The Shaykh Al-Albani spoke about the illness that afflicted his hand and the measures he took for its treatment.

The Shaykh : ... The book *Al-Dalil* (The Proof) that Salafiyyah is an innovation was published... but in a more extreme style.

The Shaykh : There are multiple causes, but death is one.
Al-Halabi : Ah, and by Allah.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed, the group are merchants; they play on both sides; how are you, my...Abu Layla ؟
Abu Layla : May Allah bless you. Praise be to Allah.
Al-Halabi : How are you, our professor, today?

The Shaykh : By Allah, my brother, I am as I was before; because my admission to the hospital was a preparation for treatment, which involved blood tests and other examinations. We left yesterday and took some treatments, but we have not used any of them yet. However, what is not pleasing is the conflicting opinions of the doctors on one hand, and on the other hand, I had imagined that there would be a council of a group of specialists from different medical fields who would study these results and medical examinations and reach a collective opinion. None of that happened. Furthermore, the opinions are conflicting regarding the type of treatment. The important point I understood from our brother, Dr. 'Isam al-Sa'iq, is that the examination that should be conducted is on the blood. We had many tests done on the blood at the blood bank, and each time the blood level dropped below its previous level, despite taking the medications they prescribe, which are supposed to raise the blood ratio rather than lower it. The result was the opposite, and the blood continued to drop. In the first test, the drop was to eleven, and so on. We were prescribed some treatments. After about three weeks, the second blood test was conducted, and it had dropped to ten and seven out of ten. I continued with the treatment, and the result of the third blood test was ten and five, a difference of two. Glory be to Allah, the third test was my own suggestion, not the suggestion of the doctor supervising there at the blood bank, nor the suggestion of our sincere brother 'Isam al-Sa'iq. His opinion was that when the second test came out at ten and seven, meaning the blood had dropped instead of rising, there must be something inside preventing the digestion of the treatments or their effects from appearing in the blood. So we had to do a general examination, and that is at the Islamic Hospital. Glory be to Allah, it occurred to me, and I said to Dr. 'Isam, "Doctor, I have an opinion. I have been here for two weeks since the first test, using the injections and medications you prescribed. In my opinion, it is likely that the effect of this treatment has not yet appeared in my body. If we waited a little before going to the Islamic Hospital, we could see the result of the medications we are taking." His response was wonderful and pleasing. He said, "By Allah, Shaykh, we learn from you even in matters that are not our specialty." He said, "Yes, that is a good opinion." And so it was. We waited two more weeks, and the third blood test came out at ten and five. So we had to go to the Islamic Hospital. We went to the hospital. There is a pious, tall Iraqi woman there who specializes in treating women. It appears that our brother 'Isam, due to his trust in her, decided that she should conduct the blood test in a specific place, which they call a spinal marrow blood test, as opposed to the blood test at the blood bank, which is also of various shapes and colors at the same Islamic bank. But this spinal marrow test apparently requires a person with precise expertise, so he thought this woman was suitable for this test. And indeed, this creature came. It seems, and Allah knows best, and I do not think there is anything that would lead her to lie, that she read some of my books and benefited from them, and she has trust in me. In addition to that, Dr. 'Isam must have explained something to her. Glory be to Allah, she is truly a woman whose manner with patients is the most beautiful and best manner; her speech is sweet, so the patient forgets his worry because of her care for the patient.
Al-Halabi : .

The Shaykh : Yes, , the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke the truth. The point is, they put me on the bed and placed a pillow roughly between my lower back or mid-back and my shoulders, so my head was down and my chest was out. I don't know exactly what they did, but it was clear that they inserted a needle in a specific spot and drew blood from the spinal cord. The goal was to determine the body's lack of response to the medications. The joke is, the doctor, Dr. 'Isam, was the one who praised her and proposed that she take charge of my treatment, even though I am a man and she is a woman. He knew my opinion on the matter, even from the jokes that occurred. A doctor who is a relative of my wife saw her standing at the door and said, "Peace be upon you." She said, "My husband is here." He came in and said, "There is no harm," and said other kind words. He saw the list they hang on the bed, and when his eyes fell on the fact that the doctor was so-and-so—I forget her name, by Allah—he said, "It is strange; how can a religious woman treat men?" ... Naturally, his question was in its place, and of course I had no answer. I told him, "It appears that because I am an old man..." ... The point is, this woman showed great concern. But the crux of the matter is that she prescribed a type of injection that looks like blood, red, with some small particles. This type of injection is similar to the ones I had received during the first, second, and third blood tests. Before giving us these injections, it appeared there was a conversation between her and Dr. 'Isam. Dr. 'Isam told me that he did not see the continuation of those red injections as appropriate. And if this female doctor prescribes something contrary to what 'Isam wants, I told him frankly, "Dr. 'Isam, the truth is, I have become convinced that doctors are different, like the shaykhs, and the patient gets lost between them." Yesterday, after the afternoon prayer, we had been scheduled since the morning for a specialist in nervous diseases to come, but the doctor did not arrive until near sunset. He was supposed to come in the morning because all the tests were finished, but this man—and the doctor told me he said he would come in an hour—went by one hour, two hours, five, and nearly ten, and he did not come until near evening. The point is, they sent a person as a representative for this doctor to prepare me, so he started asking me questions that truly please the listener because they indicate great interest in trying to uncover the cause of this illness in this person. During this time, he asked, "What was the result of the blood doctor's test?" We told him, "They gave us these two treatments: the injections and the particles." He was not pleased with it. Here is the crux: his opinion aligns with Dr. 'Isam's opinion, because this is also a problem. I forgot to mention that the third test at the blood bank, which resulted in ten and five, Dr. 'Isam told me, "I am afraid the tests there are not accurate. I have some examples. He gave an example: a woman came to him with a blood test result like this, but a test at our place—meaning he has doctor neighbors—found a big difference. So you need to come to me tomorrow if you wish so we can test you there to ensure the result of the test." And so it was. The next day, the doctor called and said, "You must be at the Islamic Hospital at eight or eight-fifteen to conduct a general test." I understood that his test was roughly like the bank's test, meaning there was no good news about progress, and we went. This female doctor's result was that your blood is twelve. Look at how much the difference is! Twelve, and they all say twelve, and at this age, it is good. And twelve, and these medications prescribed by the doctor are not responding. See how it is? In fact, we took medications yesterday and are scheduled for a stool test, which might reveal something new that would lead them to modify this last prescription. And when I went there, I spoke at length with Dr. 'Isam. I asked him a scientific medical question: "Is your blood test and your concern with this specific point a means or an end?" He thought for a while and gave a correct answer: "No, it is a means." We said, "Okay, what is the end?" What is his opinion? He also answered correctly: "The end is to know first why the medications are not stabilizing, and second, what is the cause of the pains accompanying you." We said to him... But I see that they are not opening up this aspect; you are just hovering around the blood and not the blood. This reminded them, and among those who remembered was the doctor, so she called a specialist who came yesterday before sunset, a specialist in nerves, vessels, and joints, and so on. So the case, meaning my intention from all this talk, is a patchwork, piece by piece. We have not benefited from going to a hospital. I compared my situation to going to test blood with Dr. al-Basaq, then with a third doctor, and so on. Each one presents his opinion and his ijtihad, and so on, whereas there should be a study in a consultative council of different specialties. We have not benefited; we took these answers as individual treatments and personal judgments. On top of this, we spent approximately one hundred and sixty dinars and more on these two nights, knowing that this doctor, out of her kindness, wrote that she did not want to take anything. She presented a paper to my wife, which my wife presented in her presence, stating that she did not want to take anything. We said to her, "No, may Allah reward you with good." She insisted and I insisted, and we said to her, "O daughter of the righteous, we are well-off, praise be to Allah, and we do not need it." She said, "Excuse me, this is not my intention; this is thanks to Allah for this acquaintance..." We said to her, "May Allah reward you with good." And when she saw that we took the paper and put it in her pocket, and when she was going to the accountant, she presented the paper. In the end, when they presented us with the bill, Doctor So-and-So: nothing. So the point of all this detail is first for the lesson, and second as an answer: I have not been treated; I am still as you know...

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : This is necessary and this is correct; because a person's immersion in his study...

The questioner : I mean, what made you go and review and think about the tests?

The Shaykh : The answer, we have answered it.

The questioner : Based on the fact that now the issue of going, meaning in the old ones...

The Shaykh : The case starts from the 'Umrah of Ramadan when we performed the 'Umrah of last Ramadan, and the car broke down on the road. My son was with me and had his car, and praise be to Allah, he towed us for a distance of approximately one hundred and fifty kilometers.
Abu Layla : And you once, O our Shaykh, towed us as well.

The Shaykh : Yes, the point is, I returned and my arm, for the first time, pained me with severe pain. This pain varies in terms of its intensity and times. Sometimes it does not hinder me; sometimes when I want to perform wudu', I have to do this to be able to rinse my mouth and inhale water, and I cannot raise my hand. From here, the continuous treatment related to the pains began. The pains I have are very old, but they are bearable, things are going on, they are covered, except that in this incident, I increased in pain and suffering, especially regarding this hand of mine. And we continued in the treatment until we reached the blood bank. The reason for my entry into the blood bank and the blood test was that I had tinnitus in my ear, and perhaps my blood pressure rose. When the blood was tested the first time, it came out as eighteen, and the normal weight or amount is fifteen or fourteen. At that time, they took a liter of blood from me, and things went on. We felt the need for a new blood test, and lo and behold, we were surprised that it had dropped to eleven. And so, from that 'Umrah trip in Ramadan and the pain in my hand and arm, the entry into treatment began.
Al-Halabi : In the travel, it was difficult to move your hand.

The Shaykh : I say I cannot perform wudu' except by bending like this. Then, with the continuation of the treatment, we went to some doctors who gave me a painkiller. Our brother 'Isam, the silent one, may Allah reward him with good; we rely on him a lot. When we mentioned this to him, he said, "No, this is a painkiller and not a treatment. It benefits you temporarily but harms you in the future." So he prescribed things for me, and I was using them and am using them now. Look, 'Isam, with his concern for his supposed Shaykh and his attempt to treat him, and so on. Now, he has an opinion that this drop in blood that you have reached is caused by the many medications you have taken.
Abu Layla : This is a major cause, O our Shaykh.