ABSTRACT
The perceptions of disability and the care and management of people with disabilities have evolved over time and differed across cultures, ethnic groups and countries. The transition of the concept, over time, has been shaped by political, socio-cultural and religious factors according to a country’s particular statute and national legal decrees and/or religious texts. The notion of disability, as a human condition, has been subjected to diverse connotations depending on cultural differences, context of use, semantic connotations, the model of disability and who defines it. The types of disabilities include physical disabilities, intellectual or learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments and neurological disabilities. There are four main models of disability: The moral and/or religious model, the medical model, the social model and the bio-psychosocial model. Islam opposes prejudice against and exclusion of any group of people based on race, colour, culture, language and ethnic group. There are several rights of those with disabilities or special needs that are mentioned in the Qur’an. These include the rights of protection, social justice, social rights and health care rights. There are several Hadiths from Prophet Muhammad (https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429354762/7fb59413-c59c-4354-a39b-75035eb649db/content/inline1_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>) that support the notion of equality, social responsibility, co-operation, solidarity, mercy, compassion, exemption from Jihad, religious obligations and respect for those who are disabled. The Qur’an and Sunnah relate to those with all kind of disabilities, and we are obligated as practicing Muslims to show mercy and care for the disabled and the needy.
