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University of Manitoba

The Wahhabis and the Religious Refusal of Medical Services

Nina Heart Galimba

RLGN 1420 – A01

Dr. Michael Caligiuri

June 13, 2025

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Like any other world religion or religious community, people within the Islamic

community often hold certain views on ethical values that address societal issues. Many concerns

have been raised among Islamic community members regarding the various ethical conflicts they

encounter. Specifically, a revivalist group within Islam, known as the Wahhabis, is recognized

for their strict adherence to traditions and customs. These religious factors, such as the belief in

their one and only God and puritanical practices based on sacred texts, can contribute to how

Wahhabis manage the relationship between their religion and the society that exists around them.

One of the countless ethical issues in the world that this specific Islamic group’s faithful

devotion can have a strong influence on is the religious refusal of medical services. This

revivalist movement provoked the purification of Islam, and its founder, Muhammad ibn Abd al-

Wahhab, sought to expand the group through his rendition of Islam. The distinction between the

different and unique approaches to classic philosophical systems of ethics, in contrast with

Wahhabism, can shed light on the true nature of these practices and beliefs. It is crucial to

possess information about the role of certain Wahhabist traditional values, how they play into

either the refusal or even the acceptance of certain medical services, to be able to attend to those

with the appropriate medical help they desire. Although there are some nuances regarding this

ethical issue, it is an issue to be taken care of, which concerns Wahhabis and those who provide

medical care and health services.

Primitively, Wahhabism was a revivalist movement under one of the dominant branches

of Islam, Sunni Islam, which is the largest group and represents the majority of Muslims. Inside

the branch of Sunni, it splits off into the four major Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence:

Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools. Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya and his written

interpretations are where the early beginnings of the Wahhabis derived their inspiration (Savage,
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2007). Influences of the fundamentalist revival movement, Salafism, also played a role in its

establishment since Wahhabism stems from Salafism. All Wahhabis are Salafis, but not all

Salafis are Wahhabis (Caligiuri, 2025). Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was a Sunni Muslim

religious leader and scholar. He founded the Wahhabi reform religion during the early 18th

century in Najd, the central region of Saudi Arabia. Even though Wahhabism was based on

Salafism’s objective of restoring Islam to its traditional teachings, Wahhabis were only a form of

that sect of Islam. The Wahhabism ideology focuses on a strict and puritanical approach that

stands up to their expectations, such as their interpretations of the religious texts, the Qur’an and

the Sunnah, were seen to be taken in a very literal sense (Armanios, 2003). The Qur’an is

considered the most important religious scripture in Islam, in all branches and sects of Islam. It

included the emphasis on different concepts like tawhid (believing in the oneness of God, Allah),

shirk and riddah (committing idolatry or offering prayers at tombs), and bid’ah (innovations,

introduced into the religion without Allah’s permission), which were direct teachings from their

God, Allah. The Qur’an highlighted the different (Stanley, 2005). In Wahhabism, the Sunnah

was also another sacred text that was highly valued as it referred back to the way of life of the

Prophet Muhammad. Both religious texts were filled with the doctrines that led back to original

Islam to restore the era of the Golden Age, the time of the Prophet and his followers (Ungureanu,

n.d.). These sources of authority, the Qur’an and the Sunnah, help in guiding Muslims in

different aspects in life Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s initial focal point was seeking to get rid of the

corruption within Islam and strictly interpreting traditional teachings, such as committing

violence as a last resort; however, Wahhabism adherents have violently attacked other religious

groups, including Jews, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, as well as the traditional Muslim

Sunnis, Sufis, and Shias (Lopez & Schwartz, 2003) who do not follow appropriate traditions
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within Wahhabism and their beliefs. This violent stance of the Wahhabis is what encloses the

group in a negative light.

It was during the year 1744 that a pact was formed between Muhammad ibn Abd al-

Wahhab and Muhammad bin Saud. The latter, Bin Saud, had founded the First Saudi State, also

known as the Emirate of Diriyah, and marked the beginning of the dynasty’s rule within the

region of Najd almost 20 years before the pact was sealed. This constructed a politico-religious

alliance which maintained and stabilized authoritative power across both parties. Ibn Abd al-

Wahhab had support from the Saudi monarchy and received funding for Wahhabism through

many institutions, such as schools, communities, and mosques, to organize religious worship, to

expand their religion to others across the region, and to provide military forces to help the

growth of the community he led. Bin Saud had promised to support and give empowerment to

Ibn Abd al-Wahhab after changing his title from Emir to Imam, “political ruler” to “religious

ruler”. (Bin Ayyaf Almogren, 2020). In return, Ibn Saud had religious protection and strong

connections from Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s religious group, as “he did not represent any real

political danger to Bin Saud’s rule” (Bin Ayyaf Almogren, 2020), to be able to establish the

religious and ideological foundation for his ruling. Even as Muslims advanced into the years, the

alliance between Ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Ibn Saud stayed loyal to one another (Bin Ayyaf

Almogren, 2020). Wahhabism has been the dominant faith in Saudi Arabia due to this alliance.

