Do you think psychiatry can “cure” an evildoer?

Religion and mental illness

Do you think psychiatry can “cure” an evildoer?


ABDUL RASHID is a member of the Ottawa Muslim community, the Christian-Muslim Dialogue and the Capital Region Interfaith Council.

My limited understanding of psychiatry is that it is a medical condition primarily related to some form of mental difficulty or disorder. And an evil act is one that results in harm, be it to an individual or another living being or even the environment. I assume the answer to the posed question is to bring into discussion the religious dimension.

Religion and faith are very important in most people’s lives. However, faith is not a magic wand that would guarantee the absence of difficulties, losses and illness. These problems are part of life (Holy Qur’an, 2:155).

The Islamic view is that when a medical problem is diagnosed, it creates a dual responsibility. On the one hand, it is the responsibility of the society to search for an appropriate cure and treatment. On the other hand, it is a religious obligation on person suffering from the disease to seek proper treatment.

It is also important to point out that Islam does not partition individual personality into compartments. There is an inherent unity of the human person, where spiritual and mundane are interactive elements in life. Therefore, treatment is also supplemented by prayer to the Creator of all life for the removal of medical and other difficulties. We are also told that we should never give up in the benevolence and mercy of God Almighty.

Another important principle in Islamic jurisprudence is that a person suffering from mental disorder cannot be held accountable for an act that is a direct result of this has resulted from his or her affliction