ABSTRACT
Abdulaziz Sachedina As we explore Muslim perspectives on health and suffering it is important to keep in mind that in the absence of an officially organized and recognized theological body, resembling, for instance, the Pope or Vatican Council in Catholicism, it is impossible to think of Islam in monolithic terms on any theological matter. In fact, plurality in belief and practice is inherent to Islam which, like Rabbinical Judaism, invests the power of interpretation and decision-making not in an institution like a church, but in the person of experts in religious matters, the 'ulama'. Hence, in our search for Muslim views on health and suffering, there will be very little attemptmade at identifying particular views as being strictly Sunni or Shi'L As I shall demonstrate in this paper, it is not unusual to find contrary views about freedom of will and predetermination within a single school of thought that have ramifications for the way suffering is accounted for. Moreover, although it is not impossible to identify certain theological trends as being generally espoused by the Sunnis or Shi'is, it is rather misleading to insist on their dogmatic uniformity even within the same school.