Wahhabism possesses both strengths and weaknesses, just as any world religion would. A

strength that Wahhabism has, as mentioned previously, is the affiliated power and support from

Bin Saud and the Diriyah dynasty to have the capabilities of spreading Wahhabism and replace

the “barbarous and ‘infidel’ customs by full implementation of shari’a [(Islamic law of the way

of life)]” (Ungureanu, n.d.). This means that Muslims will completely cut off any form of
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sinning, also known as shirk, to be able to live religiously in the faith of Allah and the Prophet.

On the other hand, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was not considered to be a pacifist, nor was he

considered a militarist. Nonetheless, Wahhabism has recently been getting violent and is seen to

provoke and feed into terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda (Kingston, 2006). The downside of

Wahhabism lies in the resort to violence, fortifying the paradox of having a literal interpretation

of historical and religious teachings.

One of many ethical issues in the world that is influenced by the beliefs and traditions of

Wahhabism is the religious refusal of medical services. This is an ongoing issue that still occurs

today with people within the Islamic community. The ethical problem of intersectionality is

evident, where a Muslim may require medical care and services, but has to adhere to their

religion’s beliefs, affecting their decisions of accepting or refusing the medical service. In the

matter of religion in terms of health, it is important to consider the religious aspect of the

situation. In the domain of health care, the knowledge of the values of Muslims is very crucial in

providing their proper medical (Attum, B. et al., 2023) and this knowledge will emphasize on

certain differences like “[specific] diet [restrictions], ideas of modesty, privacy, [and] touch

restriction” (Attum, et al., 2023).

Medical practitioners are often in need of help in deciding whether or not it is okay to

administer life-sustaining treatments for Muslim patients. In Muslim countries like Malaysia, the

method of resolving this issue is through a tool called the Advance Medical Directive (AMD).

This is a document that determines a patient’s “preferred choice of medical plans in the event

they become incompetent” (Malek et al., 2021). Through this method of tending to Muslim

patients’ medical desires, it facilitates the contemplation factor for medical practitioners.

Moreover, in cases where women are being physically examined in a medical setting, certain
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guidelines have to be followed as much as possible. This means minimizing any type of contact

between the healthcare provider and the patient. If the patient is a Muslim woman, she must be

dressed modestly at all times, especially when the health care provider is of the opposite gender

attending to obstetric or gynecologic care. (Attum et al., 2023). For women, being dressed

modestly means wearing a niqab, a long veil garment worn by Muslim women to cover their

entire body and face, except for the eyes (Unknown, 2013). Realistically, there will be

circumstances where it is not possible to have a healthcare provider who is of the same gender.

In that case, it is best advised for Muslim women to have a third person in the room who is also a

woman to feel more at ease. (Attum et al., 2023). Some other concerns of the religious refusal of

medical services include hospital food services that do not serve food that pertains to the dietary

restrictions of Muslims, such as non-Halal foods, and the tradition of Ramadan, rejecting all

foods, including water. A list of certain medications has to be reviewed during the time of

Ramadan based on what is okay to consume and what is not okay. Medications like eye drops,

ear drops, any kind of dental care, inhalers, nebulizer treatments, and nasal sprays are permitted.

However, IV fluids, blood transfusions, and oral medications are not allowed. Injections such as

immunizations, vaccines, or insulin injections are debatable as to whether it is authorized (Attum

et al., 2023). In addition to vaccines and immunization, Muslims believe in the idea that they

shouldn’t interfere “with the natural order by letting events take their course” (Alsuwaidi, 2023).

Life i

The consequences of violating any of the official rules or prescribed prohibitions

regarding the issue of religious refusal of medical services can vary depending on the context of

the issue. That can include how adherent one is to their religion, even if it concerns their health,

to refusing the medical service they are being offered. Violence can stem from the violation of
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these practices and values. Many insist that Wahhabism is very bound and rejects modern forms

of Islam and will conform to acts of violence when those who are non-Wahhabis are

automatically, non-Muslims. Discomfort of offence can arise if desires of certain medical

services are not met appropriately, such as being able to fast during Ramadan (Attum, B. et al.,

2023). This Islamic revivalist movement can be contrasted against classic philosophical systems

of ethics to compare the differences in outlook on different aspects: hedonism and subjective

relativism. As previously stated, Wahhabism, in contrast with Hedonism and Subjective

Relativism, certainly demonstrates the different natures of each religion and philosophy through

the different approaches and ideas, not only individually, but as a collective ensemble as well.

