Abstract
After September 11, 2001, it was apparent that Islam was a misunderstood religion in the United States. Developed in the Middle East in the 7th century, Islam is a monotheistic religious tradition that was founded on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. According to Islam, God created humans and gave them bodies to care for. Islamic medicine is distinct from Prophetic Medicine as it is a body of knowledge of medicine inherited by Muslims in the early phase of Islamic history. Islamic medicine brought together religion, ethics, and science that produced significant advances in health. Human have been searching for ways to remain healthy and stay alive since the dawn of civilization. There is a division among Muslims and common goals and practices. Some Muslims follow certain clerics where others consider their relationship to be with God.
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"Medicine in Islam".
Medicine in Islam
After September 11, 2001, it was apparent that Islam was a misunderstood religion in the United States. Similar to many other religions, Islam is made up of many cultures, perspectives, and world views that are often ignored by many who have been influenced by the acts of terror committed by a few. Islam has a strong negative stereotype that it is associated with (Hossain 49). It is the second largest religion in the world and represents approximately one fourth of the global population. The religion shapes medical practice and how Muslims view and experience medical care (Inhorn and Serour 935). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the history behind Islam and how it helped develop medicine.
Developed in the Middle East in the 7th century, Islam is a monotheistic religious tradition that was founded on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. It is an expression of the surrender of will to Allah who is considered to be the creator and sustainer of the world. The sacred text of Islam is the Quran which contains the teachings of Muhammad as revealed to him by Allah. According to the Islam religion, Allah is the true God with no equal or partner. The Five Pillars are the fundamental practices of Islam. These five practices include: (1) ritual profession of faith, (2) ritual prayer, (3) zakat (charity), (4) fasting, and (5) a pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). Muslims pray to Allah five times a day and they gather at Mosques to pray, study scriptures, and worship Allah. Although born in the Arabian Peninsula, Islam now has significant influence in Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia (‘Islam’).
The roots of Islam in the United States can be traced all the way back to Columbus in 1492. It continued with the slave trades as many slaves were followers of Islam. Many Americans associate Islam with Arabs or Middle Eastern People. However, only 20% of Muslims originate from the Middle East. In fact, Muslims are very diverse and originate from many nationalities from many continents. They speak many different languages and have diverse socioeconomic statuses. In addition, they have diverse cultural backgrounds (Hussani 50). Islam can be best defined as ‘a universal, multicultural, and multiracial religion’ (Hussani 51).
According to Islam, God created humans and gave them bodies to care for. The Islamic scriptures contain many verses pertaining to health and healing. These early prescriptions were considered prophetic medicine and included the importance of a healthy lifestyle personal hygiene, the cleanliness of food, abstaining from alcohol, and praying to promote healing. Prophetic medicine are the actions and thoughts of Prophet Muhammed in regard to treatment, nutrition, and hygiene. Prophet Muhammed stated that every disease has a remedy, but those that are not cured should be accepted as God’s will. Prophetic medical traditions encourage people to not only follow Muhammad’s teachings, but to search for their own cures. All medical advancements are seen as created under God’s providence and that doctors are undertaking God’s handiwork (Inhorn and Serour 936).
Islamic medicine is distinct from Prophetic Medicine as it is a body of knowledge of medicine inherited by Muslims in the early phase of Islamic history. The knowledge came primarily from the Greeks, but also from Persia, Syria, and India (Hussani 51). There were many notable developments in the field of medicine by Muslim physicians. Many pioneered the medical practices of diagnosis, cure, and prevention. A ninth century physician made the first major Muslim contribution in the field of medicine by treating smallpox and measles. The relationship between Islam and medicine is intimate as the religion has encouraged the use of science, medicine, and biotechnology in order to prevent human suffering. There is some contradiction in the use of some medical techniques. For example, infertility is mentioned in the Quran as a God-given reproductive impairment. Muslims with infertility are expected to accept having no children with grace. However, new reproductive technologies are considered God’s gift to couples who could not have children. God is seen as overcoming this reproductive affliction (Inhorn and Serour 937).
Muslims revolutionized the practice of medicine as physicians starting questioning medical traditions from the East and the West. Ibn al-Haytham, the father of optics, explained how vision occurs by taking into account various situations. Ibn al-Nafis, an Egyptian physician, discovered the circulation of blood. Ibn Sina collected Aristotelian and Greek theories with his own views and wrote the Canon of Medicine which became one of the most famous medical books in the world at the time. The use of medical schools and hospitals were expanded by Muslims. The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid founded his own hospital in Bagdad and soon hospitals were common place in the country. The hospitals were staffed by specialists and even had wards for the mentally ill (‘Medicine’).
Islamic medicine brought together religion, ethics, and science that produced significant advances in health. It created hospitals, sanitation systems, public baths, and fresh-water supplies. Restored health was often the result of changes in diet and regime. Muslim physicians were skilled and relied on listening to a person’s pulse and analyzing the color of urine. They developed pharmacology, surgical techniques, the use of animal gut in sutures, and the use of cotton to dress wounds. Muslims considered that disease was not the result of germs or viruses, but stemmed from the loss of balance between blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. The task was to discern the correct balance by taking into account such factors as age, gender, and the season of the year. Therapies such as massages, exercise, diet, rest, and the use of herbs and drugs were used to put the body back into proper balance (Lyons).
There is a division among Muslims and common goals and practices. Some Muslims follow certain clerics where others consider their relationship to be with God. There are some Muslims who know that they are breaking the rules, but they hope that God will forgive them. Others do not care and follow their own path. Some Muslims argue against medical technologies while others support medical interventions (Inhorn and Serour 937).
Human have been searching for ways to remain healthy and stay alive since the dawn of civilization. In the Islamic world, early Muslim physicians played a major role that affect our lives today. The Islamic world introduced the hospital that not only looked after the sick, but also looked for diagnosis, cures, and preventative medicines. Muslim physicians were the first to differentiate between measles and small pox. They diagnosed the plague, leprosy, gout, hemophilia, and rabies while Europe believed that many diseases were caused by demonic possessions. Obviously, healthcare has come a long way. Awareness is the most important factor in health and wellness. Much of this can be credited to Muslim physicians who shared what they knew about the mind, body, and spirit. The Islamic world had a major impact on health and wellness as we know it. Muslims were very progressive in their time and the people of the world still benefit from it today. This paper has provided a brief history of Islam. It summarized many of the contributions made by Muslim physicians in Islamic medicine. However, there is a distinction between Islamic Medicine and Prophetic Medicine.
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