'Long Time Coming

Well this is it. For the past few months I've been trying to motivate myself enough to write on this blog but it just isn't happening. So I've decided that it's time to close it down.

I still have plenty to write about so that's not the problem. The truth is, blogging just isn't enough for me anymore. I've noticed that a lot of blogs I used to read are going through similar phases so maybe blogging in general is losing its appeal.

I am very sorry to any readers out there who have been expecting further instalments of my Dissertation. After careful deliberation I've decided not to post anymore of it online. If anyone does want to read it, then please email me at desimonkeyhasspoken[at]gmail.com. Even though the blogging has come to an end, the email address will still be working.

Anyway, that's it! Take care of yourselves and go and spread the word: Desi Monkey Has Spoken.

A Study into Islam's Contribution to the Development of Medicine: Part 1

My disso's finally got the thumbs up from its most worthy critique (my bro,) so here's that post that I promised oh so long ago about it. To begin with, I've copy and pasted the entire Introduction below, but I'll be summarizing each of the chapters from here on in. Despite what my supervisor said, I maintain that the copyright and whatnot rests with me. If you want to know anymore about it, then feel free to either leave a comment on here, or email me (desimonkeyhasspoken@gmail.com). Next instalment will be in a week or two Insha'Allah (if God wills) depending on how my revision's going! Enjoy!

Introduction

Contemporary society is witnessing a conflict between religion and science in an increasingly secular world. In an environment where secularism has begun to penetrate every aspect of society’s infrastructure, we find a civilization that is questioning the role that religion plays, or has ever played in the world. The answer to the question is paramount in a world where the influence of religion is either a source of strength for a community, or a source of utter frustration. Whilst some may view religion as liberating, the opposing argument that it is an oppressive force accountable for much of the world’s disharmony, is reigning ever supreme with an increase in anti-religious propaganda. As a result, such a climate creates a need to defend religion itself, and to remind ourselves of the contributions that religion has and continues to make in society in order to establish a sense of respect between diverse beliefs.

The religion that is at the forefront of many worldwide debates at the moment is undeniably that of Islam. The evidence for this is blatant. The terms “Muslim” and “Islam” appear almost every day, in news reports. The social, political, religious and economic affairs within Muslim communities, and in relation to non-Muslim communities, are being increasingly documented. In light of this, we become aware that whether it is political, social, economic or religious, the Qur’an and religion of Islam seems to affect every aspect of a Muslim’s life. Also, with the increased numbers of Muslims residing in non-Muslim areas, there has emerged the need to find a common ground between these very different societies. I identified this so-called “common ground” to reside in their shared pursuit of knowledge. With the impact of Islam in the area of medicine arguably more overwhelming than in any other field, I chose this as my main focus. Unlike its influence in other aspects of learning, perhaps the most underappreciated is the contribution made by the religion of Islam and the Muslim nation in the art of medicine. What drives this dissertation is the recognition to defend the relationship between religion and arguably the most sacred of sciences: that of the art of preventing, diagnosing and treating diseases: Medicine.[1]

In this dissertation I shall discuss the legacy of Islamic medicine throughout the world. I shall begin in Chapter One by analysing the state of pre-Islamic medicine in Arabia as well as the predominant empires of the time so as to construct a contextual understanding of the medical world Islamic medicine was to emerge from. Following on, the question of the Islamic perspective of medicine will be considered, and whether or not the religion of Islam, based primarily on the Qur’an and ahadith, had the capacity to impact on the field of medicine. This is an area which Muslims can, and have, encountered much criticism, as it truly questions the extent to which a religion could, if at all, impact on the universal system of medicine.

The third and final chapter will consider the contributions made during the periods ranging from the emergence of the Islamic empire until the present day. In particular I will focus on the Abbasid period, which witnessed a flourishing of knowledge and a passion for learning. The legacy of Muslim figures such as Ibn Sina (d. 1037CE) and Al-Razi (d. between 903-926CE) will also briefly be analysed. Finally, I shall question the factors that may have contributed to the inevitable stagnation within Muslim communities towards medical advancements.

The most important element of this dissertation will be to understand that the contribution of Islam to medicine was not in isolation of any other community, for medicine in itself is independent from discrimination. Muslims were admittedly influenced greatly by Greek thought preceding the emergence of Islam, and during the Islamic empires worked alongside people from different faiths. For anyone, whether Muslim, Christian, Jew, atheist and so forth, to have advanced in the field of medicine is contributing to an ever developing universal system which affects the whole of human civilization regardless of their age, sex, religion or nationality. The contribution made by the religion of Islam and the Muslim nation (Ummah) to medicine is admittedly comprised of many contributors, yet nonetheless deserves to be appreciated in its own right.

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[1] Elizabeth A. Martin, Oxford Concise Medical Dictionary, 6^th rev. ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), 417

Three Years Later

These past three years and in particular the last twelve months have been, for want of a better word, weird. Every aspect of my life, without exaggeration, has transformed to such a state that it is almost unrecognisable to the way it was merely three years ago. And most unexpectedly, I've changed. My way of thinking and the way I perceive this world has adapted according to the experiences I, and those around me, have gone through. Whether this is for the better, I guess time will tell.

It's been three years since I left my home to study at university, and despite the frequent visits back, most of my time was spent staying at my university accommodation. In the meantime, my family and I have undergone different experiences. With the prospect of moving back home after three years, I need to realise that our different experiences will result in differing ideas of the world. Now I have two options here: Either let the differences cause divisions; or understand the fact that our ideas stem from different life experiences, and embrace them.

In my second year of university I got highly involved with one particular society on campus. This society was influenced greatly by a certain type, or class of people. As the outsider, it was difficult to blend in with these people, who in essence I shared a similar identity with, but had decided to react to it in a different way. At the time, I pretty much tried my best, and eventually gave up and left the society. What is most frustrating in retrospect is that neither they nor I were able to understand that our differing opinions stemmed from different life experiences. If we had realised this at the time, we could have worked very well together. Or at the least, I could have explained my stance on certain issues with more clarity.

Anywho, that's where my life stands right now, I'm preparing myself to move home, and to finally finish my degree Insha'Allah (If God Wills.) As for how much I've changed, let's see if that reflects in my style of writing as well...

Oh yes, and my dissertation, which Alhamdulillah (thanks be to God,) has been handed in, will be posted about soon. My loyal subject (my brother,) is reading through it at the moment and until or unless he gives it the thumbs-up, I don't want to paste extracts of it on her just yet. More on that in the coming weeks Insha'Allah (if God Wills.)

The Incurable Disease

"Verily the physician, with his physic and his drugs,
Cannot avert a summons that hath come.
What ails the physician that he dies of the disease
Which he used to cure in time gone by;
There died alike he who administered the drug, and he who took the drug,
And he who imported and sold the drug, and he who bought it."

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"The physician says to thee, "I can cure thee,"
When he feels thy wrist and thy arm;
But did the physician know a cure for disease
Which would ward off death, he would not himself suffer the death agony."

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I'm writing my dissertation on "Islam's Contribution to Medicine," and keep stumbling across the above verses, so thought I should share them. More on my disso in the near future Insha'Allah (If God Wills.)