6 return it to him,” means that whatever is in the palliative care team’s power to help restore to the patient, we must try to do so. This can include peace of mind and a sense of hope and meaning. Fear is often one of the overwhelming parts of the experience of the seriously ill patient. Judaism puts treatment of such a patient’s fears on the same level as their medical needs. In the Talmud (Shabbat 128b), we read that if a blind woman giving birth on the Sabbath asks that a lamp be lit, in violation of the Sabbath, we light the lamp, in keeping with the well-established principle that we violate the Sabbath in order to save a life. In the Talmud, every teaching comes to teach something we would not have known otherwise. We need to understand what exactly is the case being discussed and what new lesson it is teaching about saving a life on the Sabbath. If the midwife herself needed a lamp for the delivery, then she could light it herself, without the pregnant woman requesting it, since in that case the light is needed to safely deliver the woman’s baby. However, we already know that law and so the Talmud would not need to include this statement. Additionally, the innovation of this statement cannot be that the need of the woman giving birth for light is suﬃcient reason to light it on the Sabbath, since this woman is blind and cannot make use of the light. Where, the Talmud asks, is the new threat to life that motivates the addition of this permissive ruling? The Talmud explains that this will calm her fears that there is not enough light for the others to see her needs and respond to them quickly. Thus, fear alone is considered a life and death condition in the context of medical treatments. The palliative care team can be very helpful in addressing patients’ fears, and in this additional way even help to “save a life.” By listening to patients’ fears, acknowledging and accepting them, the strength of the fears can be diminished. In addition, by engaging patients in a life review, thinking about the good things that they have already enjoyed in life, the fear for the future can take its place in the larger picture of thinking about one’s life in its entirety. A common spiritual need our patients face is despair, or the lack of hope. Very sick patients might despair not only for their physical health, but they might also despair of their life having any meaning anymore. The palliative care team can help in the process of ﬁnding meaning even at this stage. As we noted in our examination of the Midrash from Psalms, the encounter with death can actually help facilitate spiritual growth. This can be a time for even greater connectedness with God. It is also worth remembering and reminding patients that even at this point in life, religious good deeds (mitzvot) can still be done, and every second of faith or prayer or good deeds is invaluable. Spiritual care is a vital part of care for the Muslim patient. The spiritual aspect of the Muslim patient is very important in preserving calmness and general wellbeing: disruption to the balance causes illness or worsens existing illness. Abu- Bakr Al-Razi was among the ﬁrst to present the subject in his book “Spiritual Medicine” (Al-Tib Al-Ruhani) [46]. The reading of special verses from the Quran constitutes the cornerstone of spiritual healing. The ﬁrst to present the subject was Abu-Zaid Al-Balkhi (b. 850, d. 934), who wrote the book “Sustenance for Body and Soul” (Masalih al-Abdan wa al-Anfus), in which he stressed the importance Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the combined treatment of body and soul. He criticized the doctors who, in his opinion, were interested only in ﬁndings about the body when treating illnesses and neglected the emotional and spiritual aspects of the patient. Al-Balkhi stressed the importance of treatment by means of looking at beautiful pictures (guided imagery) and listening to beautiful music (music therapy). Muslims ﬁnd the greatest solace and comfort in the remembrance of God. During illness, the Muslim patient should set for himself these spiritual goals. (1) Muslims are expected to seek God’s help with patience and prayer, increase the remembrance of God to obtain peace, ask for forgiveness, give more in charity, and read or listen to more of the Quran. (2) Muslims repeat the saying “To God we belong and to Him is our return” to ease the shock of death. (3) Atonement (Tauba): this is done by experiencing a genuine sense of remorse for one’s transgressions and a removal of the unhealthy eﬀects of that state by turning to God and seeking divine grace through prayer, charity, and a sincere resolution not to return to the destructive patterns of the past. Patients need to make peace with God through religious duties in order to meet God free of sins, and also to make peace with relatives and friends. When a Muslim individual is dying, several things may be comforting to the patient and the family: (a) turning the patient on his/her right side to face Mecca; (b) letting those visiting the patient recite the prayer of allegiance to Allah, and encouraging the dying person to recite it also, if possible. If the patient is unable, another Muslim should recite it; (c) having friends and loved ones pray that mercy, forgiveness, and the blessing of Allah be given to the deceased; (d) reading speciﬁc verses from the Quran; (e) helping the dying person overcome the fear of death [47]. 7. Conclusion—Doctors’ Duties The medical team should keep a number of things in mind in working with a Muslim patient. Health care should inform the patient of diagnosis and prognosis, but should not give a speciﬁc estimated life expectancy at any point, since life is in the hands of God, not in the physicians’ hands. The patient needs to make peace with God through religious duties, so as to meet God free of sin, and with relatives and friends. This will enable the patient to ﬁnish the “unﬁnished business.’’ Truth telling: telling lies is considered a great sin according to the Islamic faith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “the signs of a hypocrite are three: whenever he speaks, he tells a lie; whenever he promises, he breaks it; and if you trust him, he proves to be dishonest” [31]. In addition, doctors need to be sensitive to patients’ fears that the suggestion of palliative care is a form of discrimination, pushing the patient aside to make room for other patients. Health care professionals should adopt cultural compe- tence and sensible awareness when caring for Muslim pa- tients and family. A holistic approach to health care demands