ORIGINAL PAPER Why Cancer Patients Seek Islamic Healing Norhasmilia Suhami 1 • Mazanah Bt Muhamad 1,2 • Steven Eric Krauss 3 Published online: 21 September 2015 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015 Abstract Islamic healing is frequently referred to as the treatment of choice by many Muslim cancer patients in Malaysia. Despite its widespread use, there is limited infor- mation relating to patients’ healing preferences. With rising cancer rates in the country, this issue has become a concern to public health policy makers. The purpose of this study was to understand why cancer patients seek Islamic healing. This qualitative study utilized in- depth interviews with 18 cancer patients. The findings indicate three main reasons: (1) recommendations from family, friends and doctors; (2) belief in Islamic healing and (3) the perceived ineffectiveness and dissatisfaction with conventional treatments. Islamic healing will likely continue to be popular complementary cancer treatment in Malaysia as it is grounded in strong cultural and religious beliefs. Keywords Islamic healing Á Complementary treatment Á Cancer Á Cancer patients Introduction Incidence of cancer continues to increase worldwide, especially in developing nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2005, seventy percent of deaths related to cancer occurred in developing countries. By 2015, the number of deaths is expected to rise to 9 million and continuously increase to 11.5 million by 2030 (WHO 2007). Over half & Norhasmilia Suhami norhasmilia@gmail.com 1 Professional Development and Continuing Education, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia 2 Cancer Resource and Education Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia 3 Institute for Social Science Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia 123 J Relig Health (2016) 55:1507–1518 DOI 10.1007/s10943-015-0114-6