It is time to regulate, fund Islamic, Prophetic medicine – IIIT Provost

, Says quacks must be flushed out of the profession

By Taofeek LAWAL, Abuja

The provost of the International Institute of Islamic Therapy (IIIT), Nigeria, Shaykh Abu Mazeedatil Khayr bn Sa’eed, has called on the Federal Government to come up with the format that will regulate and fund Islamic medicine to stop the influx of quacks that hide under the guise of under practicing to dupe Nigerians.

Shaykh Abu Mazeedatil Khayr bn Sa’eed made the call recently during the fifth convocation of the institute with the theme ‘Faith and Therapy in a Pandemic’ held at the Conference Hall of the National Mosque, Abuja.  He advised the Federal Government to take the advantages embedded in alternative and complementary medicine, regulate and fund it like orthodox medicine as it  (alternative) has all the potential to cure all human ailments.

He said, “If alternative medicine enjoys the same privilege, the world will certainly be healthier. In the clime of both alternative and complementary medicine, Islamic medicine, known as prophetic medicine, has a greater future. This is the truth which defies skeptical views. We, therefore, call on the government to intervene by assisting us in regulating the practice and funding research in prophetic medicine.”

According to Khayr bn Sa’eed, there are over 600 herbs, plants, stems and healing foods either mentioned in the Holy Qur’an or prescribed by Holy Prophet Muhammad in his traditions. He nonetheless canvassed for more funds for Islamic medicine practitioners so they could do more.

He stated that the institute in the last four years had trained Muslims of different academic and professional backgrounds in the use of Sunnah herbs, cupping therapy and Islamic exorcism as alternative means of tackling physiological and spiritual ailments while adding that the institute has trained about 80 therapists in the practice of alternative medicine and in certificate courses.

He lamented that fake alternative medicine practitioners for lack of employment have duped unsuspecting members of the public of their hard-earned money and sweat.

“Women have been abused and violated and men cheated and exploited because of lack of employment from the fake alternative medicine practitioners who play fast one on them. These men and women have had their privacy and chastity violated by the fake practitioners. To forestall this, our graduands (32 in number) have been trained in the aspects of spiritual and physiological healing to treat their patients in accordance with Islamic tenets,” he stated

One of the graduands, Khadijah Umar Mashegu, said the oath she has taking during induction would always be her guiding light because medicine is not an all-comer affair and a very risky profession. She said her charges for her clients not matter their status, position, tribal or religious background will be same while praying that Almighty Allah will use her to make positive impact in the alternative medicine world.  

In his own comments, another graduand, Imam Abdullahi Sanni, whose project centred on dental and herbal powder, said Islamic medicine has come to stay to solve spiritual problems. He, however, called on the government to speed up action in terms of regulation and sensitization program for people to key in and also to chase fake practitioners out of the profession.

IIIT in the last four years has trained more than 600 practitioners in both its short courses and Ijaazah certificate program. The highlight of the occasion was the oath of practice administered and presentation of certificates to the 32 graduating students made up of 10 males and 22 females.