Introduction to Islamic Medicine
By: Dr. Amir Saleh
By: Dr. Amir Saleh
Islamic medicine is the science that combines medical knowledge accumulated over the ages with divine wisdom as stated in the Holy Quran and the Noble Prophetic Sunnah. It is not just a set of recipes and treatments, but rather a comprehensive approach to life and health that relies on balance between body, soul, and mind. It is one of the most prominent aspects of Islamic civilization and has contributed greatly to the development of medical sciences and made great contributions to humanity.
History of Islamic Medicine: “A Long-standing Legacy and an Eternal Impact”
The history of this science dates back to the early eras of Islam when Muslims paid great attention to health and treatment, guided by the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Noble Prophetic Sunnah.
History of Islamic Medicine: “A Long-standing Legacy and an Eternal Impact”
The history of this science dates back to the early eras of Islam when Muslims paid great attention to health and treatment, guided by the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Noble Prophetic Sunnah.
- The emergence and development of Islamic medicine in the Golden Age: The Abbasid era in the eighth and ninth centuries AD, which is known as the Golden Age of Islam, witnessed a remarkable development in the field of medicine. Hospitals and medical centers were established, and medical books were translated from Greek, Syriac, and Persian into Arabic.
•The role of Muslim scholars: Many Muslim scholars who contributed to the development of medicine, including:
Ibn Sina: Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn Sina, known as Ibn Sina, is considered one of the most prominent Muslim doctors and philosophers. A thousand books "The Laws of Medicine" became a basic reference for medicine in Europe until the Middle Ages.
Al-Razi: Muhammad ibn Zakariya Al-Razi was an encyclopedic scholar, and he made great contributions in the fields of medicine, chemistry, and pharmacy.
Al-Zahrawi: Abu Al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi was famous for his writings in the field of surgery, and he provided an accurate description of innovative surgical tools.
Bimaristans: Muslims established bimaristans, which were hospitals equipped with the latest medical technologies at that time, and provided medical care to patients from all social classes. Muslim Achievements in Medicine.
Anatomy: Muslim doctors performed precise dissections of the human body, and described the body’s organs and their functions accurately.
Surgery: Muslims made great progress in the field of surgery, developed advanced surgical tools, and some of them performed complex surgical operations.
Pharmacy: Muslims contributed to the development of pharmacy, discovered many medicines and herbal drugs, and established pharmacies equipped with medical tools and materials.
Infectious diseases: Muslim doctors were interested in studying infectious diseases and developed preventive measures to limit their spread.
Surgery: Muslims made great progress in the field of surgery, developed advanced surgical tools, and some of them performed complex surgical operations.
Pharmacy: Muslims contributed to the development of pharmacy, discovered many medicines and herbal drugs, and established pharmacies equipped with medical tools and materials.
Infectious diseases: Muslim doctors were interested in studying infectious diseases and developed preventive measures to limit their spread.
Islamic Medicine Departments:
Islamic medicine, with its wide ramifications and historical depth, cannot be reduced to a single mold. Rather, it is an integrated system that combines preventive methods and theoretical and applied knowledge, based on the principles and provisions of Islamic law. In general, Islamic medicine can be divided into the following sections:
Islamic medicine, with its wide ramifications and historical depth, cannot be reduced to a single mold. Rather, it is an integrated system that combines preventive methods and theoretical and applied knowledge, based on the principles and provisions of Islamic law. In general, Islamic medicine can be divided into the following sections:
1- Preventive Islamic medicine Public health: It is concerned with preventing diseases and improving the general health of society. He is the one who takes care of the body, soul, and mind of the human being before the disease occurs. For this reason, many Islamic doctors have written many books and works about the importance of ablution, prayer, fasting, and walking, and they have written many research papers. In these aspects that care for the body, they classified other researchers interested in the psychological aspect and that prevention is focused on the social protection of the human being from the existence of the family and the rational being who bears the burden on the human being. He raised and recommended communication and visits to fill the gaps of psychological loneliness through social communication, as man is a social being in himself, keen on communicating with society and those around him, so maintaining kinship ties and visiting the sick were Congratulating the newborn and offering condolences by holding banquets to gather loved ones is protection from psychological illnesses and from the loneliness that leads to depression, as happens in many Western countries.
2- Islamic therapeutic medicine, which includes:
a. Theoretical Medicine:
•Medical Philosophy: deals with human nature, the relationship between the body and the soul, the causes of diseases, and methods of prevention and treatment.
• Anatomy and Physiology: a study of the structure of the body and the functions of its organs, based on anatomical observations and practical experiments.
•Pathology: the study of diseases, their causes and symptoms, and methods of diagnosing and treating them.
• Pharmacy: the study of herbal and mineral medicines, and the method of preparing and using them.
B. Applied Medicine:
•Surgery: Includes various surgical operations, from simple to complex surgeries, and the use of surgical tools. Cupping is included under it.
•Internal Medicine: Deals with diseases that affect the internal organs of the body.
• Ophthalmology: It deals with eye diseases and methods of treatment.
• Dentistry: It deals with the teeth, gums, and their diseases.
C. Psychological, mental, and spiritual medicine:
•Psychology: It deals with the study of the human psyche, its diseases, and methods of treatment.
•Spiritual medicine: It is related to the spiritual side of man, and examines the relationship between health, faith, and piety. Legal Ruqyah, remembrances, and supplications are included in this aspect.
D. Social Medicine:
•Social Preventive Medicine: Focuses on disease prevention through following a healthy lifestyle and providing a healthy environment.
