Nursing As A Profession - Mufti's Corner

[Dr. Shabbir]

Nursing As A Profession



Q. I have known a colleague for several years and I am keen to be married to her. My parents, however, object to this marriage on the grounds that she works as a nurse in a hospital here in Saudi Arabia. Since my family enjoys a good reputation, they do not like my proposed marriage. Kindly advise.

A. I am afraid your family is taking a wrong attitude, which Islam does not accept. They are basing their objection to your marriage not on any fault they find with the girl herself, but on her profession. Even then, this profession is not what they make it to be. Even at the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, women worked as nurses. We know, for example, that Rufaidah bint Al Harith, a woman companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, established a tent clinic where she nursed some Muslim soldiers wounded in battle, and that Sa'ad ibn Mu'ath, a leader of the Ansar, was her best known patient. It was during the siege of the Jewish tribe of Quraish that this took place. The Prophet, peace be upon him, himself was the one who asked the Aws, Sa'ad's tribe, to have this tent clinic for Sa'ad so that he could visit him whenever the situation allowed. Nursing, then, is a highly respectable profession. Otherwise, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not have approved of it.

Now if you are certain that this woman you wish to marry is of strong faith, and has sound moral values, then you should make a better effort to persuade your family to accept her. It is better not to start a marriage with friction within one's family. You should try to make your parents realize that they are not really objecting to the woman's personality or to anything wrong with her, but to her work, which is honorable, useful and provides a good service to the community. You may ask them if anyone in the family needs to be hospitalized who would be looking after that patient. Would that nurse be called a bad person for looking after the patient? To say so is far from reasonable.

Mufti Desai

[shahalam66]

Q. I have known a colleague for several years and I am keen to be married to her. My parents, however, object to this marriage on the grounds that she works as a nurse in a hospital here in Saudi Arabia. Since my family enjoys a good reputation, they do not like my proposed marriage. Kindly advise.

Answer: Sir you didn't mention what kind of reputation you and your parents enjoy in the society? To me this reputation is dead, the moment I read the last sentence of your question. Reputation is not a personal trait and it can mislead us to our arrogance. Look at your complete question and see how egoism of our reputation can be hateful towards a most noble and trusted profession of nursing.

Did you hear the name of Florence Nighhtingale? She has a reputation in history. That is because of her great character. Reputation is what we think of us and others. But character is an act that is questioned by the Almighty Lord.

Therefore family reputation is never an issue in marriage in Islam. Why think the wrong way?

Allah knows the best.

[tammyswofford]

As a professional nurse, who is also married, I am competent to address this concern. My husband sustains complete trust in me to discharge any and all duties required of a nurse in a manner which is both professional and respectful of the human body. The human body is a marvel in its self, beyond merely that which shows its self as a skeletal system, with attached muscles, ligaments, etc. (In other words, the nakedness of man.)

Nurses must understand pharmacology, cellular pathophysiology, and grasp the workings of the body's systems which function in tandem to keep the heart beating, the kidneys diuresing, the digestive processes going, etc, etc.

As nurses, we are highly skilled in powers of observation and yes, certain things must be observed, while other things require palpation, such as a spleen, when suspecting malaria, or a liver margin when suspecting a liver disease. Lungs require percussion and auscultation. And yes.... suck in your breath.... if it is suspected that a man has a sexually transmitted disease a swab will need to be taken and sent to a laboratory. I have assisted in such exams. It is about epidemiology, period! People with colo-rectal bleeding require colonoscopies. New mothers with vaginal tearing require certain care to heal properly. People with fistulas require surgical packing. Nursing is done by individuals with capable hands and strong stomachs and fairly intelligent brains.

For nurses though, aspects of physical exam can also be deferred and when necessary handled in such manner as to not cause excessive embarrassment to either party. In America, any trans-gender exam should require a "stand-by assist" of the same sex as the patient for comfort of both parties. This is standard operating procedure. As for myself, when I receive a well woman check up I do not request a stand by. The physician and I are both professionals and I expect him to conduct his exam and issue treatment as needed.

Marrying a strong nursing professional can provide benefit to your children. I diagnosed hydrocoele on one of my own sons, have diagnosed many a tonsil infection, solved a constipation problem or managed childhood diarrhea of my sons.

For myself, I did not kill myself off for four hard years of university study so that I could see people in various stages of disrobing. I became a nurse, to alleviate the suffering of mankind. It would be a disservice to accuse any nurse of unethical motives unless there is strong supportive evidence.

Tammy Swofford, RN, BSN
University of Texas, Arlington