History of the Islamic Golden Age | Religion, Science, & Culture in the Abbasid Empire
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the life and contributions of 10th-century Persian scholar Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known as the father of Islamic medicine. It explores his skepticism towards unproven medical claims, his advancements in medical ethics, and his comprehensive 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine.' The narrative also expands to the development of hospitals in the Islamic world, emphasizing the importance of healthcare as a religious duty. Furthermore, it touches on the polymath Ibn Sina, or Avicenna, whose 'Canon of Medicine' was a foundational text in medieval Europe, and his significant contributions to medical knowledge, including the recognition of airborne diseases and psychiatric conditions.
Takeaways
- 👨⚕️ Muhammad ibn Zakaria al-Razi, a 10th-century Persian scholar, was a pioneering medical scholar and practitioner, known for challenging the credentials of those claiming medical expertise without a solid foundation in anatomy.
- 📚 Al-Razi authored over 200 manuscripts, including 'Doubts about Galen', where he critiqued and expanded upon the theories of the ancient Greek physician Galen.
- 🏥 Al-Razi emphasized the importance of medical ethics, advocating for physicians to be role models for their patients and promoting the mind-body connection for overall health.
- 🌍 His 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine' became a foundational text in the medical field, influencing medical practice in the Middle East and Europe for centuries.
- 🏥 The development of hospitals in the Islamic world was significant, with facilities like the one in Baghdad serving as both treatment centers and medical schools.
- 🏢 Baghdad's hospital, commissioned by Al-Razi, was strategically built in an area with the healthiest air, reflecting an early understanding of environmental health.
- 📖 Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna in the West, was another influential figure in medieval medicine, authoring the 'Canon of Medicine', which became a standard medical text in Europe.
- 🔬 Ibn Sina made significant contributions to medical knowledge, including the recognition of airborne disease transmission and advancements in psychiatric conditions.
- 🌐 The Islamic Golden Age saw remarkable advances in medicine, with scholars building upon Greek, Roman, and Persian medical knowledge to create original works.
- 🤔 The debate between religious authorities and medical practitioners over the use of non-Islamic medical techniques was common, but the pursuit of knowledge often prevailed.
Q & A
What are the symptoms described at the beginning of the script that might be associated with glaucoma?
-The symptoms described include sudden and severe deterioration in eyesight, hazy vision, seeing rainbow-colored circles and bright lights, eye pain, and headaches.
Who was Muhammad ibn Zakaria Al-Razi and what is he known for?
-Muhammad ibn Zakaria Al-Razi, known as Rhazes in the West, was a 10th-century Persian scholar and polymath who made significant contributions to various fields including medicine. He is known for challenging the credentials of a man selling eye drops, questioning his basic understanding of anatomy, and for his extensive medical writings that became influential classics.
What did Al-Razi challenge in the existing medical theories of his time?
-Al-Razi challenged the theory of the four humors, which was thought to explain most human sickness if not in balance. He suggested there were other elements that Galen had failed to consider, such as oil, saltiness, inflammability, and sulfurous.
What was Al-Razi's view on the relationship between the mind and body in relation to health?
-Al-Razi believed in the mind-body connection and emphasized the importance of exercise, a healthy diet, and a responsible lifestyle for good health. He stated that a patient who refuses to take responsibility for their lifestyle, including overeating or not exercising, cannot be helped by a doctor.
What was significant about Al-Razi's 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine'?
-The 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine' was a compilation of Al-Razi's medical notes, surgical observations, diagnoses, and suggested treatments. It was one of the earliest medical encyclopedias and was used as a standard text in European universities for centuries.
How did the development of hospitals in the Islamic world differ from earlier models?
-The hospitals in the Islamic world were known as 'maristan', which means 'place of the sick'. They were more than just treatment centers; they were also medical schools. They were required to treat patients regardless of religion, race, citizenship, or gender, and all treatment was free.
