The Preventive Health Approach in the Thought of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them.

Abstract

It is known that the mental foundations of most individuals and societies tend to be closed off, reacting to current and future challenges without considering prevention before they occur. Reactive and immediate treatment can cost a person much more than what would be lost by preventing the challenge in the first place. Therefore, the response to challenges should not be limited to confronting them as they occur but should involve establishing a comprehensive approach to address and mitigate their strength by preventive resistance. Some may believe that there is a correlation between the concept of prevention and the medical aspect, as long as the preventive and therapeutic concepts are shared with the health field. This belief is justified by the lack of research trends, both old and contemporary, studying these concepts in other aspects. However, the truth is otherwise; the concept of prevention is a dynamic concept that cannot be reduced to one aspect over another. It may be more compatible and harmonious with intellectual aspects than with the health aspect because intellectual aspects encompass all facets of life. From here, we find that the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, have taken a clear preventive approach in facing challenges and deviations of all kinds, including the health aspect. However, the intellectual framework is more indicative in the preventive approach of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, because societal crises are fundamentally intellectual crises that have given rise to other political, social, economic, military, and even health problems, which are incidental outcomes of intellectual crises. Thus, this study on the preventive approach in the thought of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, addresses the problem mentioned earlier, specifically the neglect of societies to the logic of prevention and their emphasis on reaction, which does not guarantee success when an incident occurs. We then assume that the preventive approach is the most effective and best method in confronting various challenges and deviations. Therefore, the health aspect is part of this approach, which can be studied extensively to clarify the picture clearly. This research is titled “The Preventive Health Approach in the Thought of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them.”

Keywords

• Preventive approach, health philosophy, individual and community safety, integration.