Muslim Contributions to Mental Disorders and Mental Health

Ibn-Sina and Al-Ghazali

Kubra Hatice Fidanboylu
Effat University-Humanities & Social Sciences
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Muslim Contributions to Mental Disorders and Mental Health

The time between the seventh to the fifteenth centuries is considered as the “Golden

ages”. During this period, the Islamic civilizations excelled in many areas such as mathematics,

geography, astronomy, physics, chemistry, philosophy and medicine. Islam was not just a set of

religious beliefs, but a set of ideas, ethics and all ideal aspects of human life (Khettani, 1976).

While Europe was going through the dark ages, science thrived with the Islamic “Golden age”.

The Islamic civilizations had so many contributions and innovations at the time that Renaissance

in Europe might not have occurred without the influence and emulation from the Muslim

scholars (Sarton, 1927). In the “Golden age” of Islam, the nature and context of the Quran was

studied by the Muslim scholars. They realized that there was a relationship between creation,

nature and man who lead to the better understanding of The All Mighty Allah (S.W.T.). They

started to search and experiment deeper in order to understand The All Mighty Allah (S.W.T.)

and his phenomenal creation. The most important feature of Islamic science is its experimental

approach. Islamic scientists were interested especially in the applied sciences, in testing theories

by undertaking observations, and analysis of results through mathematics (Bammate, 1959).

The term “psychology” did not exist at the time. It was studied under the field of

philosophy. Nafs (the soul or self) was deeply studied in order to understand the fitrah (human

nature) and personality. Directly or indirectly, many Muslim scholars contributed to psychiatry

and psychology. Muslim scholars originated many psychological theories and practices prevalent

today (Haque, 2004). All these contributions to science and especially psychology are not fairly

recognized by historians or psychologists themselves (Brett, 1921). In schools and universities,

only European scholars are taught even though they developed their theories many years later

than the Muslim scholars. Their names are generally misrepresented; an example can be
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Avicenna (Ibn-Sina) and Averroes (Ibn-Rushd) where the students tend to believe they are Latin,

Greek or European scholars. Most scientists today deny, overlook or disregard the Muslim

scholars influence in modern science and especially psychology. However, the influence can

even be seen in the English language, the use of Arabic words which are even used today such

as; alcohol, alchemy, algebra, coffee etc.

The theories and therapy techniques the Muslim scholars developed removed the theories

of demons and witchcraft associated with these mental illnesses in the Christian world of Europe

(Faruqi, 2006). Muslim scholars believed that closeness to The All Mighty Allah (S.W.T.) is

equivalent to normality, whereas distance from The All Mighty Allah (S.W.T.) leads to

abnormality (Haque, 2004). Alias, they defined mental health as being close to The All Mighty

Allah (S.W.T.). Mental health today is defined as the absence of a mental disorder and levels of

cognitive or emotional well-being. The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a

state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the

normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to

his or her community. This paper explores the contributions of two Islamic scholars; Ibn-Sina

and Al-Ghazali in mental health and mental disorders.

Ibn-Sina

Abu Ali Al-Husayn B. Abd Allah Ibn Sina (980–1037) also known as Avicenna in the

western world was a Persian scholar born in Bukhara, Uzbekistan in the present day. He was

primarily known as a philosopher and a physician, but he has also contributed to several different

areas of science at his time. Ibn-Sina explored and explained the mind, its existence, human

body-mind relationship, sensation, perception etc. In his well known book Kitab Al-Shifa' (The

Book of Healing), he accepted hypnosis and used it as a treatment to mental disorders. Ibn Sina
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also gave psychological explanations of certain somatic illnesses. Such as: hallucinations,

insomnia, mania, nightmare, melancholia, dementia, epilepsy, paralysis, stroke and vertigo. He

believed that philosophizing was a way of making ‘‘the soul reach perfection’’. Ibn Sina always

explained the physical and psychological illnesses linked together. He called melancholia

(depression) a type of mood disorder in which the person may become suspicious and develop

certain types of phobias. He claimed that anger transformed melancholia to mania. He also

certifies that humidity inside the head can affect mood disorders. This happens with the amount

of breath change. Happiness increases the breath, which leads to increased moisture inside the

brain but if this moisture goes beyond its limits the brain will lose control over its rational

thought leading to mental disorders. Ibn Sina also wrote about symptoms and treatment of love

sickness (Ishq), nightmare, epilepsy, and weak memory (Haque, 2004). Ibn-Sina is known for

treating a patient with love sickness (Ishq) by "feeling the patient's pulse and reciting aloud to

him the names of provinces, districts, towns, streets, and people." He noticed how the patient's

pulse increased when certain names were mentioned, from which Ibn-Sina understood that the

patient was in love with a girl. He advised the patient to marry the girl he is in love with, and the

patient soon recovered from his illness after his marriage (Syed, 2002). He is the first person to

develop an association between emotions and pulse rate. He also used other psychological

methods to treat his patients. He established free hospitals and treatments including surgery, hot

baths, herbs, hypnosis (Al Wahm Al-Amil) and aromatherapy (Beshore, 1998; Meyers, 1964).