What was unique about the hospital that Al-Razi ordered to be built?
-Al-Razi's hospital was unique in that it was built in the part of the city where animal carcasses rotted the slowest, indicating the healthiest air. It also included a lecture hall, kitchen, pharmacy, library, mosque, and a chapel for Christian patients, recognizing the importance of a healthy mind in a healthy body.
Who was ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna in the West, and what was his contribution to medicine?
-Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna in the West, was a polymath who wrote about 450 titles in his lifetime, with about 40 of these dealing with medicine. His most notable work was the 'Canon of Medicine', a five-volume text that became a standard medical reference in European universities until the 18th century.
What were some of the innovative practices introduced by ibn Sina in his medical teachings?
-Ibn Sina introduced practices such as the use of word association to diagnose 'love sickness', and he conducted experiments that demonstrated the connection between word association and heart rate. His teachings also emphasized the importance of exercise and diet for good health.
How did the Islamic Golden Age contribute to the growth of medical knowledge?
-The Islamic Golden Age contributed to the growth of medical knowledge by being receptive to new ideas and heritages, making major advances in health sciences, and advancing medical knowledge in areas such as surgery and understanding of the human body, independent of Greek, Roman, or Persian influence.
Outlines
👨⚕️ The Legacy of Al-Razi: Medicine in the Islamic Golden Age
This paragraph introduces the symptoms of glaucoma and its historical significance as a leading cause of blindness. It then delves into the story of 10th-century Persian scholar Al-Razi, who suffered from the disease. Despite his condition, Al-Razi became a prominent medical scholar, challenging quacks and contributing over 200 manuscripts to the field of medicine. His skepticism towards unqualified practitioners and his contributions to medical ethics, the mind-body connection, and patient care are highlighted. The paragraph also touches on his role in the development of hospitals and medicine in the Middle East, emphasizing his status as a foundational figure in Islamic medicine.
📚 Al-Razi's Medical Innovations and Critiques
Al-Razi is portrayed as a critical thinker who built upon the works of ancient Greek physicians like Hippocrates and Galen. He challenged established theories, such as the four humors, and proposed additional elements to consider in medical diagnoses. His humility is noted, despite his significant contributions to medical knowledge. Al-Razi also emphasized the importance of medical ethics, the role of the physician as a moral guide, and the significance of patient responsibility in health outcomes. His work on the classification of diseases, particularly smallpox and measles, and his comprehensive book of medicine are discussed, showcasing his lasting impact on the field.
🏥 The Evolution of Hospitals in the Islamic World
This section explores the development of hospitals in the Islamic world, starting with the pre-Islamic Gunda Shapur and the influence of the Byzantine Empire. The paragraph discusses the integration of various cultures in medical practice and the establishment of hospitals as both treatment centers and educational institutions. Al-Razi's role in hospital design and the importance of secular healthcare provision are highlighted. The growth of hospitals in response to urbanization and disease spread is also covered, emphasizing the role of government and private donors in healthcare.
🌟 Ibn Sina: The Polymath of the Islamic Golden Age
Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna in the West, is introduced as a polymath with significant contributions to medicine and philosophy. His 'Canon of Medicine' is discussed as a monumental work that influenced medical education in Europe for centuries. The paragraph outlines the structure of the 'Canon,' covering topics from medical principles and materia medica to organ functions and compound medicines. Ibn Sina's original discoveries, such as the airborne transmission of disease, and his contributions to psychiatry are also highlighted, showcasing his broad and deep impact on medical knowledge.
