Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is human viral disease that attacks the immune system. undermining the bodys ability to defend itself from infection and disease. Caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), AIDS leaves an infected person vulnerable to opportunistic infections. Such infections are harmless in healthy people, but in those whose immune systems have been greatly weakened, they can kill them.
Although there is no cure for AIDS, new drugs are available that can prolong the life spans and improve the quality of life of infected people. Infection with HIV does not necessarily mean that a person has AIDS. Some people who have HIV infection may not develop any of the clinical illnesses that define the full-blown disease of AIDS for ten years or more; although this is quite rare Physicians prefer to use the term AIDS for cases where a person has reached the final, life threatening stage of HIV infection. HIV is transmitted in the different ways prominent among which is having sexual intercourse with , infected person, mother to child transmission, and contact with infected blood among others.
We are not attempting to take the job of physicians or anything close to that. What we are doing is to . just enlighten us briefly about one of the mostly deadly diseases in the history of mankind. More importantly, we also take a brief look at the preventive measures that we can take as Muslims. In order to safeguard ourselves from contracting this disease, we are told to adopt the `ABC APPROACH. The A stands for abstinence from sexual intercourse, B stands for being faithful" to ones partner while the C stands for use of condom. While the first is acceptable, the other two needs a closer examination and explanation.
A Muslim should abstain from sexual intercourse In as much he or she is not married. We have said it before that it is forbidden to have sexual relations outside of marriage. In fact to do that is a major sin. As for being faithful to ones partner, this is only applicable to a Muslim if the person is married. This ordinarily is the rule. If a person is married, then it becomes even more grievous a sin of he/she is not faithful to his/her spouse. It is not acceptable for a Muslim youth or otherwise to think of having a girl-friend or boy-friend not to now talk of being faithful to the person! As for the use of condom, this can apply to married couples only.
The slogan If you no fit hold body does not come to playas far as the Muslim is concerned. What they are telling us with this slogan is that we can commit fornication or adultery inasmuch as we protect ourselves by using condom! Falyaudhubillaah! For a Muslim who has gotten to the stage of marriage and is able to, then the person should get married The fight against HIV/AIDS is a noble one but the fact is that we must apply Islamic principles before we adopt any of the preventive measures that are presented to us.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited