Islamic medical knowledge

Is there an independent knowledge called "Islamic medicine" in the scientific heritage of Islam? And what is the solution in case of a conflict between modern medical knowledge and the recommendations in the traditions?

Has the religion of Islam made progress in the field of medicine like other fields, and is it responsible for the treatment of human physical diseases? In other words, is there an independent knowledge called "Islamic medicine" in the scientific heritage of Islam?

2. What kind of communication and interaction did the religious leaders and the medical community have?

3. What is the solution in case of conflict between modern medical knowledge and the recommendations in the traditions?

the most important part that should be addressed at the beginning is that;  whether Islam considers itself to be in charge of human physical treatment, or not? To explain this issue, it is necessary to analyze several points:

The first point: with a general look at the religious foundations, we will easily find that the main and primary goal of motivating the Prophet is the spiritual advancement of humans. [1]The Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself also says: I have been sent to raise the moral prominence of humans to its highest level. [2]

The second point: Man deals with hundreds, if not thousands of different specialized fields that he uses to improve his material life. Urban development and industries related to it, transportation industry, agricultural industry, conversion industry, etc., are among the things that mankind has been trying to develop qualitatively and quantitatively throughout history. Medicine is not an exception to these sciences, and there are doubts about the authenticity of the narration of “العلم علمان، علم الأدیان و علم الأبدان" to the Prophet (PBUH) or the Imams (PBUH), because this narration did not exist in the early sources and in the later sources. It also does not have a document.

The third point: Although the origin of all knowledge is God, but God did not send the prophets and imams to perfect the material sciences, rather, he entrusted the progress in all these fields, including medical knowledge, to the people themselves.

Therefore, we can see that during the presence of imams, their honorable companions were not prohibited from visiting doctors, even non-Muslim doctors.[3]   In another case, we see that after Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) was beaten, the doctors of Kufa came to his bedside[4], even though at that time, in addition to His Holiness, three other imams were also present by their side.

Therefore, one should not neglect modern knowledge and seek medical knowledge only among verses and traditions. Of course, Muslim doctors can use the Qur'anic verses and traditions as a source of inspiration to start new research, but they should not attribute it to Islam until it is proven and the "hypothesis" becomes an "accepted theory".

As an example, perhaps the Quranic phrase " فَضَرَبْنا عَلَى آذانِهِمْ" [5] inspires a Muslim doctor to pursue a research related to the hypothesis of "the connection between stimulation of the ears and sleep" or the hypothesis based on "the treatment of congenital blindness". and in this regard he puts forward a hypothesis inspired by the verses related to the miracle of Jesus Christ (PBUH) [6], but the result obtain in the end is the result of medical research and not religious research.

In any case, the permissibility of acquiring knowledge in the field of medicine and also the permissibility of practical visits to doctors show that Islam did not want to introduce itself as an authority for theorizing in this knowledge.

References:

[1]-هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ/ Juma,2

[2]- Majlesi, Mohammad Baqir, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 67, p. 372, Al-Wafa Foundation, Beirut, 1409 AH.

[3]- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 59, p. 65, h 9.

[4]- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, p. 234