對傳染病患者的藐視還是憐憫？解讀與流行病有關的伊斯蘭教義

Contempt or Compassion Toward the Contagion Diseased? Understanding Islamic Principles Concerning Epidemics

人類有史以來，疾病始終是人類的一大挑戰特別是瘟疫與流行病。瘟疫不但影響個人與社群對於流行病和瘟疫的態度和行為模式，也引發人們思考，要求從宗教和社會角度解釋這些流行病。在伊斯蘭教創立早期，阿拉伯人也面對瘟疫與流行病。先知默罕默德也告知人們應該如何處理瘟疫的爆發等事。默罕默德這些有關處理流行病和瘟疫的建議與方法，受後代穆斯林的極大關注。今日全球疫情嚴峻，是時候再次檢視先知對於瘟疫本質的見解，以及歷史上歷代穆斯林對流行病的處理方式。整體而言，在疫情肆虐時，許多人歧視患病者，並因此導致對患者藐視、不容忍、排斥，甚至與患者脫離關係並對他們做道德審查。本文將檢視默罕默德及其追隨者是否遵循關懷、愛護、同情、嚴謹、維持人際關係和提供適當治療等方法。本文將採取分析性與定性研究方法，並預計有此結論：默罕默德的見解與其追隨者對此的回應是高度人道的、合乎科學的，並且在道德上值得稱道；同時也重塑穆斯林對於流行病與患者的認識。

"Diseases, especially contagious and epidemic ones, have challenged man since the time immemorial. These epidemics trigger the minds, requiring religious and social explanations, which tremendously influence individuals and communities' attitudes and behavioral patterns toward contagious diseases. During the early period of Islam, the people of Arabia faced pandemics and endemics. The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised his Companions on how to tackle such outbreaks. These pieces of Prophetic advice regarding contagious ailments were paid serious attention to by the later generations of the believers. Keeping in view the current international scenario, it is high time to investigate the nature of the endemics related Prophetic advice and approach of his Companions and later generations in Muslim history. It has generally been observed that in the situation of endemics or pandemics, most people look down upon the contagious disease-afflicted people with contempt and opt for social deviance, leading to opprobrium, intolerance, exclusion, relationship dissolution, and moral censorship of the afflicted. In this study, it is to be seen whether the Prophetic instructions and the Companions' practices in this regard betray care, concern, love, compassion, caution, social intimacy, and proper treatment. The study is expected to conclude that the Prophet's (peace be upon him) advice and his Companions' reactions towards them were highly humane, extraordinarily scientific, and morally commendable, which reshaped the Muslim minds towards contagious diseases and their sufferers. An analytical approach has been applied in this study to conclude objectively, along with qualitative research methodology."