A serene Muslim woman finds peace in prayer during her cancer journey.

Finding Strength and Meaning: An Islamic Perspective on Cancer

Kai Mendoza in Health & Wellness August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover how Islamic teachings offer comfort, acceptance, and a deeper understanding of life's challenges during cancer treatment and beyond."

In healthcare, providing culturally sensitive care means understanding the unique values and beliefs of different communities. This is especially important for Muslim patients and their families, where addressing needs related to privacy, dietary requirements, and spiritual support is key to comprehensive care. With an estimated 3.45 million Muslims in the United States, reflecting a diverse range of backgrounds, it's crucial to integrate Islamic cultural practices into cancer care.

This article explores how Islamic teachings view suffering and meaning in illness, particularly in the context of cancer. By weaving together personal experiences and evidence-based information, we aim to provide a holistic understanding that can guide nurses and healthcare providers in supporting Muslim patients and their families.

We will delve into Islamic views on illness, the role of prayer, and practical ways to offer culturally sensitive support during cancer treatment and palliative care. Discover how to create a healing environment that respects and honors the spiritual and cultural needs of Muslim patients.

Islamic Teachings: Finding Meaning in Suffering

A serene Muslim woman finds peace in prayer during her cancer journey.

Islam teaches that everything in a person's life, including illness and suffering, is part of God's plan. These challenges are seen as opportunities for spiritual growth and drawing closer to God. While illness itself isn't viewed as good or bad, it's a state prescribed by God with the potential to elevate a person spiritually.

Muslims are encouraged to seek medical treatment and relief from distress. However, if pain or illness persists despite these efforts, there's a belief that wisdom lies behind it. Part of accepting suffering involves trusting that God has reasons, even when they're not immediately clear.

Islam offers pathways to find good in hardship:

Acknowledging dependence on God.
Deepening sincerity in worship and connection with God.
Atoning for sins, fostering patience, and increasing gratitude.

Prayer (salah) is a vital part of Islamic spiritual life, offering comfort and a means to contemplate illness and suffering. It involves mental focus and physical movements like bowing. While intentionality, cleanliness, and modesty are important, the rules are flexible to accommodate a patient's condition.

Providing Compassionate Care: Practical Considerations

Cancer can bring emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual challenges. Acknowledging the spiritual aspect of care is essential, yet gaps often exist due to lack of training and discomfort in discussing personal beliefs. Understanding a patient's worldview can build rapport and improve care.

Supporting cleanliness for prayer is crucial. This includes ritual washing (wudu) and ensuring a clean environment. The Quran also provides solace; patients may listen to recitations for comfort. Regarding pain management, Muslims can use medication for relief but may want to remain alert for prayer times, balancing pain control with spiritual needs.

By understanding Islamic teachings and practices, healthcare providers can offer holistic care that respects Muslim patients' values. This fosters trust, enhances the healing process, and provides meaningful support during their cancer journey. Even without a cure, suffering can bring healing.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1188/18.cjon.573-575, Alternate LINK

Title: An Islamic Perspective: Suffering And Meaning In Cancer

Subject: General Medicine

Journal: Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing

Publisher: Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)

Authors: Asma Mobin-Uddin

Published: 2018-10-01

Everything You Need To Know

How does Islam view suffering and illness like cancer?

From an Islamic perspective, suffering, including that caused by cancer, is viewed as part of God's plan. It presents an opportunity for spiritual growth and a chance to draw closer to God. Muslims are encouraged to seek medical treatment. If the illness persists, the Islamic faith teaches that there is wisdom behind the suffering, encouraging trust in God even when the reasons aren't immediately understood.

What is the role of prayer (salah) in Islam, especially for someone with cancer?

Prayer (salah) plays a vital role in Islamic spiritual life, offering comfort and a means to contemplate illness and suffering. It involves mental focus and physical movements. The rules of prayer are adaptable to accommodate a patient's condition. This means that modifications can be made to accommodate the physical limitations of cancer patients, ensuring that they can still participate in this essential aspect of their faith.

How can Muslims find meaning in suffering when dealing with an illness like cancer?

Islamic teachings offer several pathways to find meaning in hardship. These include acknowledging dependence on God, deepening sincerity in worship, seeking atonement for sins, fostering patience, and increasing gratitude. By focusing on these aspects, Muslim patients can find strength and solace in their faith during cancer treatment and beyond.

Why is culturally sensitive care important for Muslim patients with cancer?

Culturally sensitive care in healthcare involves understanding the unique values and beliefs of different communities. For Muslim patients, this includes addressing their needs related to privacy, dietary requirements, and spiritual support. Integrating Islamic cultural practices into cancer care can significantly improve the quality of care for Muslim patients and their families.

What does compassionate care entail for Muslim cancer patients?

In the context of cancer care, compassionate care acknowledges the emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual challenges faced by patients. It is essential for healthcare providers to understand the patient's worldview to build rapport and improve care. Healthcare providers can provide spiritual support by creating a healing environment that respects and honors the spiritual and cultural needs of Muslim patients.