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Understanding the Perception of Islamic Medicine Among the Malaysian Muslim Community

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Abstract

This study was conducted to identify and describe the patients’ perceptions of Islamic medicine based on gender, age, marital, educational level and working status among the Malaysian Muslim population. A nationwide interviewer-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in 2013. An open-ended questionnaire pertaining to Islamic medicine was used to increase the probability of capturing maximum data. This survey implemented a multistage design, stratified by state, proportionate to the size of the state population and was representative of the Malaysian population. Post-survey classification of results was performed accordingly. Complex data analysis was carried out using SPSS 16.0. The discussion was identified and categorised into various sections. The paper concludes that Islamic medicine has a major influence in the Malaysian Muslim community compared to other alternatives. Further, its potential for growth and importance especially for treating spiritual ailments cannot be denied. The respondents indicated that two factors motivate Islamic medicine in Malaysia: (1) the Muslim community opts for alternative healing because of their dissatisfaction with conventional methods; (2) Islamic medicine focuses only on healing spiritual-related problems. The average perception of respondents is that the function of Islamic medicine in healing physical diseases is undervalued and that it is not suitable to replace the functions of modern health institutions.

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Notes

  1. See discussion on questions B1, B2 and B3.

  2. See discussion on question C2.

  3. See discussion on question C3.

  4. See discussion on question C5.

  5. See discussion on question C6.

  6. See discussion on question C1.

  7. Refer to discussion on analysis of cross-tabulation between respondent’s age and question C1.

  8. See discussion on question B4.

  9. Refer to question C4.

  10. Refer to discussion on analysis of cross-tabulation between respondent’s levels of education and question C4.

  11. Refer to question C7.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Academy of Islamic Studies at University of Malaya for their continuous support for the research and writing of this article. The authors would also like to thank Department of al-Quran and al-Hadith, Academy of Islamic Studies, for financial assistance to cover publication fees of this article. The Grant provided to the authors under Research Project FP025-2015A is highly appreciated.

Funding

This study was funded by University of Malaya (FP025-2015A).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of al-Quran and al-Hadith, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Khadher Ahmad, Mohd Farhan Md Ariffin, Fauzi Deraman, Sedek Ariffin, Mustaffa Abdullah, Monika Munirah Abd Razzak & M. Y. Zulkifli Mohd Yusoff

  2. Research and Development Division, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Meguellati Achour

Authors
  1. Khadher Ahmad
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  2. Mohd Farhan Md Ariffin
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  3. Fauzi Deraman
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  4. Sedek Ariffin
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  5. Mustaffa Abdullah
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  6. Monika Munirah Abd Razzak
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  7. M. Y. Zulkifli Mohd Yusoff
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  8. Meguellati Achour
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Correspondence to Khadher Ahmad.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Ahmad, K., Ariffin, M.F.M., Deraman, F. et al. Understanding the Perception of Islamic Medicine Among the Malaysian Muslim Community. J Relig Health 57, 1649–1663 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0507-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0507-9

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