•Community medicine: It is concerned with providing health care to local communities and providing basic health services.
a. Theoretical Medicine:
•Medical Philosophy: deals with human nature, the relationship between the body and the soul, the causes of diseases, and methods of prevention and treatment.
• Anatomy and Physiology: a study of the structure of the body and the functions of its organs, based on anatomical observations and practical experiments.
•Pathology: the study of diseases, their causes and symptoms, and methods of diagnosing and treating them.
• Pharmacy: the study of herbal and mineral medicines, and the method of preparing and using them.
B. Applied Medicine:
•Surgery: Includes various surgical operations, from simple to complex surgeries, and the use of surgical tools. Cupping is included under it.
•Internal Medicine: Deals with diseases that affect the internal organs of the body.
• Ophthalmology: It deals with eye diseases and methods of treatment.
• Dentistry: It deals with the teeth, gums, and their diseases.
C. Psychological, mental, and spiritual medicine:
•Psychology: It deals with the study of the human psyche, its diseases, and methods of treatment.
•Spiritual medicine: It is related to the spiritual side of man, and examines the relationship between health, faith, and piety. Legal Ruqyah, remembrances, and supplications are included in this aspect.
D. Social Medicine:
•Social Preventive Medicine: Focuses on disease prevention through following a healthy lifestyle and providing a healthy environment.
•Community medicine: It is concerned with providing health care to local communities and providing basic health services.
The importance of integrating Islamic medicine with modern medicine
Integrating Islamic medicine with modern medicine is a trend that is receiving increasing attention in our contemporary world, due to the many benefits it brings to human health and well-being. This integration aims to benefit from the best of what modern science has achieved while preserving the values and principles brought by Islam in the field of health and treatment.
Integrating Islamic medicine with modern medicine is a trend that is receiving increasing attention in our contemporary world, due to the many benefits it brings to human health and well-being. This integration aims to benefit from the best of what modern science has achieved while preserving the values and principles brought by Islam in the field of health and treatment.
The importance of this integration lies in several main points:
•Integration between science and faith: This integration presents a distinctive model of integration between science and faith. Where scientific evidence is used, taking into consideration religious guidelines that encourage health care and disease prevention.
• To prevent diseases: Islamic medicine encourages the prevention of diseases by following a healthy lifestyle, which is in line with the trend of Modern science in the field of preventive medicine. A clear example of this is abstaining from smoking, drugs, alcohol, and forbidden sexual relations.
• Comprehensive treatment: This combination provides comprehensive treatment for the patient, where the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the disease are addressed.
•Attention to the psychological and spiritual aspects: Islamic medicine emphasizes the importance of the psychological and spiritual aspects in human health, which is consistent with modern theories in psychology.
•Therapeutic efficiency: Islamic medicine can provide effective therapeutic solutions for some diseases, especially those that are difficult to treat using traditional methods.
•Providing integrated health care: This integration contributes to providing integrated health care for patients, combining the best of Eastern and Western medicine.
•Enhancing trust in the health system: This integration can contribute to enhancing people’s trust in the health system, by offering a variety of treatment options that meet their needs.
•Preserving the heritage: This integration helps preserve the Islamic medical heritage and highlight its scientific and humanitarian value.
Examples of applications of this integration:
•Prophetic medicine: studying the prophetic hadiths related to health and treatment, extracting general principles from them, and applying them in the modern era.
• Medicinal herbs: Using medicinal herbs mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah, with verification of their effectiveness through scientific studies.
• Healthy nutrition:Promoting healthy, balanced nutrition that is consistent with the teachings of Islam.
• Psychiatry: Using psychological methods inspired by Islamic heritage to treat mental illnesses.
•Preventive medicine: Focusing on disease prevention through adopting a healthy lifestyle and providing a healthy environment.
•Integration between science and faith: This integration presents a distinctive model of integration between science and faith. Where scientific evidence is used, taking into consideration religious guidelines that encourage health care and disease prevention.
• To prevent diseases: Islamic medicine encourages the prevention of diseases by following a healthy lifestyle, which is in line with the trend of Modern science in the field of preventive medicine. A clear example of this is abstaining from smoking, drugs, alcohol, and forbidden sexual relations.
• Comprehensive treatment: This combination provides comprehensive treatment for the patient, where the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the disease are addressed.
•Attention to the psychological and spiritual aspects: Islamic medicine emphasizes the importance of the psychological and spiritual aspects in human health, which is consistent with modern theories in psychology.
•Therapeutic efficiency: Islamic medicine can provide effective therapeutic solutions for some diseases, especially those that are difficult to treat using traditional methods.
•Providing integrated health care: This integration contributes to providing integrated health care for patients, combining the best of Eastern and Western medicine.
•Enhancing trust in the health system: This integration can contribute to enhancing people’s trust in the health system, by offering a variety of treatment options that meet their needs.
•Preserving the heritage: This integration helps preserve the Islamic medical heritage and highlight its scientific and humanitarian value.
Examples of applications of this integration:
•Prophetic medicine: studying the prophetic hadiths related to health and treatment, extracting general principles from them, and applying them in the modern era.
• Medicinal herbs: Using medicinal herbs mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah, with verification of their effectiveness through scientific studies.
• Healthy nutrition:Promoting healthy, balanced nutrition that is consistent with the teachings of Islam.
• Psychiatry: Using psychological methods inspired by Islamic heritage to treat mental illnesses.
•Preventive medicine: Focusing on disease prevention through adopting a healthy lifestyle and providing a healthy environment.
Abdulla Rashed AlSuwaidi
P.O. Box 74
Ras AlKhaimah
United Arab Emirates
P.O. Box 74
Ras AlKhaimah
United Arab Emirates