🔬 The Islamic Golden Age's Medical Advancements
The paragraph summarizes the medical advancements during the Islamic Golden Age, emphasizing the integration of various cultural influences and the expansion of medical knowledge beyond Greek, Roman, or Persian traditions. It discusses the importance of rational thought and the critical approach to religious authority in the pursuit of medical and scientific knowledge. The paragraph also touches on the debates between religious and scientific communities and the accusations of atheism against prominent scholars like Al-Razi and Ibn Sina. The narrative concludes with a reflection on the universality of medicine and science, independent of religious affiliations.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Glycoma
💡Muhammad ibn Zakaria al-Razi
💡Medical Ethics
💡Mind-Body Connection
💡Hospitals in Islamic Golden Age
💡Ibn Sina
💡Prophetic Medicine
💡Medical Encyclopedia
💡Medical Practitioner Licensing
💡Psychiatric Conditions
Highlights
Glycom is identified as the second most common cause of blindness by the World Health Organization.
In the 10th Century, Muhammad ibn Zakaria Al-Razi was an elderly scholar suffering from deteriorating eyesight.
Al-Razi challenged the credentials of a man selling eye drops, highlighting the importance of medical knowledge.
Al-Razi is known as the greatest medical scholar and practitioner of his time, writing over 200 manuscripts.
He challenged the theory of the four humors and contributed to the understanding of medical ethics.
Al-Razi emphasized the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and diet, for overall health.
He accurately described smallpox and measles, differentiating them and suggesting possible remedies.
Al-Razi's 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine' became a significant medical encyclopedia, used for centuries.
Al-Razi's hospital in Baghdad was a pioneering institution, combining treatment and medical education.
Islamic hospitals were secular, providing free healthcare regardless of religion, race, or gender.
Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna in the West, was a polymath with significant contributions to medicine.
Ibn Sina's 'Canon of Medicine' was a foundational text used in European universities until the 18th century.
Ibn Sina recognized the potential for airborne transmission of diseases, a significant advancement in medical understanding.
He conducted experiments demonstrating the connection between word association and heart rate.
Ibn Sina's work was not just medical; he was also a philosopher, contributing to various areas of study.
During the Islamic Golden Age, there was significant growth in medical knowledge and advancements in healthcare institutions.
Al-Razi and Ibn Sina were critical of certain aspects of organized religion, advocating for rational thought over blind faith.
Transcripts
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what would you do if you noticed a
sudden and severe deterioration in your
eyesight almost without warning your
vision has become hazy you see rainbow
colored circles and bright lights your
eyes hurt and you're suffering from
headaches you'd probably consult your
doctor who'd hopefully arrange for you
to see an eye specialist as soon as
possible the symptom I've described are
sometimes associated with glycom a
collection of eye diseases that the
World Health Organization identifies as
the second most common cause of
blindness while many forms of glycom are
treatable with medicine or an operation
this wasn't the case in the 10th
Century one 10th Century Persian
sufferer was an elderly scholar named
Muhammad IB Zakaria Al razi he relates
to us how he was approached by a man who
had some eye drops for sale that
supposedly would cure him rather than
dig into his purse Ali's response was to
quiz the man who claimed to be a doctor
how many layers are there in a human eye
al-razi asked the Healer didn't know so
the sufferer sent him away saying why
should I trust a medicine pedal by a man
without even a basic grasp of anatomy
at that time there was perhaps No One
Alive better qualified than alrai known
to us in English as raziz to challenge
the credentials of such a snake oil
salesman why because alrai was the
greatest medical scholar and
practitioner of his day he wrote more
than 200 manuscripts over the course of
his lifetime and many of his medical
texts became Classics that were still
still consulted in the Middle East and
Europe hundreds of years later it's no
wonder that he would become known as the
father of Islamic
medicine al-razi never regained his
eyesight but while he had it his
achievements were
legendary in this lecture we'll look at
Ali's life and work and explore progress
in medicine and the development of
hospitals all across the greater Middle
East from the middle of the 9th century
forward will also devote some time to
