Health Promotion: An

Islamic Perspective
By
Aisha Omar
Maulana, MPH.
Learning Objectives
The intended ‘student’ will be able to.
 Explain the link between religion and
health.
 Describe various Islamic concepts
that have a bearing on health.
 Identify possible ways of putting
Islamic concepts into practice for
health promotion interventions.
 Religion and Health – 1. (The Salutogenic Effect)
Religious Pathways Mediating Salutogenic
dimensions factors mechanisms

Religious Health – Avoidance of Lower disease

commitment related smoking, risk &
behavior Alcohol, drug enhanced
and use, poor well-being.
lifestyle diet, unsafe
sex, etc
Involvement Social Relationships Stress-
& support & friends & buffering,
fellowship Networks family. coping and
adaptation
 Religion and Health - 2
 Sense of coherence
“ The sense of coherence is a global orientation that
expresses the extent to which one has a pervasive,
enduring though dynamic feeling of confidence that
(1) the stimuli deriving from one’s internal and
external environments in the course of living are
structured, predictable, and explicable; (2) the
resources are available to one to meet the demands
posed by these stimuli; And (3) these demands are
challenges, worthy of investment and engagement”
(Antonovsky, 1987).
Religion and Health - 3
Quran & Ahadith

Five Pillars Elements Islamic

of Islam of Faith Jurisprudence

Salutogenic Sense of Predisposing &

Mechanism coherence Enabling factors

Behavior Figure 1: Pathways

of ‘Islamic Health
Healthy Lifestyle Theory’
Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1
‘Islamic health theory’
 The five pillars of Islam
 Elements of ‘Imaan’-faith
 Islamic jurisprudence
 Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1.2
The five pillars of Islam
 Bearing witness to the existence of one god
and the prophet hood of Muhammad (PBUH).
 Praying five times a day.
 Giving alms to the poor.
 Fasting during the month of Ramadan.
 Performing a pilgrimage to Mecca for those
who are able.
Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1. 2. 1

The 1st Concept – The five pillars.

1.Bearing witness to the existence of

one god and the prophet hood of
Muhammad (PBUH).
Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1. 2. 2

The 1st Concept – The five pillars.

2.Praying five times a day.

Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1. 2. 3

The 1st Concept – The five pillars.

3.Giving alms to the poor.

Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1. 2. 4

The 1st Concept – The five pillars.

4.Fasting during the month of

Ramadan.
Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1. 2. 5

The 1st Concept – The five pillars.

5.Performing a pilgrimage to Mecca

for those who are able.
Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1. 3

The 2nd concept.

Elements of Imaan- Faith.

Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1. 4
The 3rd concept.
The Islamic Jurisprudence.
 Islamic Concepts Bearing on Health-1. 4 . 1
The 3rd concept –the Islamic jurisprudence.
Table 2: Showing the various classifications of the Islamic law
1. Prescribed Other terms: - Obligatory - Mandatory.

P: rewarded NP: punished

2. Recommended Other terms: - Sunnah, Preferable, Desirable

P: rewarded NP: not punished

3. Permissible P: not rewarded NP: not punished

4. Disliked P: not punished NP: rewarded

5. Unlawful P: punished NP: rewarded

Islamic Concepts Bearing on
Health-1. 4 . 2

The 3rd concept –the Islamic

jurisprudence.
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 1

Plan Do

Act Check
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 2

 Precede-proceed model.
 Intervention mapping.
 A five-stage model.
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 2.1

The PRECEDE-PROCEED Model by Green &

Kreuter, 1999

Visit the website below for a figure of this model.

http://oc.nci.nih.gov/services/Theory_at_glance
/PP_Part_3_cont.html#anchor248267
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 2.2
Intervention mapping.

STEP 1: Proximal program objective matrices

STEP 2: Theory –based methods and practical strategies
STEP 3: Program plan
STEP 4: Adoption and implementation plan
STEP 5: Evaluation plan
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 2.3
A five-stage model (Bracht et al. 1999)

1. Community
analysis

5. Dissemination
- reassessment 2. Design
- initiation
COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATION
STAGES
4. Maintenance
- consolidation

3. Implementation
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 3.1
An illustration using the five-stage model (Bracht et al. 1999)

1. Community analysis.
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 3.2
An illustration using the five-stage model (Bracht et al. 1999)

2. Design - initiation.
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 3.3
An illustration using the five-stage model (Bracht et al. 1999)

3. Implementation.
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 3.4
An illustration using the five-stage model (Bracht et al. 1999)

4. Maintenance - consolidation.
Putting Islamic Concepts Into
Practice for Health Promotion 3.5
An illustration using the five-stage model (Bracht et al. 1999)

5. Dissemination - reassessment.