This section provides a brief introduction to a number of distinguished figures in the history of Islamic civilization who contributed in various ways to the development of Humoral Medicine or to promoting the principles of health and moderation. Here, you will find a concise biography of each figure along with an overview of their most significant scientific and medical contributions.

Prominent Figures in Humoral Medicine

It has been said that Aisha (may Allah have his agreement on her) was highly knowledgeable in Humoral Medicine.

Al-Ṭabarānī, Al-Bazzār, and Abū Nuʿaym narrated through different chains of transmission that ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr said:

“I have never seen anyone more knowledgeable about medicine than Aisha (may Allah have his agreement on her).”

I asked, “O Aunt, from whom did you learn medicine?”

She replied:

“I used to hear people describing remedies to one another, and I memorized them.”

In another narration, she said:

“I would become ill and a remedy would be prescribed for me. Others would become ill and remedies would be prescribed for them. I would hear people describing remedies to one another, and I memorized them.”

In yet another narration, she said:

“Towards the end of the Messenger of Allah’s (peace and blessings be upon him) life, he would become ill. Delegations from all parts of Arabia would come to visit him and recommend various treatments. I would administer those treatments to him, and that is how I learned.”

These narrations support and reinforce one another.

This indicates that Aisha (may Allah have his agreement on her) acquired medical knowledge by listening to physicians trained in Humoral Medicine, as well as to people who had received medical advice from those physicians. Through this, she learned about diseases and their humoral causes, the properties of medicinal substances, and their temperaments—whether hot, cold, wet, or dry.

This version is written in clear, natural English while preserving the original meaning and is suitable for an educational website on Humoral Medicine.

Aisha, Mother of the Believers

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Al-Ḥārith ibn Kaladah al-Thaqafī was the physician of the Arabs during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Al-Ḥārith ibn Kaladah al-Thaqafī was a renowned Arab physician, widely recognized for his excellence in medicine. He lived during the pre-Islamic era and lived to see the advent of Islam. He was a skilled physician, knowledgeable in diseases and their treatments, as well as a wise, eloquent, and sincere adviser.

He is mentioned in the classical biographical works on medicine. He belonged to the tribe of Thaqīf and was from Ṭāʾif in the Ḥijāz region.

He traveled to Persia, where he studied medicine with the physicians of Jundaysābūr and other places during the pre-Islamic period, before the coming of Islam.

Ibn Juljul stated that Al-Ḥārith learned medicine in Yemen and Persia, excelled in this profession, practiced medicine in Persia, treated patients there, and accumulated wealth through his work. The people of Persia who knew him testified to his knowledge, and he successfully treated some of their distinguished individuals.

Eventually, he longed for his homeland and returned to Ṭāʾif, where his medical expertise became well known among the Arabs.

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Al-Harith ibn Kalada al-Thaqafi

The Arab Physician During the Time of the Prophet

Imam al-Shāfiʿī (may Allah have his agreement on him) was well versed in this science and lamented that the Muslims of his time had neglected it.

Al-Bayhaqī and others narrated in Manāqib al-Shāfiʿī that he used to say:

"They neglected one-third of knowledge and entrusted it to the Jews and the Christians."

Abū Nuʿaym also narrated in Manāqib al-Shāfiʿī that a physician discussed medicine (that is, humoral medicine) with him. The physician was astonished by Imam al-Shāfiʿī's mastery and depth of knowledge, and said:

"I even thought that he knew nothing but this."

The physician then asked him to teach him some of it. Imam al-Shāfiʿī pointed toward the mosque and said:

"These people do not leave me."

That is, they occupied all of his time, leaving him no opportunity to teach him.

Imam al-Shafi’i

Imam al-Shafi’i’s mastery of medicine and his extensive knowledge of it

His Name and Lineage

He was Imam, the eminent scholar ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn ʿAlī ibn Abī al-Ḥazm al-Qurashī, widely known as Ibn al-Nafīs. He was knowledgeable in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), hadith, and other sciences, but became especially renowned for his expertise in medicine.

Some scholars said that he belonged to the Quraysh tribe, while others said that Qarash was a village in the region of Egypt. He was a distinguished physician, widely recognized for his mastery of medicine.

The Praise of the Scholars

The scholars praised him highly. Among them was Imam al-Suyūṭī, who described him as:

"The leading physician of the Egyptian lands, the author of works such as Al-Mūjaz and Sharḥ al-Qānūn, and one of the foremost authorities in medicine, possessing exceptional intelligence, remarkable insight, and proficiency in jurisprudence, legal theory, hadith, and logic."

His Death

He passed away in Dhū al-Qaʿdah 687 AH, at nearly eighty years of age. It was said that no one comparable to him has appeared from his time until ours.

His Scholarly Status

He possessed an extraordinary memory. He wrote from memory without referring to books and composed his works in the same manner.

He authored Al-Shāmil, a work intended to comprise three hundred volumes. He completed eighty volumes, while the whereabouts of the remainder are known only to Allah.

He surpassed others in the treatment of diseases and in prescribing remedies through his exceptional skill. His books were distinguished by their clarity, unlike the writings of Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), which were considered more difficult to understand.

Ibn al-Nafis

He was the most outstanding scholar of his era, and no one equal to him has come after him to this day.

Imam al-Māzarī, who lived in the 5th century AH (11th century CE), was a renowned Maliki imam and jurist in Tunisia.

Al-Qadi ’Iyad described him by saying:

“He was the last of the great scholars of Ifriqiya (North Africa) among the leading authorities in the precise understanding of jurisprudence, the rank of independent legal reasoning (ijtihād), and depth of analysis. It was even said that he attained the level of ijtihād.”

Imam al-Māzarī also studied medicine until he became qualified to issue authoritative legal opinions in it. This is because issuing rulings or expert opinions in medicine is not permissible without sound knowledge of medical science.

Thus, he became an authority who could give rulings in medicine just as he did in Islamic jurisprudence, for alongside his studies of hadith and fiqh, he also acquired a thorough knowledge of medicine.

Al-Māzarī

A jurist and authority in medicine

Abu al-Hasan ʿAlī ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Ahwāzī was one of the most distinguished physicians of the Abbasid era and a leading authority in humoral medicine during the 4th century AH (10th century CE). His remarkable scientific achievements earned him the foremost position among the physicians of his time, as well as among those who came before and after him, making him one of the most influential physicians in both the East and the West.

His renowned work, Kāmil al-Ṣināʿah al-Ṭibbiyyah (The Complete Book of the Medical Art), also known as The Royal Book (Kitāb al-Malakī), became a standard reference for physicians throughout the Islamic world and Europe alike.

European medical schools relied on translations of his masterpiece, The Complete Book of the Medical Art, as a principal teaching text. It was regarded as one of the greatest medical works of its time and served as a leading medical authority, with physicians from many regions seeking his guidance on medical matters.

In this comprehensive work, al-Ahwāzī presented both the foundations and branches of medicine. He described the creation and structure of the human body, its organs, and their temperaments; explained the sciences of the pulse, urine, and stool examination; detailed medicinal substances, their actions, and their temperaments; and discussed individual diseases in a concise yet comprehensive manner. This unique balance of depth, clarity, and completeness made his book one of the finest medical encyclopedias of the medieval world.

ʿAlī ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Ahwāzī

Pioneer of Medicine in the East and the West