Epicurus was an Ancient Greek philosopher who claimed that an action is considered to

be moral if it makes you feel satisfied and leads to the most pleasure. Hedonism proposes that

people should maximize pleasure and minimize pain. However, we shall only seek what is

needed to survive and be happy at the same time (Caligiuri, 2025). Living a maximal life is an

important concern for Hedonism, while also prioritizing happiness and pleasure. This system

disregards the harm or discomfort inflicted on the other person when the action is being done,

encourages behaviour that only benefits themselves and may lead to consequences. For instance,

a person may choose to engage in reckless sexual behaviours and choose to prioritize their

pleasures while ignoring the abandonment and hurtful actions towards the other person. In

comparison to Wahhabism, pleasure may be defined differently for Muslims who partake in

strict and literal Wahhabist traditions and practices. Perhaps pleasure is being able to worship

Allah as their divine and heavenly God, following His teachings, and following in the Prophet’s

footsteps. Hedonism underlines the freedom of action, freedom of speech, or any kind of

freedom that is absent within Wahhabism. The ethical problem of intersectionality becomes
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evident, where a Muslim may require medical care and services, but has to adhere to their

religion’s beliefs.

On the whole other side of the spectrum, Subjective Relativism insists that “there are no

universal moral norms of right and wrong” (Caligiuri, 2025), meaning each person can have the

choice of categorizing what is right and wrong for their selves. This system satisfies the notion of

having a broader domain of freedom of thought. If an action comes across as a moral and right

thing to do for one person, it may be the complete opposite for another person. Contrariwise,

Wahhabism is loyal to the direct use of the Qur’an, the Sunnah, including the Hadith, which

marks every saying and action that the Prophet Muhammad approved of for Muslims to do,

whether it is big or small incidents that take place in the Prophet’s life. Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s

main focus for Wahhabism is making a word-for-word interpretation of the sources of religious

law, norms and regulations. Due to its inflexibility in possessing individualistic ideas of right and

wrong, the relationship between Subjective Relativism and Wahhabism is separated at the two

extremes of the spectrum for freedom of thought, freedom of action or freedom of speech,

similarly with Hedonism. Muslim women were presented “as intellectually congenitally deficient

and in need of beating” (Savage, 2007) after disobeying the rules of the Islamic dress code for

women, which suggests that falling out of line with Wahhabist traditions, or even just general

Islamic laws and regulations, may cost you your life if you are not attentively obeying, especially

as a Muslim woman.

The reformation of Islam through the movement of Wahhabism and its puritanical form

of interpreting the Qur’an can have a great influence on the religious beliefs Muslims hold over

their heads when it comes to receiving medical services. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s

approach was inspired to conform back to old traditional Islamic principles, customs, beliefs,
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practices, and values, which have gradually shifted into an unfamiliar version of the Islam he is

loyal to and therefore, marks the beginning of Wahhabism in using the religious texts as a

foundation to his religious group. Many societal and ethical concerns taunt the religious lifestyles

of the Wahhabis, such as the religious refusal of medical services. The role of Islam and its

historical traditions influences the Muslim patient and the health care worker who provides the

services, whether that be in a concerning manner or an anti-religious perspective. Contrasting

Wahhabism with both Hedonism and Subjective Relativism helps shed light on the distinctions

between religion and philosophy on a deeper level. There are various layers as to why there may

be conflict within this ethical problem, such as whether they are labelled a non-Muslim, how

they interpret their beliefs or if they don’t interpret it all as literally and strictly as Wahhabism

was meant to be. I believe that there is some nuance in the strict and puritanical form of

Wahhabism since there are Muslims who commit violence, even as a last resort; however, it

nonetheless suggests the paradoxical idea of not interpreting the sources of authority. In today’s

society, it is quite a relief to see that studies are being done revolving around this interaction

between health and religion, such as the Advance Medical Directive, that can be implemented in

other countries. The religious refusal of medical services among Wahhabis should be justified as

it is part of their religious practice. This religion follows a very adherent and direct interpretation

of the Qur’an, Sunnah and Hadith, having their own beliefs of they consider bring them closer to

Allah.
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