one of the greatest medical minds of all
time ibben Cena better known in the west
as
avisena so let's start our journey by
going back to Ali's early life before he
was losing his
eyesight grazis was born in 854 in the
Persian city of Ray hence his family
name of
alzi Reay is one of mod Iran's oldest
cities with a history of settlement
dating back to about 6,000
BC situated on the ancient Silk Road it
was an important center of trade and
Scholarship today it's part of Greater
tan the capital of
Iran verifiable facts about Ali's life
are scant as is the case with most
people from this period that said all
forces agree he developed a talent for
music early in life becoming an
accomplished OD player an OD is a
stringed instrument not unlike a
loot when he reached adulthood he put
music aside and took up alemy
mathematics philosophy and
literature by turns he excelled at and
then tired of all these subjects
eventually taking up medicine at around
the age of 30 and it's this subject to
which he dedicated the rest of his
life al-razi left Persia in order to
study medicine in the greatest City in
the Islamic world at that time
Baghdad in Baghdad he had access to
Arabic translations of the most
important medical men from the ancient
world of these the earliest was
Hippocrates the 4th Century BC Greek
physician who is considered the father
of Western medicine and from whom we get
the Hippocratic
Oath the second name was Galen a Greek
Doctor Who worked in the Roman Empire
during the 2 Century
ad like any good scholar alrai
acknowledged the Brilliance of these
ancient Greeks and the enormous debt
that scholarship owed them and others
from their day however like any great
scholar he built on their foundational
texts and when he surpassed them he said
so in his book doubts about Galen
al-razi challenged the theory of the
four humors which if they're not in
Balance was thought to explain most
human
sickness alrai suggested there were a
number of other elements that galin had
failed to consider such as oil saltiness
inflammability and
sulfurous even so alrai was humble
enough to add the
following it Grieves me to criticize the
man Galen from whose sea of knowledge I
have drawn so much indeed he is the
master and I am the disciple but this
reverence and appreciation should not
prevent me from doubting as I did what
is erroneous in his
theories he also attacked the writings
of hypocrates for being disorganized and
too brief before he would go on to write
a lengthier corrective text of his
own alrai also wrote extensively about
medical ethics and in a book called
medical ethics he talks about the
importance of Morality In medicine for
al-razi it wasn't enough for the
physician to be good at his job he
should also be a role model for his
patients he was also convinced of the
Mind Body Connection in pursuit of good
health
as well as the importance of exercise
and a healthy diet as he wrote If a
patient refuses to take responsibility
for their lifestyle including overeating
or not exercising then there is nothing
a doctor can do to help
them another important factor in general
good health was good doctor patient
relations as well as having a family
doctor who would understand the
patient's body over
time changing doctors on a regular basis
he said was a bad idea that could do
little more than waste a patient's
health wealth and time not to mention
wasting the doctor's time as
well further alrai has been acknowledged
as the first person to fully and
accurately describe small poox and
measles noting the important differences
between the two as well as offering
possible
remedies his book The diseases of
children was also the first to deal with
Pediatrics as an independent field of
medicine Ali's medical notes surgical
observations along with numerous new
diagnoses and suggested treatments were
compiled after his death in what's now
known in English as the comprehensive
book of
medicine the comprehensive book of
Medicine
was not only a tribute to al-harazi's
Brilliance but because he was so
diligent about quoting his sources it
also presents a complete catalog of all
existing medical scholarship then
available from ancient Greece India and
elsewhere in this way it was one of the
earliest medical
encyclopedias so vast and detailed was
this text that European medical students
were still using Latin translations 700
years after Ali's death under Ali's
strictly rationalist scientific approach
every disease was thought to have a
cause or origin that could ultimately be
understood through
research sickness he held was not as
some men of religion claimed a
punishment from
God he encouraged doctors to read the
latest Medical treatises in order to
keep up with developments that they
might otherwise be ignorant of and for
those who might not want to consult a
doctor at the first sign of an illness
he wrote the first medical manual for
home
use entitled a medical adviser for the
general public this helpful compendium
would remain a popular reference for
many in the west until as late as the
early 20th
century Ali's manual included treatments
for everyday complaints such as
headaches coughs colds and indigestion
as well as for more serious ailments for
Melancholia he advised taking extract of
poppies I.E opium because of its
euphoric
qualities and fortunately for all of his
medical knowledge and insight he was
unable to do anything for his own
failing
eyesight towards the end of his life
when fully blind a trusted surgeon
offered to operate to try to restore his
eyesight alrai
replied I've seen enough of this old
world and I do not cherish the idea of
suffering the ordeal of an operation for
the hope of seeing more of
it I'm going to broaden our Horizon now
to look beyond the numerous innovations
that alrai introduced for the treatment
of individual patients to look at the
work he and others did to help improve
care for the sick as a whole I e in the
development of
hospitals one of the most famous
hospitals in the pre-islamic world or
before the 7th century was in Gunda
shapur
Persia founded in the late 3r Century
records show that Gunda shapur was not
unlike a modern teaching hospital that's
to say a place both for treating the
sick and for training the next
generation of medical
practitioners in the Eastern Roman or
Byzantine Empire a decree was issued in
325 ad at the Council of
NAA that a hospital should be
established in every cathedral town of
the
Empire so what changed after the dawn of
Islam and the conquests of this new
military and political
force for one thing the Conquering Arabs
found themselves ruling over large
non-muslim majority
territories also the Arabs found
themselves exposed to far more
sophisticated cultures not least in the
major cities of the Byzantine Empire to
the west and Persia to the east of the
Arabian Desert
Heartland the first doctors under Muslim
rule were mostly Jews Christians and
zoroastrians only later would Muslims
produce their own medical practitioners
who worked alongside and learned from
their peers from other cultures after
all like science in general medicine is
a
religious I should mention in passing
that there is something called prophetic
medicine but this relates specifically
and very narrowly to the traditional
medical practices from Muhammad's
Lifetime and upon which Muhammad himself
offered an opinion it is said for
instance that Muhammad believed every
disease had both to cause and a
cure one of the more famous sayings on
this subject attributed to Muhammad says
make use of medical treatment for God
has not made a disease without
appointing a remedy for it with the
exception of one disease namely old
age many suggested cures involved
ingesting a particular food or drink
honey was thought to ate all kinds of
healing while olive oil was recommended
for numerous internal
complaints so too I should mention was a
mixture of camel urine and milk I think
I'll stick to the olive
oil the first notable medical facility
founded in the new Muslim Middle East
was in Damascus Syria in around
707 established with the help of Jewish
and Christian doctors this was less a
hospital per se than a leprosa a place
to isolate those suffering from
leprosy the first proper Hospital built
in the Islamic world was in Baghdad
during the reign of the caleff harun AL
Rashid of Arabian kns Fame that's to say
between 786 and
809 these hospitals were known by the
Persian word by
maristan Stan means place as in
usbekistan place of the USCS while B
means sick thus the place of the sick
just as the German word crankin house
means the house for the
sick the growth of ever larger cities is
precisely what necessitated the
development of
hospitals more people living in closer
proximity meant that diseases could and
did spread more rapidly through urban
populations in order to maintain healthy
subjects
the government paid for the building and
maintenance of these
hospitals at the same time government
services were unable to keep up with
demand so private donors also funded the
establishment of medical centers that
were open to the general
public in both cases the provision of
healthc care was in part seen as a
religious Duty and so all treatment was
free yet hospitals remained essentially
secular institutions in that they were
obliged to treat patients regardless of
religion race citizenship or
gender nor was there a limit to how long
a patient could stay
admitted hospitals were required to keep
patients until they were fully
recovered by the 9th century baghdad's
Hospital employed 25 staff
Physicians as Baghdad grew so did its
need for more hospitals
and here again we see alzi at
work commissioned to build a new
hospital alrai ordered that animal
carcasses be hung in various parts of
the city once in place he observed the
different rates at which each carcass
rotted and ordered the new hospital to
