Al-Arbaʿin for Doctors

Prudence - cautiousness

Hadith 15

Jabir H narrated that a man was mentioned in the presence

of the Prophet r for his worship and striving in it and an-
other man was mentioned for his cautious piety. So
the Prophet r said, “Nothing is equal to cautious pie-
ty.” (Ibn Maja 2519)
The mistakes are an inherent part of human working
but the medical profession is a unique one as mistakes mean
death. A faulty product manufactured can be replaced by the
engineer but the results of a faulty surgery can rarely be recti-
fied, hence doctors need to be extra cautious as compared to
other professions. In this hadith the basic focus of holy
Prophet r is on being cautious in every aspect of life so as to
save oneself from the displeasure of Lord and for medicos
treating people should be one of the main areas of being extra
cautious.

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