم بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَٰكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾

• English Translation: “Then why, when Our punishment came to them, did they not humble themselves? But their hearts became hardened, and Satan made attractive to them that which they were doing.” [3][1]
• Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): تو جب ان پر ہمارا عذاب آیا تو انہوں نے عاجزی کیوں نہ کی؟ لیکن ان کے دل سخت ہو گئے اور شیطان نے ان کے اعمال کو ان کی نگاہوں میں خوبصورت بنا کر دکھایا۔

Verse 6:44

﴿فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ﴾

• English Translation: “So when they forgot that by which they had been reminded, We opened to them the doors of every [good] thing until, when they rejoiced in that which they were given, We seized them suddenly, and at once they were in despair.” [1][2]
• Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): پھر جب انہوں نے اس نصیحت کو بھلا دیا جو انہیں کی گئی تھی، تو ہم نے ان پر ہر چیز کے دروازے کھول دیے، یہاں تک کہ جب وہ ان چیزوں پر اترانے لگے جو انہیں دی گئی تھیں، تو ہم نے انہیں اچانک پکڑ لیا، پس وہ مایوس ہو کر رہ گئے۔

Verse 6:45

﴿فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ۚ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾

• English Translation: “So the people that committed wrong were eliminated. And praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds.” [4][5]
• Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): پس ظالم لوگوں کی جڑ کاٹ دی گئی، اور تمام تعریفیں اللہ ہی کے لیے ہیں جو تمام جہانوں کا رب ہے۔

Verse 6:46

﴿قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ وَأَبْصَارَكُمْ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِكُم مَّنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِهِ ۗ انظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ ثُمَّ هُمْ يَصْدِفُونَ﴾

• English Translation: “Say, ‘Have you considered: if Allah should take away your hearing and your sight and set a seal upon your hearts, which deity other than Allah could bring them back to you?’ Look how We diversify the verses; then they [still] turn away.” [6][7]
• Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): آپ کہیے: بھلا بتاؤ تو سہی اگر اللہ تمہاری سماعت اور تمہاری بصارت چھین لے اور تمہارے دلوں پر مہر لگا دے تو اللہ کے سوا کون سا معبود ہے جو تمہیں یہ واپس لا دے؟ دیکھیے ہم کس طرح طرح طرح سے نشانیاں بیان کرتے ہیں، پھر بھی وہ منہ موڑ لیتے ہیں۔

Verse 6:47

﴿قُلْ أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُ اللَّهِ بَغْتَةً أَوْ جَهْرَةً هَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الظَّالِمُونَ﴾

• English Translation: “Say, ‘Have you considered: if the punishment of Allah should come to you unexpectedly or manifestly, will any be destroyed except the wrongdoing people?'” [8][9]
• Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): آپ کہیے: بھلا بتاؤ تو اگر تم پر اللہ کا عذاب اچانک یا کھلم کھلا آ جائے، تو کیا ظالم لوگوں کے سوا کوئی اور ہلاک ہوگا؟

Verse 6:48

﴿وَمَا نُرْسِلُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ ۖ فَمَنْ آمَنَ وَأَصْلَحَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ﴾

• English Translation: “And We send not the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners. So whoever believes and reforms – there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.” [4][8]
• Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): اور ہم رسولوں کو صرف خوشخبری دینے والے اور ڈرانے والے بنا کر بھیجتے ہیں، پس جو ایمان لائے اور اپنی اصلاح کر لے تو ان پر نہ کوئی خوف ہوگا اور نہ وہ غمگین ہوں گے۔

Verse 6:49

﴿وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَمَسُّهُمُ الْعَذَابُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ﴾

• English Translation: “But those who deny Our verses – the punishment will touch them for what they used to disobey.” [5][8]
• Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): اور جن لوگوں نے ہماری آیات کو جھٹلایا، انہیں عذاب پہنچے گا اس وجہ سے کہ وہ نافرمانی کیا کرتے تھے۔

Verse 6:50

﴿قُل لَّا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ وَلَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ ۖ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ ۚ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾

• English Translation: “Say, [O Muhammad], ‘I do not tell you that I have the depositories [containing the provision] of Allah or that I know the unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me.’ Say, ‘Is the blind equivalent to the seeing? Will you then not give thought?'” [4][8]
• Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): آپ کہہ دیجیے: میں تم سے یہ نہیں کہتا کہ میرے پاس اللہ کے خزانے ہیں، اور نہ میں غیب کا علم رکھتا ہوں، اور نہ تم سے یہ کہتا ہوں کہ میں فرشتہ ہوں۔ میں تو صرف اسی وحی کی پیروی کرتا ہوں جو میری طرف بھیجی جاتی ہے۔ کہیے: کیا اندھا اور آنکھوں والا برابر ہو سکتے ہیں؟ کیا تم غور و فکر نہیں کرتے؟

English Tafseer (Explanation)

1. The Cycle of Tribulation, Hardening of Hearts, and Gradual Destruction (6:42–6:45)

• Trials as a Means to Repent (6:42): Allah sent messengers to previous nations and tested them with al-ba’sa’ (poverty, famine, financial strain) and al-darra’ (diseases, physical ailments, and pain) [3][1]. The purpose of these afflictions was to break their arrogance so they would humble themselves (yatadarra’un), supplicate, and turn back to Allah in sincere submission [3][10][11].
• Spiritual Blindness (6:43): Instead of turning to Allah during hardship, their hearts became hardened and receptive to Satan’s whisperings, who made their idolatry, sins, and defiance appear justified and appealing to them [3][1][2].
• The Trap of Gradual Respite (Istidraj) (6:44): When they persisted in ignoring divine warnings, Allah opened for them the gates of worldly abundance—wealth, health, children, and luxuries [1][2]. This was not a sign of pleasure, but a gradual enticement (istidraj); when they became completely absorbed and boastful in their blessings, divine punishment seized them suddenly (baghtatan), leaving them completely ruined and in utter despair (mublisun) [1][12][2].
• Eradication of Injustice (6:45): The wrongdoers were completely uprooted, and all praise belongs to Allah for establishing justice, vindicating the truth, and destroying tyranny [4][5].

2. Divine Power over Faculties and Imminent Accountability (6:46–6:47)

• The Source of Senses (6:46): The Prophet ﷺ is commanded to challenge the polytheists: if Allah were to deprive them of their hearing (making them deaf), their sight (blinding them), and seal their hearts (removing their intellect and understanding), what false god could restore these faculties to them? [6][7][13] Despite the repetition and clarity of these signs, they stubbornly turn away (yasdifun) [6][14].
• Inescapable Justice (6:47): Whether punishment arrives suddenly by night (baghtatan) or openly by day (jahratan), it only destroys those who wrong themselves through disbelief and persistent rebellion [4][5][14].

3. The True Function of Messengers and Prophetic Servitude (6:48–6:50)

• The Mission of the Messengers (6:48–6:49): Messengers are not sent to perform arbitrary miracles on demand, but to convey glad tidings of Paradise to those who believe and do righteous deeds, and to deliver warnings of the Fire to the defiant [4][9][15]. Those who accept the message are protected from fear and grief in the Hereafter, while those who deny it suffer punishment due to their persistent disobedience [4][16].
• The Human Reality of the Prophet ﷺ (6:50): The Prophet ﷺ clarifies his boundary as a mortal slave and messenger of Allah [8][17]:
  1. He does not control the treasuries of divine provision to enrich people at will [5][8][18].
  2. He does not know the Unseen (al-Ghayb) except what Allah reveals to him [4][8].
  3. He does not claim to be an angelic being above human nature [8][17].
  4. His sole duty is to follow and convey divine revelation [8][17].
• The Parable of Sight and Blindness: The verse concludes with an intellectual appeal: the disbeliever who rejects truth is like a blind person stumbling in darkness, whereas the believer guided by revelation is like one with clear sight [4][8][17].
• Explanatory notes from tafheemul Quran.
• 
  Here is the English translation of the provided text:
  
  
  Surah Al-An‘ām, Footnote 31:
  Ignorant people have always harbored the foolish notion that anyone who attains closeness to God must transcend human nature. They expect wonders and supernatural feats to emanate from him: that at a mere gesture of his, a mountain would turn into gold; that at his command, treasures would gush forth from the earth; and that all the past and future conditions of people would be clearly unveiled to him. They expect him to tell where a lost item is kept, whether an ailing person will survive, and whether the child in a pregnant woman’s womb is male or female.
  Furthermore, they believe such a person ought to be above human frailties and limitations. In their view, how could someone truly be a man of God if he experiences hunger and thirst, needs sleep, has a wife and children, and engages in buying and selling to fulfill his daily needs—or one who occasionally needs to take a loan and at times suffers from poverty and hardship?
  Such misconceptions dominated the mindset of the contemporaries of the Prophet ﷺ. Whenever they heard his claim to prophethood, in order to test his truthfulness, they would ask him about the unseen (ghayb), demand supernatural miracles, and upon seeing him live like an ordinary human being, they would object: “What kind of a messenger is this who eats food, has a wife and children, and walks through the marketplaces?” It is these very notions and objections that are answered in this verse.
  
  
  Surah Al-An‘ām, Footnote 32:
  The meaning is: “The realities I present before you are those I have directly observed and experienced; I have been granted precise knowledge of them through divine revelation (wahy), and my testimony concerning them is that of an eyewitness. In contrast, you are blind to these truths; whatever opinions you hold about them are based either on conjecture and guesswork or on mere blind imitation. Therefore, the difference between you and me is like the difference between the seeing and the blind. It is in this respect that I have superiority over you—not because I possess the treasures of God, nor because I possess the knowledge of the unseen, nor because I am free from human limitations.”

NOTES:

In explaining ﴿قُلْ أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُ اللَّهِ بَغْتَةً أَوْ جَهْرَةً هَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الظَّالِمُونَ﴾ (“Say, ‘Have you considered: if the punishment of Allah should come to you unexpectedly or manifestly, will any be destroyed except the wrongdoing people?’” [Surah Al-An‘ām, 6:47]) in light of observable reality where calamities affect everyone in an area, classical and contemporary scholars have addressed this through several key principles:

1. Distinction Between “Destructive Wrath” and “Physical Death”

• The term destruction (halāk) in this verse refers specifically to destruction resulting from divine wrath and punishment (halāk sakhat wa-ta‘dhīb) [1][2][3].
• While both the wrongdoer and the innocent may physically lose their lives in an event, their deaths are fundamentally different in reality and consequence:
  • For the wrongdoer, it is retribution and a precursor to punishment in the Hereafter [4][5].
  • For the righteous, innocent, and children, physical death is the completion of their appointed lifespan (ajal) [6][7]. It is not an act of divine vengeance against them, but rather a means of mercy, purification, martyrdom, and elevated ranks in the Hereafter [1][4][5].

2. Physical Calamity vs. Eternal Resurrection

The Prophet ﷺ explicitly explained how general calamities encompass everyone present physically while separating them spiritually on the Day of Judgment:

«إِذَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ عَذَابًا أَصَابَ الْعَذَابُ مَنْ كَانَ فِيهِمْ، ثُمَّ بُعِثُوا عَلَى أَعْمَالِهِمْ» “When Allah sends down a punishment upon a people, the affliction strikes everyone who is among them, then they will be resurrected according to their deeds.” [4][5]

• Scholars such as Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and Al-Qastallani noted that sharing in the physical event of death does not mean sharing in the punishment or reward [4][5][8].
• On the Day of Resurrection, justice is fully manifested: the wrongdoer faces retribution for their wrongdoing, while the innocent and pious are resurrected to Allah’s mercy and reward [9][4][10].

3. The Innocence of Children

• Children who have not reached the age of accountability (taklīf) carry no sin.
• When natural disasters or general calamities affect them, it is never a punishment for sins, because they have none. Rather, it falls under the natural trials and decrees of this mortal world (dunyā), and their ultimate abode is Paradise and divine mercy.