be built where putrification was slowest
noting that this was probably the part
of the city with the best healthiest
air Ali's hospital had a lecture hall
kitchen Pharmacy Library mosque and a
chapel for Christian
patients recognizing the importance of a
healthy mind in a healthy body
recreational materials were also made
available and musicians were employed to
entertain the
patients and as I've mentioned the
hospital wasn't just a treatment center
but it was also a medical school
basic science was taught through a
combination of private shors self-study
and public
lectures students were also responsible
for keeping patient records another
Innovation from this
period by this time doctors had to be
registered and licensed in order to
practice and hospitals were supervised
by a combination of doctors and lay
administrators by the year a th000 there
were at least 30 hospitals noted from
Islamic Spain to Tunisia and Egypt in
North Africa to Persia in the
East hospitals were also required to
have separate but equally equipped Wards
for men and women with patients attended
to by gender segregated nurses and
staff patients were kept in separate
Wards for either the contagious or
non-contagious and there were also
separate Wom for mental health eye
diseases and
surgery now let's turn our attention to
one of the greatest polymaths of all
time with expertise in numerous
different areas of study this was ibben
Cena or avisena as he's better known in
the West born around 980 in modern day
usbekistan he wrote about 450 titles in
his lifetime of which more than half
survive about 40 of these deal with
medicine including the five volume Canon
of medicine completed around the year
1025 ibin Cena was widely described in
medieval Europe as the father of early
modern medicine though his work as a
philosopher was even more important but
that's a story for another
day Ian Cena began studying medicine at
the tender age of 13 and was practicing
at
16 while still a teen teenager his
medical knowledge saved the life of the
local salmonid or Persian Sunni
ruler his Cannon of medicine was
arguably the greatest medical text ever
written up to that point in history it's
also one of the most influential over
time with this million-word manuscript
still being used as a standard text in
European universities during the 18th
century inspired by Galen and and
originally compiled to be used as a
textbook for students under his tutelage
ibben Cena's Cannon would go on to be
translated and studied by generations of
Scholars for centuries to
come divided into five volumes the first
part is a compendium of medical
principles including anatomy and regimen
which is to say prescribed courses of
treatment and changes in lifestyle or
Diet to promote the restoration of good
health
volume two is a Materia Medica or
alphabetical list of about 800 simple as
opposed to compound medical substances
with notes on their properties and
uses volume three outlines the function
of each organ and body part before
offering the diagnosis and treatments
for the diseases that can affect each
body part in turn organized literally as
a head totoe guide volume four four
deals with ailments that affect more
than one part of the body at a time or
indeed the entire body such as a fever
and volume Five is a formulary of some
650 compound medicines then in
use translated into Latin by Gerard of
Crona in the late 13th century ibben
Cena's Cannon quickly became the
standard text for medical students in
Europe and would remain so in
universities from Oxford to Paris and
Padua in Italy until the start of the
17th
century apart from its encyclopedic
nature its continuing popularity was
probably helped by the memorable
aphorisms that scatter the
text for instance noting the importance
of exercise and diet for good health
iben Cena wrote movement can replace
many drugs but no drug can ever replace
movement and another if you have eaten
too much stay hungry the next
day even more dramatically ibben Cena
opined that an ignorant doctor is the
aid to Camp of death you have been
warned Ean Cena is credited with
advancing medical knowledge through
original discoveries and with
improvements to the existing body of
knowledge one of his most important
discoveries was his recognition of the
potential for the Airborne transmission
of
disease he was also the first to
correctly identify the distinction
between central and peripheral facial
paralysis and he accurately described
the curse of infection from the guinea
worm iben Cena also conducted
groundbreaking research in psychiatric
conditions never the most glamorous
branch of Medicine
in his time many less scientifically
minded people saw mental illness as a
punishment from God and so in some sense
something not to be meddled
with other writings cover the treatment
of kidney diseases the production and
use of heart medicines and a series of
experiments that demonstrated the
connection between word association and
heart rate and which led to a successful
diagnosis of Love sickness
as proof of this a king's nephew was
brought to Ian Cena and he was told to
diagnose the young man's ailment the
prince apparently a healthy young man
nevertheless was suffering from
sleeplessness loss of appetite dizziness
and a raft of other
symptoms iben Cena after considering his
options set about monitoring the young
man's heart rate while carefully
uttering the names of different
districts in the
city noting that the young man's heart
fluttered when a certain District was
mentioned he then mentioned the names of
streets within that District again
monitoring the young man's
pulse finally he went through a list of
women's names and again noted the
prince's
reaction at the end of his experiment
ibben Cena told the patient that he was
in love with a certain woman and that
the best cure was
marriage embarrassed the prince admitted
that iben Cena was
right the King was told a marriage was
arranged and the symptoms disappeared
literally
overnight while a Charming Story the
most important factor to note is that
ibben Cena's experiments with word
association prefigured by some 900 years
the very same experiments that Carl Yung
was famous for in the 20th
century as we approach the end of this
lecture let's consider in Broad terms
the growth in medical knowledge during
the Islamic Golden
Age medieval Islam's receptiveness to
new ideas and heritages helped it make
major advances during this time adding
to earlier medical ideas and
techniques this expanded the Health
Sciences and corresponding institutions
and Advanced Medical knowledge in areas
such as surgery and understanding of the
human body independent of Greek Roman or
Persian
influence these advances were indeed
remarkable yet when we talk about
medicine or for that matter mathematics
chemistry or any of the
Sciences we should also remember that
the subject is not Islamic per se
Lancing a boil or amputating a limb is
no more Islamic than it is Jewish
Christian or Buddhist medicine is
medicine and science is
science however the vast majority of
scholarship that took place in the
medical Sciences in the Muslim Middle
East at this time was initially written
down in
Arabic this was true for the
translations and compilations made of
earlier Greek texts and for the mass of
original scholarship that also took
place at this
time few if any credible Scholars of the
day claimed that Islam was the key to
all their knowledge or proof of the
rightness of their vision of the one
God now at various times during the
Islamic Golden Age there were
prohibitions on Muslims visiting Jewish
and Christian doctors in case they
described a course of treatment or
medicine that would harm or even kill
it's been noted however that such
injunctions were almost universally
ignored then as now anyone in need of
medical help couldn't care less about a
doctor's religious Faith but rather his
or her skill and track record as a
doctor there were also periodic debates
among Muslim theologians as to whether
Muslim Physicians should use Greek
Chinese and Indian medical techniques
seen by many as
Pagan typically those lacking
imagination or common sense lost out to
the more broad-minded men of both
religion and Science and Islamic
Physicians were given free reign to
study and adopt any techniques they
wished even so both alrai and avisena
were accused by critics of atheism
during their lifetimes a serious charge
indeed both men were certainly critical
of certain aspects of organized religion
and in particular of poorly educated
religious authorities who praised Blind
Faith over rational
thought alzi believed that the common
people had been duped into belief by
religious authority figures and by the
status quo as a result he criticized
religious adherence for not more
actively challenging their received
wisdom with rational
analysis instead he contended the
faithful sometimes acted violently when
asked to defend their
faith alzi said if the people of this
religion are asked about the proof for
the soundness of their religion
they flare up get angry and spill the
blood of whoever confronts them with
this question they forbid rational
speculation and strive to kill their
adversaries this is why truth became
thoroughly silenced and
concealed writing about the God of the
Old Testament demanding sacrifices alrai
wrote this sounds like the words of the
needy rather than of the loable
self-sufficient one
alrai believed that the existence of
many different religions was in itself
evidence that religion was the creation
of humans rather than the
Divine but alrai does not own the final
word in the ongoing debate between
agnostics atheists and the
faithful iban Rush argued to the
contrary that whoever becomes fully
aware of the wonders of human anatomy
and physiology will find his faith in
God
increases
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