Rufaidah: An ever shining star the first muslim nurse

When the world was visualizing a new civilization with the emergence of Islam, people were almost ignorant and unaware of institutional and organized care for the health. It was then that Rufaidah appeared with the message that humanity required care and love. This message was especially important to the sick people, who could have better state of health with nurture and compassionate care. Rufaida was the first person to stand beside the vulnerable and feeble people.

Rufaidah bint Sa’ad is recognized as the first Muslim nurse, who came from the Bani Aslam tribe of the Khazraj tribal confederation in Madinah. She is also called as Rufaidah al-Asalmiya. She was born in Yathrib before the migration of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) and was among the first people in Madina to accept Islam and was one of the Ansar women who welcomed the Prophet on arrival in Madina. The Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) gave permission for her to erect a tent within a mosque and deliver health-related teachings to the community

The world has experienced the waxing and waning of many religions that relates the key doctrine of philanthropy; compassion and love for human being. Islam is enriched by ample historical basis that trumpets the humanity and well-being for the people of the earth. Rufaida under the sparkle of Islam started her nursing profession.

Thousands of years ago Rufaidah encompassed her plan to be a part of compassionate nursing profession.  How it was possible? It has been known that Rufaidah's father was a famous physician. She worked as the assistant of her father and therefore learnt clinical science and medical care. Her reputation illustrates that she possessed all the attributes expected of a skilled nurse. She was kind and empathetic, a proficient leader and organizer, able to inspire people and encourage others to produce good work. She shared her clinical skill with the other nurses under her training. She did not imprison herself only in nursing to the clinical situation. She went out to the community and tried to identify and resolve the social problems that lead to diseases. She was both a public health nurse and a social worker.

When the Islamic state was gigantically well established in Madina, Rufaidah dedicated herself to nursing the Muslim sick. She set up a tent outside the Prophet's mosque in Madina where she nursed those who were ailing. During war, she conducted groups of volunteer nurses who went to the battleground and treated the wounded soldiers. She physically was present in the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khaibar, and others. Rufaidah's field hospital tent became very famous during the battles and the Prophet used to direct that the casualties be carried to her skill and expertise.

It was remarkable that during the battle of the trench (ghazwat al Khandaq), Rufaidah set up her hospital tent at the combat zone. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) sent Sa'ad bin Ma'adh to the tent who had been injured in battle. Rufaidah nursed him, carefully removed the arrow from his forearm and achieved homeostasis. The prophet visited Sa'ad in the hospital tent several times. Sa'ad was to die later at the battle of Bani Quraidhat. She served care to injured soldiers during the Jihad (holy wars), as well as providing shelter from the wind and heat of the harsh desert for the dying.

Anticipating the great needs for the care, Rufaidah had trained a group of women as nurses. When the Prophet's army was getting ready to go to the battle of Khaibar, Rufaidah and the group of volunteer nurses went to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They entreated him , "Oh messenger of Allah, we want to go out with you to the battle and treat the injured and help Muslims as much as we can". The Prophet permitted them to go. The nurse volunteers did very good job. As a recognition and tribute of her medical and nursing work, the Prophet assigned a share of the booty to Rufaidah that was equivalent to that of soldiers who had actually fought. She is well-known in Islamic history for nursing in the battlefields. Later on, the prophet asked the men to put up a mobile tent. Rufaida treated and kept the injured soldiers in the tent. This was the beginning of the first military hospital.

Rufaidah's contribution was not trammeled only in nursing the injured. She went out to the community and tried to identify and resolve the social problems that lead to diseases. She came to the assistance of every Muslim in need: the poor, the orphans, or the handicapped. She looked after the orphans, nursed and taught them. It is known that Rufaida allegedly was the leader and founder of the first School of Nursing in the Islamic world, although its location has not been reported.

Rufaidah had a kind and empathetic personality that soothed the patients in addition to the medical care that she provided. The human touch is a very important aspect of nursing that is often forgotten as the balance between the human touch and technology in nursing is increasingly tilted in favor of technology.

In the history of Muslim nurses the names of the nurses inscribed in golden ink who worked with Rufaidah: Umm Ammara, Aminah, Umm Ayman, Safiyat, Umm Sulaim, and Hind.

Rufaidah devoted her knowledge, time, and experience to preparing her nurses to provide public service and to care for society. Saud Hossain asserted, “Rufaidah devoted in laying her life to the development and improvement of nursing. She succeeded in laying new rules and traditions as the basis of better nursing”

While nursing historians in Europe and America identify Florence Nightingale as the founder of modern nursing, Middle Eastern countries attribute this status to Rufaida, a Muslim nurse. Tales of Rufaida’s heroic deeds have been handed down verbally from generation to generation of Muslim nurses; girls from Muslim world will be inspired to encompass their future plan to be a skill and compassionate nurse.