Notes on the book by Fazlur Rahman “Health and Medicine in the Islamic Tradition”

In his book Fazlur Rahman provides a thorough exploration of the way medicine had grown and had been used in the Islamic world. To do this he begins with the introduction to the history of Islam. Throughout this book we find that the relationship between Islam and medicine has been complex and uneven and it continues to be this way in our times. To understand this relationship the author provides a clear explanation of a Muslim point of view on the topics related to illness and medicine and historical facts that have influenced these views, such as general fatalism of the adepts of Islam and the orthodox anti-intellectualism. At the same time, we find that despite these sides of Islamic ideology the authentic Islamic spirit permitted for the foundation of the hospitals and promotion of the study and practice of medicine. 

The idea of fatalism has been read differently by different schools. While some promoted the acceptance of illness as God’s will and relied solely on God for healing, others saw availability of doctor’s practice as God’s will, and turning to doctors for help as service to God through preserving personal health and life which are the first (after Islam) gift of God. Even Sufis who practiced detachment from personal desires and acceptance of everything, including illness, advocated for their followers to seek medical help, and then rely on God’s will for the healing. It is clearly explained in the quote from the Prophetic Medicine by al-Dhahabi:

 “Health is the most excellent of God’s blessings upon humanity (after Islam) for without it one can neither carry on his life business well nor can he obey God’s commands. There is, in fact, no other good like it, so man must be thankful for it and not ungrateful, for God’s Messenger — peace and blessings of God be upon him – said, ‘There are two blessings for which so many people are enviable, health and lack of worry.” (p. 47)

The multisided approach to health and medicine in the Islamic tradition continued into  modern times. The author explores some of the contemporary issues, such as birth control, reproduction, organ donation, and genetic engineering and demonstrates that these subjects should be approached with special attention to the Muslim mentality. 

Altogether, this book can be considered an extremely useful “manual” for those not familiar with all the details of the way medical issues are (and have been) viewed in the Islamic tradition. 

One of the points I’d like to focus on is that the theme of suffering keeps coming up in the book. The author shows that throughout the history of Islam some have argued that suffering borne with dignity can be the source of spiritual strength and reward. Illness and pain, as he describes, had the triple function of trial from God, of expiation of sins, and of reward in the future afterlife. This idea has grown from the generalization of the initial quote of the Prophet saying that only some illness served as way to martyrdom, such as plague or stomach disease, into the saying that “whoever dies from any illness is a martyr” (p. 46). 

It is not the first time that we find the idea of suffering coming from God. In fact, we see that all three Abrahamic religious traditions promote the idea of suffering as a way to martyrdom.  We also find that there are other teachings within each of these traditions that disagree with this notion, proposing instead that availability of cure is also part of the gifts from God. This discussion leads me to the thought that people are actually given a choice of how to see suffering. 

The choice to accept or deal with suffering leads us to the second issue I wanted to focus on – the holistic view on health in the Islamic tradition. First of all, the Qur’an’s notion of Universe being holistic implies that humans too are holistic and their physical health is connected to their  mental and spiritual health.  Therefore, the author proposes that the Qur’an’s teaching of moral virtue is also related to Islamic medicine and finds prescriptions that would protect one from his own weaknesses, such as narrow-mindedness, selfishness, and human pettiness. Rahman provides several accounts where doctors spoke of their work as spiritual service, and of patients seeking not only medical but also spiritual support to overcome disease. The self is viewed in Islam as a an internal unit of a whole Universe. 

This system works also in relation to the acceptance of suffering as in the surrender to the will of God one would gain the peace of mind which is necessary for healing. In fact, the idea of psychosomatic phenomenon of illness is clear in the Islamic teachings. As the author points out, according to this tradition excessive worry makes for physical illness in a person. This thought is further elaborated on in the description of the work of the most well known and influential doctor and philosopher in the history of Islam Ibn Sina, who states that there are physically sick people who get well through sheer willpower, and conversely, there are healthy person who become obsessed with the idea that they are sick, so that they really become sick (p. 36). 

The mind, according to this philosopher, belongs to the realm of higher metaphysical principles and rules over the matter. The cures brought by the suggestion and prayer are explained in terms of one’s mind being so powerful that it could influence not only the body of that individual but the bodies of others. Another quote supporting this set of ideas is of Ibn Qayyim al-Jauziya :

 “It has been experienced that when man’s spirit becomes strong and also the soul and bodily nature are strengthened, they cooperate in repelling disease and overcoming it, and this cannot be denied except by the most ignorant of people.'” (43) 

Finally, Rahman summarizes:

 “The integrality of the health of the whole person – spiritual, psychological, physical. and moral – is the essence of the message of the Prophetic Medicine.” (45)

The ideas of this book that I have brought forward have taken my attention as I am feeling that there is a connection between the psychosomatic reasons for physical disease and the attitude towards suffering. I must admit that I still have not come up with any conclusion on this account apart from already stated above assumption that acceptance of suffering as part of God’s will may interfere with the healing process. At the same time, a deep and sincere belief in the healing power of God may actually help the healing process.