Rufaida Al-Aslamia, the first Muslim Nurse: Roots of the nursing profession in Islam

Women have always played and are playing major roles not only in their families but also in their societies and communities. Islam has given women many rights and privileges, which had never been enjoyed under other religious or constitutional systems before Islam.

Women in the early days of Islam had a great part in all spheres of life and they contributed a lot to various fields of business, education, Hadith narration, charity, nursing, and social work etc.

In Islam, nurses provide healthcare services to patients, families and communities as a manifestation of their love for Allah and Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Islamic traditions include sympathy for and responsibility towards those in need. This perspective had emerged during the development of Islam as a religion, culture, and civilization.

Rufaidah bint Sa’ad, is recognized as the first professional Muslim Nurse. She was among the first people in Madina to accept Islam and was one of the Ansar women who welcomed the Prophet (PBUH) on his arrival in Madina.

Rufaidah received her training and knowledge in medicine from her father, a physician, whom she assisted regularly. Her history illustrates all the attributes expected of a good nurse. She was kind and empathetic. She was a capable leader and organizer, able to mobilize and get others to produce good work. She had clinical skills that she shared with the other nurses whom she trained and worked with. She did not confine her nursing to the clinical situation. She went out to the community and tried to solve the social problems that lead to different diseases. She was a public health nurse and a social worker.

Devoting herself to nursing and taking care of sick people, Rufaida became an expert healer. She practiced her skills in field hospitals in her tent during many battles. Rufaidah is an inspiration for the personnel of nursing profession in the Muslim world.

Rufaida implemented her clinical skills and medical experience into developing the first-ever documented mobile care-units that were able to meet the medical needs of the community. Mostly, her work was primarily in hygiene and stabilizing patients prior to further and more invasive medical procedures. She is recorded as having personally worked in poor communities encouraging hygiene and attempting to alleviate social problems which led to poor health.

At the time when Prophet’s (PBUH) early followers were engaged in war, she led a group of volunteer nurses to the battlefield to treat and care for the injured and dying. After the Muslim state was established in Medina, she was given permission by Prophet (PBUH) to set up a tent outside the mosque to treat the ill and to train more Muslim women and girls as nurses.

Rufaida is described as a woman possessing the qualities of an ideal nurse: compassionate, empathetic, a good leader and a great teacher. She is said to have provided health education to the community, helped the disadvantaged (like orphans and the disabled), advocated for preventative care, and even to have drafted the world’s first code of nursing ethics.

At the Battle of the Trench (Ghazwat al Khandaq), Rufaidah set up her hospital tent at the battle-field. The Prophet (PBUH) instructed that Sa’ad bin Ma’adh, who had been injured in battle, be moved to the tent. Rufaida nursed him, carefully removed the arrow from his forearm and achieved hemostasis. The prophet visited Sa’ad in the hospital tent several times a day.

Rufaida had trained a group of women companions as nurses. When the Prophet’s army was getting ready to go to the battle of Khaibar, Rufaidah and the group of volunteer nurses called-on the Prophet (PBUH).
They asked him for permission saying “Oh messenger of Allah, we want to go out with you to the battlefield and treat the injured and help Muslims as much as we can”. The Prophet (SAW) gave them permission to go. The nurse volunteers did such a good job that the Prophet (SAW) assigned a share of the booty to Rufaida. Her share was equivalent to that of soldiers who had actually fought. This was in recognition of her medical and nursing work. She participated in the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khaibar, and others.

During times of peace, Rufaida continued her involvement with humanitarian efforts by providing assistance to Muslims who were in need. She was praised for spending her life taking care of the sick and the dying, and providing the people of her city with health education. She is described as having been patient, kind, devoted, and committed.

Stories about her work were passed on through the generations. She has been rediscovered as the founder of nursing in the Muslim world. Acknowledging her matchless contribution the Aga Khan University has established a college of nursing and midwifery after her name. The University of Bahrain awards an annual Rufaida Al-Aslamia Prize in Nursing. Each year the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) at the University of Bahrain awards a coveted and a prestigious Rufaida Al-Aslamia Prize in Nursing. The Jamia Hamdard (University) Delhi has set up a nursing college after the name of Rufaida. Without any fear of contradiction I can say that Rufaida Al-Aslamia introduced nursing to the Muslim world almost 1, 200 years before Florence Nightingale embarked on the profession who is undoubtly ‘the founder of modern nursing’.

The name of the companion of the Prophet (SAW), Al-Shifa bint Abdullah, is also worthy to mention here. Her real name was Layla, but the nickname, Al-Shifa (the healing) was given for her profession as a nurse and medical practitioner. She was literate at a time of illiteracy. She was involved in public administration and skilled in medicine. Al-Shifa used to use a preventative treatment against ant bites and the Prophet (SAW) approved of her method and advised her to train other Muslim women. Then she taught it to Hafsa.

I think the glorious history of the nursing profession is a motivating factor for the budding and talented youth to pursue a distinguished career in this sacred profession which is a way to earn the pleasure of Allah and His Apostle (PBUH). Following in the footsteps of Rufaida the nurses have an opportunity to provide health-care services to patients, families and communities as a manifestation of love for Allah and the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

The author can be contacted at saimahabeeb786@gmailcom