Adab al-Ṭabīb by Isḥāq b. ʿAlī al-Ruhāwī : The Continued Relevance of Classical Medical Ethics

This chapter offers a comprehensive analysis of Adab al-Ṭabīb (“Ethics of the Physician”), a seminal work on medical ethics authored by Isḥāq b. ʿAlī al-Ruhāwī, a practicing physician who was well-versed in Greek medico-philosophical tradition and lived during the third-fourth/ninth-tenth centuries. The chapter is divided into two main sections. The first section, “The Author,” delves into al-Ruhāwī’s life, scholarly background, and his conceptualisation of medicine as intricately linked to philosophy and religion, based on a holistic understanding of human nature. The second section, “The Book,” examines al-Ruhāwī’s framework for physician excellence, which encompasses both moral and professional dimensions. Moral excellence is grounded in religious ethics, virtue ethics focused on moderating the powers of the psyche, and relational ethics governing interactions with patients and caregivers. Professional excellence involves mastering the skills of health preservation and administration of medicines, alongside al-Ruhāwī’s proposals for reforming the medical profession. In the concluding remarks, the chapter addresses the enduring relevance of al-Ruhāwī’s work within contemporary Islamic bioethics and its importance in understanding the historical development of medical professional ethics. It also raises questions for further exploration in future research regarding the scope and nature of Islamic bioethics in relation to both secular and religious ethical discourses.

Other Information

Published in: Key Classical Works on Islamic Ethics
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
See chapter on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004459472_004