Science In The Light Of Islam

Al Razi (Rhazes)

Al Razi (Rhazes), A Miracle in Medicine Across By Dr. Ragheb El-Sergany

It is remarkable when a human being is deemed as one of the faces of civilization. We often ascribe civilization to the achievements of a group of people who have excelled in contributing to the knowledge of fields such as medicine, engineering, and architecture. The Islamic civilization introduced men and women who were figures of civilization to the extent that a study of their lives is actually a study of civilizations itself.

Islam has helped the progress of humanity in a broad spectrum of fields, with its followers representing all dimensions of civilization. One example is Al Razi (Rhazes) ,may Allah have mercy on him, who was not only a doctor and a teacher but a master in many other fields including ethics and religion. He excelled in these fields and was an eminent figure in religious and medical sciences becoming unquestionably one of the most important figures in Islamic civilization.
Al Razi : the Man

Abu-Bakr Muhammad Ibn-Zakariya Al Razi was born in the year 250 A.H (864 A.D) in the city of Rayy, six kilometers south east of Tehran. From an early age, he loved the study of science and scholarly discipline. In Rayy he studied law, medicine, and philosophy, but this did not satisfy his craving for knowledge. Although the city was full of scientists and scholars, it was not a city that embraced all the earth sciences at that time.

Therefore, Al Razi headed to the world's center of knowledge, Baghdad, capital of the Abbasids Caliphate. He studied in an intensive exchange program and studied different sciences with a special focus on medicine. The first professor in that field was Ali Ibn-Zain at-Tabariyy, author of the first international medical encyclopedia named "Ferdaus al-Hikma" or the Paradise of Wisdom.
Passionate about Medicine

Al Razi was also interested in other sciences related to medicine such as chemistry and herbal medicine. He was interested in philosophy because it included the views of Greek philosophers, who were also students of medicine with his main teacher in philosophy, al-Balkhiyy. Al Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, devoted many years of his life, to learning all that he could about medicine until he excelled noticeably in that field.

After he had returned to Rayy from Baghdad, he became director of the hospital of Rayy, one of the most advanced hospitals known in Islam and gained an unrivalled reputation in terms of his success in treating previously incurable cases. His achievements were known to all and eventually the Prime Minister of the Abbasid State, Ibn-Boyeh invited him to become chief of medicine at the Adodiyy Hospital in Baghdad. At the time, this hospital was regarded as one of the biggest hospitals worldwide, employing over fifty doctors. It was an institute of science and an advanced school of medicine, as well as a hospital.

Al Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, became an incomparable scientific reference to not only Baghdad, but the entire world.
No Success without Effort

It is very important to stop and ask how Al Razi,may Allah have mercy on him reached such heights of glory and dignity. It is important to understand that such success is not coincidental; rather it is achieved due to great effort and sacrifice. Success never occurs randomly for it requires planning, discipline and skill. This is what characterized the life of Al Razi. He searched for knowledge from every source and exerted so much effort in order to learn as much as possible. This process was followed by careful thought, numerous experiments, and meticulous studies, to the extent that he was always analyzing, criticizing and modifying,theories, until he reached the stage of innovation and invention.

At the time of Al Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, the Greek, Persian, Indian and Egyptian forms of medicine,spread as a result of efforts to translate scientific literature from these nations. Al Razi read all these works but was not satisfied with just reading, preferring instead to observe and experiment before making any final deductions.
Al Razi and the Establishment of the Experimental Theory