“Healing is having faith in Allah, the healer, and the medicine”: An exploratory qualitative study of Islamic-based healing practices in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Faith-based healing practices are becoming widespread in Ghana. Charismatic churches, traditional healers, and Mallams provide healthcare services for multitudes nationwide. However, these faith-based healers' guiding philosophies and healing practices are less known. This ethnographic study explores Islamic healing, medical perspectives, therapeutic practices, and how the Dagomba traditional practices and culture influence this medical system. Data were collected from six Islamic-based healers through in-depth individual interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic analysis was employed, and results are reported narratively. The study discovered that religious and faith-based healing practices, including Islamic-based healing, are rising in Ghana. Practitioners of Islamic-based healing among the Dagomba observe that having faith in Allah and trust in His healing powers is the foundation of health. Islamic principles of faith and the Dagomba health beliefs determine these healers’ medical therapy and healing practices. The study found that rituals and sacrifices are significant healing practices with specific gendered perspectives. Spirituality is perceived as both an illness-causal factor and a healing tool. We invite further research to identify the prospects, constraints, and therapeutic possibilities Islamic healing holds for Ghana’s integrative medical system_._