4. Punishments of Total Extirpation in Prophetic History

• Commentators such as Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti note that this verse also reflects the historical Sunnah of Allah regarding specific nations that rejected their messengers: when the decisive punishment of total extirpation (‘adhāb al-isti’ṣāl) arrived, Allah commanded the Prophet and the believers with him to depart and granted them safety (such as the deliverance of Prophet Hud, Prophet Salih, and Prophet Shu’ayb), while destroying solely the obstinate wrongdoers [11][12].

5. Worldly Trials (Fitnah)

In collective worldly trials, Allah states: ﴿وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً﴾ “And fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among you exclusively…” [Surah Al-Anfāl, 8:25]

When corruption or oppression goes unchecked in a society, physical consequences and disasters can spread across the entire community [9][4][8]. However, only the wrongdoers are truly destroyed in the spiritual and ultimate sense, while the innocent are compensated with eternal bliss.

Sources:
[1] Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim wa Irabuhu wa Bayanuhu – al-Durra — vol. 3, p. 291
[2] al-Asas fi al-Tafsir — vol. 3, p. 1635
[3] al-Bahr al-Madid fi Tafsir al-Quran al-Majid — vol. 2, p. 118
[4] Fath al-Bari bi Sharh al-Bukhari — vol. 13, p. 59
[5] Irshad al-Sari li Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari — vol. 15, p. 53
[6] al-Bahr al-Muhit al-Thajjaj fi Sharh Sahih al-Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj — vol. 44, p. 166
[7] al-Tawdih li Sharh al-Jami al-Sahih — vol. 32, p. 377
[8] Majallat al-Bayan — vol. 219, p. 3
[9] al-Kawkab al-Wahhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj — vol. 26, p. 57
[10] al-Mafatih fi Sharh al-Masabih — vol. 5, p. 324
[11] Tafsir al-Manar — vol. 7, p. 349
[12] al-Azab al-Namir min Majalis al-Shinqiti fi al-Tafsir — vol. 1, p. 277

Question:

Any explanations by scholars about this verse:
Verse 6:46

﴿قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ وَأَبْصَارَكُمْ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِكُم مَّنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِهِ ۗ انظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ ثُمَّ هُمْ يَصْدِفُونَ﴾

English Translation: “Say, ‘Have you considered: if Allah should take away your hearing and your sight and set a seal upon your hearts, which deity other than Allah could bring them back to you?’ Look how We diversify the verses; then they [still] turn away.” [6][7]
Urdu Translation (اردو ترجمہ): آپ کہیے: بھلا بتاؤ تو سہی اگر اللہ تمہاری سماعت اور تمہاری بصارت چھین لے اور تمہارے دلوں پر مہر لگا دے تو اللہ کے سوا کون سا معبود ہے جو تمہیں یہ واپس لا دے؟ دیکھیے ہم کس طرح طرح طرح سے نشانیاں بیان کرتے ہیں، پھر بھی وہ منہ موڑ لیتے ہیں۔
Ibrahim as challenged about bringing sun from west.. do we have any examples like physical illnesses present by birth or so which have no cure either by nature or by medical intervention. How can we understand this? Like neithe ALLAH SUBHANAUTALA nor human intervention could reverse this situation?

RESPONSE:

1. Scholarly Explanation of Verse 6:46

﴿قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ وَأَبْصَارَكُمْ وَخَتَمَ عَلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ مَنْ إِلَهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِهِ انْظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ ثُمَّ هُمْ يَصْدِفُونَ﴾ “Say, ‘Have you considered: if Allah should take away your hearing and your sight and set a seal upon your hearts, which deity other than Allah could bring them back to you?’ Look how We diversify the verses; then they [still] turn away.” [Surah Al-An‘ām, 6:46]

• Establishing Tawḥīd and Exposing the Impotence of False Deities: Classical commentators such as Ibn Kathir, Al-Tabari, and Al-Qurtubi explain that this verse confronts the deniers with an undeniable reality [1][2][3]: The primary instruments through which humans perceive reality, learn, and survive are their hearing, sight, and intellect (the heart) [4][5]. If Allah strips these faculties away, no idol, false god, or created being possesses the independent power to restore them [6][7][3].
• Physical and Spiritual Deprivation: Scholars note that “taking hearing and sight” has two dimensions:
  1. Physical: Stripping the physical ability to see and hear [4][8].
  2. Spiritual: Depriving the soul of receiving divine guidance and sealing the heart against understanding the truth [1][9][3].
• Diversification of Signs (Taṣrīf al-Āyāt): Allah presents the truth through varied methods—rational arguments, reminders of blessings, and warnings—yet the obstinate still turn away (yaṣdifūn) out of arrogance [4][1][7].