Al-Ghazali

Abu Hamid Muhammad Al-Ghazali (1058–1111) also known as Algazel in the western

world was from Tus, Khurasan, a county of Persia. He was a philosopher, Islamic theologian,

jurist, cosmologist, psychologist and Sufi mystic. Al-Ghazali is one of the most notable Muslim
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scholars; he is referred as the most influential Muslim after Prophet Muhammad (P.U.H) by

historians (Gerhard, 1953). He started contributing to psychology after being exposed to Sufism,

a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from everything

except The All Mighty Allah (S.W.T.) (Zarruq, 2008). He divided illness into two; physical and

spiritual. He stated that spiritual illnesses are far more dangerous than physical, which results

from the ignorance and deviation from The All Mighty Allah (S.W.T.). He determined some of

the spiritual illnesses as; self-centeredness, addiction to wealth, fame and status, ignorance,

cowardice, cruelty, lust, doubt (waswas), malevolence, calumny, envy, deceit and avarice.

Ghazali used the therapy of opposites, using the imagination to acquire the opposite. For

example; treating ignorance with learning and hate with love, etc (Haque, 2004). Al-Ghazali is

the first one to divide the external and internal senses. The five external senses are: touch, smell,

hearing, sight and taste. The five internal senses are: common sense (Hiss Mushtarik),

imagination (Takhayyul), reflection (Tafakkur), recollection (Tadhakkur) and memory

(Hafiza). These inner senses help the person to learn from past experiences and project it to

future situations. He states that animals share all these internal senses however; they do not have

well developed power. Animals are capable of simple ideas and thinking where they cannot form

an association with abstract. There are two characteristics that differentiate human beings from

animals. These characteristics are Aql (intellect) and Irada (will). Intellect is the rational part

which enables us to generalize and gain knowledge. The will in animals is conditioned with

anger and appetite where as it is conditioned with intellect in human beings. The Qalb (heart) is

the one that rules and controls both of these characteristics. He put excessive emphasis to these

two characteristics that he stated: “A human can either rise to the level of the angels with the

help of knowledge, or fall to the levels of animals by letting his anger and lust dominate him."
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Furthermore, Al-Ghazali believed that knowledge is either innate or acquired. He also explained

the self (Nafs) according to the Quran, by dividing it in to three components. According to Al-

Ghazali Nafs is not only the self (personality) but also the mind, soul, and body. At the lowest

level is nafs ammarah, this aspect of the self includes all the basic qualities of an individual,

including his or her physical appetites and any tendency toward evil or unwanted behavior. The

second level is nafs lawwamma which represents the individual’s conscience or sense of

morality and seems to function like a superego (according to Freud’s theory). When a person

cannot stand the temptations of nafs ammarrah, the second level of the self undertakes the person

and causes feelings of guilt. The third level nafs mutma’inna refers to an aspect of the self that is

the source of serenity for the individual. This occurs as a kind of acceptance of events and the

world in which the individual lives. When a person experiences this aspect of the self, it brings

satisfaction and inner peace (Smither and Khorsandi, 2009). Al-Ghazali wrote over 70 books

where the well known ones are “The Incoherence of the Philosophers (Tahāfut al-Falāsifa)” and

“Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya Ulum ad Din)”. He used a therapeutic approach that

consists of being close to The All Mighty Allah (S.W.T.).

Conclusion

Understanding Muslim scholars contributions are very important because they help us

gain knowledge of how religion affects behavior. Most of the contributions and innovations of

Islamic civilizations are overlooked or generally not accepted with the secularization of modern

psychology. Their theories and writings in some aspects formed the basis of modern psychology.

Ibn-Sina and Al-Ghazali have many contributions in the field of psychology especially mental
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health. They are not the only Muslim scholars that contributed to the field of psychology and

many other fields of science. Some of them are; Al-Kindi, At-Tabari, Al-Balkhi, Al-Razi, Al-

Farabi, Al-Majusi, Ibn Miskawayh, Ibn Bajjah, Zarbi, Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Rushd, Al Razi, Ibn Arabi

and many more. All of these scholars are considered as the students of the founder of Islamic

psychology, Prophet Muhammad (P.U.H). All the approaches and contributions should receive

the same treatment and attention, whether European, Muslim, ancient or modern. With an

eclectic approach we can gain further knowledge and improve instead of relying on a particular

time/date and one source.

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