Is it Permissible to Have a Rectal Check Done?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I have serious tailbone pain that my doctor suggests should be treated via a physiotherapist inserting her finger into the anus. It is used to check pain and even treat the pain by pressing pressure points therein. I rejected it the first time because obviously I felt shy and even though it might increase the pain. But now, after another scan, that is what she suggests again. Should I go ahead and hope for a cure like this? Or is it not befitting for a Muslima to accept this sort of treatment?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
It would be permissible to have your treatment and check done as a female by a female physiotherapist. This is one of the primary treatment points for tailbone pain that doesn’t improve.
As stated in Mayoclinic.org:
Tailbone pain that doesn’t improve is called chronic coccydynia. For tailbone pain that doesn’t go away, consult your health care provider. A rectal exam may be needed to rule out any other conditions. [Mayoclinic.org]
“If a woman has a wound in a part of the body that is impermissible for a male to look at, it will be impermissible for her to receive treatment from a male doctor; rather, a female should be instructed to treat her. If a female expert is not available, neither is there a female who can be instructed to treat her, then in such a case, it would be permitted for a male doctor to treat her, provided there is a genuine need. It will be necessary for her to cover other than the affected area, and he must lower his gaze as much as possible.
[Al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya]
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Related Answers
- Fiqh of Females Seeking Medical Treatment – SeekersGuidance
- Tailbone pain: How can I relieve it? – Mayo Clinic
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
