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Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi
Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known as Al-Razi, as Ar-Razi, as Ibn
Zakaria (Zakariya) or (in Latin) as Rhazes and Rasis, (8641-930 AD) was an
Iranian2 polymath who contributed much to the fields of medicine and
chemistry. He was also significant in the field of philosophy.
He was born in Rayy (Rages) (actually, in Persian language "Razi" means from
the city of Ray), an ancient city located near Tehran, Iran, and pursued a
great amount of his research there. Note that Avicenna also lived in Ray for
a period of time.
Razi was placed in-charge of the first Royal Hospital at Ray, from where he
soon moved to a similar position in Baghdad where he remained the head of
its famous Muqtadari Hospital and observed clinical cases. Today his name is
commemorated in the Razi Institute near Tehran.
Razi was a Hakim, an alchemist and a philosopher. Before becoming a
physician Razi was interested in music, he was well versed in the musical
theory and is said to have been an exceptional performer.
He is considered one of the greatest alchemist of all time and his work
remained in use for over 10 centuries. Inter alia he discovered alcohol, the
use of alcohol in medicine, and he also discovered Sulfuric acid. Many also
claim that he was the first to say that the world is round.
Razi wrote 184 books and articles, in several fields of science. His books
and articles are named by Ibn Abi Asi'boed.
Ibn an-Nadim identifies five areas in which Razi distinguished himself:
1. Razi was recognized as the best physician of his time who had fully
absorbed Greek medical learning.
2. He traveled in many lands. His repeated visits to Baghdad and his
services to many princes and rulers are known from many sources.
3. He was a medical educator who attracted many students, both beginners
and advanced.
4. He was compassionate, kind, upright, and devoted to the service of his
patients whether rich or poor.
5. He was a prolific reader and writer and authored many books.
Medicine
Smallpox vs. Measles
As chief physician at the Baghdad hospital Razi formulated the first known
description of smallpox:
"Smallpox appears when the blood boils and infected so that extra
vapors may be driven out to turn childhood blood, which looks like wet
extracts, into youth blood, which looks like ripe wine. Essentially,
smallpox is like the bubbles found in wine at this time .... this
disease might also be present apart from such times. The best thing to
do at such times is to avoid it , that is , when the disease is seen to
become epidemic."
This is acknowledged by the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911), which states:
"The most trustworthy statements as to the early existence of the disease
are found in an account by the 9th-century Arabian physician Rhazes, by whom
its symptoms were clearly described, its pathology explained by a humoral or
fermentation theory, and directions given for its treatment.".
Written by Razi, the al-Judari wa al-Hasbah was the first book on smallpox,
and was translated over a dozen times into Latin and other European
languages. Its lack of dogmatism and its Hippocratic reliance on clinical
observation show Razi's medical methods:
"The eruption of the smallpox is preceeded by a continued fever, pain
in the back, itching in the nose and terrors in the sleep. These are
the more peculiar symptoms of its approach, especially a pain in the
back with fever; then also a pricking which the patient feels all over
his body; a fullness of the face, which at times comes and goes; an
inflamed color, and vehement redness in both cheeks; a redness of both
the eyes, heaviness of the whole body; great uneasiness, the symptoms
of which are stretching and yawning; a pain in the throat and chest,
with slight difficulty in breathing and cough; a dryness of the breath,
thick spittle and hoarseness of the voice; pain and heaviness of the
head; inquietude, nausea and anxiety; (with this difference that the
inquietude, nausea and anxiety are more frequent in the measles than in
the smallpox; while on the other hand, the pain in the back is more
peculiar to the smallpox than to the measles) heat of the whole body;
an inflamed colon, and shining redness, especially an intense redness
of the gums."
Razi is also the first to distinguish between smallpox and measles.
Allergies and fever
Razi is known to have discovered allergic asthma, and was the first person
to have ever written an article on allergy and immunology. In the Sense of
Smelling he explains the occurrence of rhinitis when smelling a rose in the
spring ("An Article on the Reason Why Abou Zayd Balkhi Suffers from Rhinitis
When Smelling Roses in Spring") In this article he talks of seasonal
rhinitis, which is the same as allergic asthma or hay fever. Razi was also
the first to realize that fever was a natural defense mechanism, the body's
way of fighting disease.
Pharmacy
Rhazes contributed to the early practice of pharmacy by compliating textes,
but also in various other ways. Examples are the introduction of mercurial
ointments, and the development of apparatus like mortars, flaks, spatulas
and phials as used in pharmacies until the early twentieth centuries.
Razi always used a natural approach when treating ill patients.
Ethics of Medicine
On the professional level, Razi introduced many useful, progressive, medical
and psychological ideas. He also attacked charlatans and fake doctors who
roamed the cities and the countryside selling their nostrums and 'cures'. At
the same time, he warned that even highly educated doctors did not have the
answers for all medical problems and could not cure all sicknesses or heal
every disease. Humanly speaking, this is an impossibility. Nonetheless, to
be more useful in their services and truer to their calling, Razi exhorted
practitioners to keep up with advanced knowledge by Continually studying
medical books and expose themselves to new information. He further
classified diseases into three categories: those which are curable; those
that can be cured; and those which are incurable. On the latter, he cited
advanced cases of cancer and leprosy which if not cured, the doctor should
not take blame. Then, on the humorous side, Razi pitied physicians caring
for the well being of princes, nobility, and women, for they did not obey
doctor's orders for restricted diet and medical treatment, thus making most
difficult the task of their doctor.
Books and Articles on Medicine
His book The Large Comprehensive which is also known as The Embody and as
The Virtuous Life is credited as a most important medical encyclopedia. He
has considerations and criticism on the Greek philosophers, Aristotle and
Plato, and expresses innovative and projecting views on divinity and
metaphysics.
The Virtuous Life (al-Hawi)
Razis greatest work is the Continens Liber or al-Hawi, The Comprehensive
Book, which terminated his practice of medicine.
With writing the Hawi, Razi proved himself to be the greatest doctor of the
Middle Ages. The Large Embody is an extensive medical treatise written in
nine volumes. It is significant since it contains a celebrated monograph on
smallpox, its first ever descripion.
It was not a formal medical encyclopaedia, but was assembled from Razi's
working files of readings and personal observations. It was translated into
Latin in 1279 under the title Continens by Faraj ben Salim, a physician of
Sicilian-Jewish origin employed by Charles of Anjou to translate medical
works, from then on it had considerable importance in Europe.
The Hawi is essentially a large private notebook into which Razi placed
extracts from earlier authors regarding diseases and therapies, but it was
mostly based on his own interpretations and clinical cases from experience.
The massive book thoroughly offended a Muslim priest whom Razi had
apparently contradicted somewhere in its pages. The priest ordered that Razi
be beaten over the head with the manuscript until one of them broke. Razi's
head broke while the manuscript remained intact. The result was permanent
blindness for Rhazes and the end of his medical career. Rhazes suffered
failing eyesight for several years, and though he eventually lost all vision
he continued to provide medical consultations and often even lectured. The
exact nature of his ocular disease is uncertain, though it is said that he
refused to be operated on because his caregivers could not answer his
questions concerning the anatomy of the eye.
A medical advisor for the general public
Razi was possibly the first in Islam to deliberately write a book - a home
medical (remedial) advisor - entitled Man la Yahduruhu Tab for the general
public. He dedicated it to the poor, the traveler, and the ordinary citizen
who could consult it for treatment of common ailments when a doctor was not
available. This book, of course, is of special interest to the history of
pharmacy since books on the same theme continued to appear and has found
acceptance by readers to the present century. In its 36 chapters, Razi
described diets and drugs that can be found practically every where in
apothecary shops, the market place, in well-equipped kitchens, and in
military camps. Thus, any intelligent mature person can follow its
instructions and prepare the right recipes for good results.
Some of the illnesses treated are headaches, colds, coughing, melancholy,
and diseases of the eye, ear, and stomach. In a feverish headache, for
example, he prescribed, "two parts of the duhn (oily extract) of rose, to be
mixed with part of vinegar, in which a piece of linen cloth is dipped and
compressed on the forehead". For a laxative, he recommended "seven drams of
dried violet flowers with twenty pears, macerated and mixed well, then
strained. To the filtrate, twenty drams of sugar is added for a draft". In
cases of melancholy, he invariably recommended prescriptions including
either poppies or their juices (opium) or clover dodder (Curcuma epithymum
Muss.) or both. For an eye remedy, he recommended myrrh, saffron, and
frankincense, two drams each to be mixed with one dram of yellow arsenic and
made into tablets. When used each tablet was to be dissolved in a sufficient
quantity of coriander water and used as eye drops.
Doubts About Galen
Rhazes's independent mind is strikingly revealed in his Shukuk 'ala alinusor
(Doubts about Galen).
"In the manner of numerous Greek thinkers, including Socrates and
Aristotle, