In contrast to modern Western civilization, the classical Islamic tradition does not separate science from religion. Accordingly, one finds that both the Qur'an and the traditions of the prophet Muhammad are saturated with references to learning, education, observation, and the use of reason in all realms of life – medicine and health care included.
Islam teaches individuals and societies how to live a physically, mentally, and morally upright life. The Islamic legal system, derived from the Qur'an and sunnah (traditions of the Prophet), aims at creating a healthy environment that will have a positive effect on an individual's physical, mental, and spiritual development.
At a physical level, the Qur'an and sunnah encourage healthy eating, and at the same time forbid all substances that cause bodily harm: intoxicants, drugs, and so forth. Fruits and vegetables, dates, yogurt, camel milk, natural honey, black seeds, and the like are especially emphasized for their nutritious quality and health benefits. The Qur'an also addresses various diseases, especially of the heart, which often lead to direct or indirect physical and mental ailments. It mentions blindness, deafness, lameness, and leprosy, as well as mental disorders, including psychoses, and neurotic diseases, such as sadness and anxiety. But its primary focus is on moral and ethical diseases. The Qur'an itself is referred to as a book of healing.
The large number of prophetic sayings in the area of medicine and health led to the development of an entire discipline known as al-Tibb al-Nabawi (medicine of the Prophet). Imam Bukhari, the most authentic collector of prophetic sayings, narrates 129 hadiths directly related to medicine and devotes two books to medicine and patients. Prophetic statements – such as ''There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment'' – provided a strong impetus for Muslim scholars to undertake medical investigations. From the ninth to thirteenth centuries C.E., Muslims scholars made numerous contributions to the field. In addition to being medical practitioners, these scholars possessed encyclopedic knowledge of theology, law, and philosophy.
The traditional Islamic medical system that developed in the classical period contains a mixture of spiritual and physical elements, including the use of natural substances and certain Islamic supplications for healing and cures. It includes preventive measures, curative medicine, mental healing, surgery, and most importantly, spiritual cures for both the body and the soul. The scientific and medical achievements made during the classical Islamic period had a significant influence on the formation and development of modern medicine in Europe.
Contemporary Islamic Approaches to Medicine
Muslims today approach medicine and health care in various ways. There are some Muslims, particularly those in rural areas with limited access to modern medical facilities, who completely reject modern medicine. Many of these people prefer to rely on a combination of supplications and traditional medical treatments. Accordingly, it is quite common to find traditional healers working today who continue to rely on a mixture of Qur'anic verses, water, local herbs, ornaments, oil, or honey for their medical treatments. Unfortunately, not all of these practitioners have medical training, and some become involved in superstitious practices that contradict Islamic norms and values.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are secular Muslims, with little knowledge of or regard for Qur'anic injunctions and Prophetic statements in the medical sphere, who prefer to rely completely on modern medicine. The vast majority of Muslims, however, fall somewhere between these two groups. They believe that prayer, supplications, Qur'anic recitation, and dhikr (remembrance of Allah) play an important role in healing and recovery, but they also recognize the benefits of modern medicine.
The last few decades have witnessed a renewed interest in reviving traditional Islamic medical knowledge and combining it with the latest advancements in modern medicine. Many seminars, conferences, books, publications, and medical associations have been devoted to this revival, as well as to generating a precise definition of ''Islamic medicine.'' For some, the term means a return to classical Islamic medicine. Accordingly, institutes such as the Hamdard Foundation in Pakistan and the National Research Center and the Desert Institute, both in Egypt, were established to undertake clinical studies on the efficacy of the medical teachings found in the sunnah.
For other Muslims, however, Islamic medicine entails applying Islamic values and paradigms to any type of medicine, thereby ''Islamizing'' it. Omar Kasule, the deputy dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the International Islamic University Malaysia, defines Islamic medicine as a system of basic paradigms, concepts, values, and procedures that conform to, or do not contradict, the Qur'an and Prophetic traditions. It is universal and can be defined only in terms of values and ethics, not as specific medical procedures or therapeutic agents.
Significance for Modern Medicine
What do these traditional and contemporary understandings of Islamic medicine have to offer modern medicine? The answer cannot be separated from what Islam has to offer to mankind. Islamic teachings offer guidance on how to live a physically, mentally, and spiritually upright life. Many of the ailments humans suffer from today are diseases of the soul, which stem from societal and environmental factors that are difficult for medication alone to cure. Drugs can never remove the causes of loneliness, estrangement of family members, or lack of self-worth – but Islamic medicine can. Instead of reducing humans, ailments, and treatments strictly to their physical and mental dimensions, as secularly trained and oriented medical practitioners are prone to do, Islamic medicine uses a multipronged approach that focuses on the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the problem at both individual and societal levels.
In contrast to contemporary views, disease does not always have a negative connotation in Islam. According to the classical Islamic scholar Imam al-Ghazzali, ''illness is one of the forms of experience by which man arrives at knowledge of God.'' Other Muslim scholars argue that falling ill may be Allah's way of forcing the person to rest or care for the body before it deteriorates further.
Both medical practitioners and patients must know the limits of the former's capabilities. From a Muslim point of view, life and death are ultimately derived from God. No human can give life or take death away. As such, medical personnel do not have the privilege of saying anything definitive about future prognosis. Instead, they are obliged to assist the patient to the best of their abilities and leave the rest to Allah. Such an approach may have a positive effect on reducing the number of medical lawsuits that occur in some countries.
Last but not least, Islamic medicine can provide a code of ethics for medical practitioners. Muslim medical personnel are subject to shariah (Islamic law), on both a personal and professional level, but particularly in terms of their obligations towards patients, community, and society. As such, they are obliged to be sincere, remain humble, and constantly strive to seek the pleasure of Allah, with the consciousness that Allah is the All-Knowing.
Author:
Ahmad F. Yousif is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the Institute of Islamic Studies and Head of Educational Technology Center, University of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam.