Assalaamoalaikum I have problem of mild fecal incontinence that is even after washing too much i still see stains on tissue and my clothes. I also have OCD for impurity. I am a government employee and have medical insurance and want to pursue surgery for incontinence. Please reply my following queries: 1. If surgeon feels surgery is not necessary, but i go for surgery myself, then availing medical insurance would be permissible? 2. I might not have done pelvic floor exercises correctly, that were firstly told by surgeon, so if i pursue surgery, will it be permissible to avail medical insurance?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The ruling on availing oneself of the medical insurance to which an employee is entitled under the employment contract depends on the insurance system and the benefits agreed upon in the contract. This should be the case regardless of the nature of the insurance, whether commercial or cooperative (Islamic), because if an employer is bound to bear the medical costs for the employee and referred the employee to the insurance company to fulfill his due right, then the employee bears no sin for that.
Assuming that an employee is entitled to avail himself of the insurance when a need for medical treatment arises, then there is no harm on him (he is not sinful) for undertaking a surgical procedure to treat that incontinence, because it is an illness. The fact that it may be treated with other non-surgical methods does not forbid the employee from choosing surgery to treat it.
Allah Knows best.