2. Can Allah Reverse “Incurable” or Congenital Illnesses?

A crucial theological correction must be made regarding the notion that “neither Allah nor human intervention could reverse this.”

• Allah is Omnipotent (‘Alā Kulli Shay’in Qadīr): Allah’s power is absolute and unrestricted. Nothing in the heavens or earth is impossible for Him: ﴿أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٍ﴾ “Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?” [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:106]
  
• Scriptural Proofs of Reversing Incurable & Congenital Conditions: Allah demonstrated His ability to instantly reverse congenital and medically irreversible conditions through His prophets:
  • The Congenital Blind (Al-Akmah): Prophet Isa (Jesus) healed individuals born completely blind as well as lepers by the permission of Allah: ﴿وَأُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ وَأُحْيِي الْمَوْتَى بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ﴾ “And I cure the blind [from birth] and the leper, and I give life to the dead – by permission of Allah.” [Surah Ali ‘Imran, 3:49]
  • Restoring Sight to the Blind: Prophet Ya’qub (Jacob) had his blindness completely reversed when the shirt of Yusuf (Joseph) was cast over his face: ﴿فَلَمَّا أَنْ جَاءَ الْبَشِيرُ أَلْقَاهُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ فَارْتَدَّ بَصِيرًا﴾ “And when the bearer of good tidings arrived, he cast it over his face, and he returned [to being] seeing.” [Surah Yusuf, 12:96]
  • Severe Chronic Affliction: Prophet Ayyub (Job) was cured instantly from severe, long-standing illness when Allah commanded him to strike the ground with his foot, causing a healing spring to gush forth.

3. Why Do Some Conditions Remain Incurable to Humans?

Just as Prophet Ibrahim challenged Nimrod to bring the sun from the west to demonstrate the absolute limitation of creation, congenital conditions and incurable illnesses highlight the boundary between the Creator and the created:

1. Demonstrating Human Helplessness (‘Ajz al-Makhlūq): Humans operate entirely within the laws of cause and effect (al-asbāb) that Allah established. When medical science reaches a ceiling it cannot cross, it serves as a reminder that human intellect and technology are finite, whereas Allah alone is the Ultimate Healer (Ash-Shāfī).
2. **The World as an Abode of Trial (Dār al-Ibtilā’):** This world is designed as a test, not the final destination. Allah decrees that some people are born without sight, hearing, or other capacities as a test of patience for them and a test of compassion, care, and gratitude for society.
3. Eternal Restoration in the Hereafter: For those who endure congenital or chronic physical loss with patience and faith, Allah compensates them with unimaginable rewards. In Paradise, all physical flaws, illnesses, and disabilities are permanently removed, and every dweller is restored to complete physical perfection and eternal youth.

Sources:
[1] Tafsir Ibn Kathir — vol. 3, p. 257
[2] Tafsir al-Qurtubi = al-Jami li-Ahkam al-Quran — vol. 6, p. 427
[3] Tafsir al-Tabari Jami al-Bayan — vol. 9, p. 251
[4] Tafsir Abi al-Suud = Irshad al-Aql al-Salim ila Mazaya al-Kitab al-Karim — vol. 3, p. 134
[5] Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim – al-Muqaddam — vol. 51, p. 11
[6] Tafsir Hadaiq al-Ruh wal-Rayhan fi Rawabi Ulum al-Quran — vol. 8, p. 320
[7] Tafsir al-Manar — vol. 7, p. 348
[8] al-Bahr al-Muhit fi al-Tafsir — vol. 4, p. 516
[9] Mukhtasar Tafsir Ibn Kathir — vol. 1, p. 579

Question: Jazakallah for citing the reversal of illnesses of prophets mentioned in Quran. In scientific world , are there any miraculous treatments or reversal of sufferings? Though science too cannot offer complete treatment in all the cases.there may be cases of spontaneous cure without any human interventions.

Response:

1. Spontaneous Remission and Unexplained Cures in Medicine

In medical and scientific literature, instances where severe, terminal, or “incurable” diseases completely resolve without medical intervention—or long after medical interventions have failed—are well-documented.

• Spontaneous Remission / Regression: In oncology and pathology, this refers to the unexpected, complete or partial disappearance of a malignant disease or serious illness in the absence of treatment capable of inducing that result.
• Documented Phenomena: Thousands of verified clinical cases exist across modern oncology, neurology, and autoimmune diseases where aggressive tumors, end-stage organ damage, or idiopathic conditions vanished spontaneously without any medical or biological explanation available to current science.
• Scientists recognize that the human body possesses biological systems governed by intricate mechanisms, many of which remain beyond contemporary scientific understanding.

2. Scientific Breakthroughs Reversing “Irreversible” Conditions

Conditions once considered permanent by nature have frequently been reversed as scientific knowledge expanded:

• Congenital Blindness: Gene replacement therapies now treat congenital retinal dystrophy caused by inherited genetic mutations, allowing individuals who were blind from infancy to gain functional vision.
• Congenital Deafness: Advanced cochlear implants and auditory brainstem implants bypass defective inner-ear structures entirely, enabling those born profoundly deaf to hear and develop spoken language.
• Fatal Genetic Disorders: Gene-editing technologies and novel therapies now halt and reverse fatal infant neurodegenerative illnesses (such as spinal muscular atrophy) that were previously deemed untreatable.

3. The Prophetic Foundation: Every Illness Has a Remedy

Islamic teachings explicitly establish that no disease is inherently without a cure, with only the natural ends of mortal life excluded:

«مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ دَاءً إِلَّا أَنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً» “Allah has not sent down any disease except that He has also sent down for it a cure.” [1][2][3][4][5]

«لِكُلِّ دَاءٍ دَوَاءٌ، فَإِذَا أُصِيبَ دَوَاءُ الدَّاءِ بَرَأَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ» “For every disease there is a cure, and when the remedy meets the disease, it is cured by the permission of Allah.” [6][7][1][2][5]

The Prophet ﷺ also clarified: «تَدَاوَوْا؛ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَنْزِلْ دَاءً إِلَّا أَنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً، عَلِمَهُ مَنْ عَلِمَهُ، وَجَهِلَهُ مَنْ جَهِلَهُ، إِلَّا الْهَرَمَ» “Seek medical treatment, for Allah did not send down any illness except that He sent down its remedy—known to those who know it and unknown to those who are ignorant of it—except old age [and death].” [7][1][2][5]

Scholars such as Ibn al-Qayyim explained this principle:

• A disease being deemed “incurable” is only a reflection of the limitation of human knowledge at a given time, not an absence of a cure created by Allah [1][2][8].
• Allah created physical remedies and mechanisms for illnesses; He manifests them to humanity through scientific discovery (al-asbāb), through unexplained bodily recovery (al-shifā’), or directly through divine will.

4. Summary: How to Understand Both Realities

1. When medical science succeeds: It is human beings uncovering the physical causes (asbāb) and remedies that Allah created in the natural world [6][3].
2. When spontaneous recovery occurs without medicine: It demonstrates that Allah is not bound by physical causes; He can restore health directly whenever He wills [7][9][10].
3. When an illness remains uncured: It illustrates human frailty and the nature of the dunyā as a place of trial (ibtilā’), reminding mankind that absolute control and ultimate relief belong exclusively to Allah.

Sources:
[1] Salat al-Mumin — vol. 3, p. 1139
[2] Majallat al-Buhuth al-Islamiyya — vol. 15, p. 35
[3] Bahjat Qulub al-Abrar wa Qurrat Uyun al-Akhyar, Dar al-Rushd edition — vol. 1, p. 146
[4] al-Ahkam al-Kubra — vol. 3, p. 25
[5] Nayl al-Awtar Sharh Muntaqa al-Akhbar — vol. 15, p. 256
[6] Durus al-Shaykh Muhammad Ismail al-Muqaddim — vol. 102, p. 3
[7] Sharh Musnad Abi Hanifa — vol. 1, p. 170
[8] Ahkam al-Janaiz 1 — vol. 1, p. 116
[9] Fath al-Munim Sharh Sahih Muslim — vol. 8, p. 582
[10] Jam al-Wasail fi Sharh al-Shamail — vol. 1, p. 226

Question:

The placebo effects is a known phenomenon in double blind research studies where certain percentage of patients who were not given any medicine were cured and is there any scientific explanations given?

Response:

The placebo effect—where a patient experiences measurable physiological improvement after receiving an inactive substance (such as a sugar pill or saline injection)—is one of the most thoroughly researched phenomena in modern medical science.

1. The Scientific Explanations

Modern neuroscience, immunology, and pharmacology demonstrate that the placebo effect is not “imaginary,” but rather a series of concrete biological and neurological cascades triggered by the brain:

• Endorphin and Neurotransmitter Release: When a person genuinely anticipates relief, the brain releases endogenous opioids (endorphins) and dopamine. Functional neuroimaging (fMRI/PET scans) reveals that this chemical release directly suppresses pain signals in the spinal cord and dampens activity in the brain’s pain centers (such as the anterior cingulate cortex and thalamus).
• Downregulation of Stress Hormones: Believing that help has arrived immediately reduces anxiety and feelings of helplessness. This lowers the production of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which in turn reduces systemic inflammation, normalizes blood pressure, and allows the body’s natural immune mechanisms to operate efficiently.
• Classical Pavlovian Conditioning: Throughout life, a person’s body learns that medical rituals (seeing a physician, receiving an injection, taking a tablet) lead to recovery. The brain learns this association, so when the ritual is repeated—even with an inert substance—the central nervous system automatically initiates physiological healing responses.

2. The Islamic and Psychosomatic Perspective

Classical Islamic scholarship recognized centuries ago that the mind, soul (nafs), and conviction play a direct, causal role in physical recovery.

• The Connection Between the Soul and Bodily Recovery: Mulla Ali al-Qari noted that when a patient gains hope and certainty of a cure, their innate vitality (al-ḥārr al-gharīzī) is invigorated; this strengthens the inner faculties, which in turn empower the physical body to resist and overcome disease [1][2].
• Mental Reception and Healing (Talaqqī bi-l-Qabūl): Ibn al-Qayyim discussed how psychological acceptance, trust, and expectation fundamentally dictate how the physical body responds to treatment [3][4][5]. He highlighted that healing requires two factors:
  1. The remedy itself.
  2. The receptacle’s complete openness and receptivity (qubūl al-maḥall) [3][4][5]. If the mind is filled with despair, resistance, or disbelief, the body often fails to benefit; conversely, when the mind is fortified with conviction and hope, the body’s natural healing pathways are activated [3][1][5].

3. Theological Integration

From an Islamic standpoint, the placebo effect is another manifestation of the intricate, interconnected systems created by Allah:

• Allah created physical remedies (al-asbāb al-ḥissiyyah), such as biochemical compounds [3][1][5].
• Allah also created psychological and spiritual pathways (al-asbāb al-ma‘nawiyyah), where belief, hope, prayer, and mental tranquility directly influence physical biology [3][1][2].
• Both pathways operate entirely by the decree and permission of Allah (bi-idhnillāh), who designed the human mind and body to interact in this profound manner [6][7][8][5].

Sources:
[1] Mirqat al-Mafatih Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih — vol. 7, p. 2860
[2] Jam al-Wasail fi Sharh al-Shamail — vol. 1, p. 226
[3] al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyya bi al-Minah al-Muhammadiyya — vol. 3, p. 20
[4] Sharh al-Zurqani ala al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyya bil-Minah al-Muhammadiyya — vol. 9, p. 370
[5] Madarij al-Salikin — vol. 1, p. 91
[6] Durus al-Shaykh Muhammad Ismail al-Muqaddim — vol. 102, p. 3
[7] Salat al-Mumin — vol. 3, p. 1139
[8] Majallat al-Buhuth al-Islamiyya — vol. 15, p. 35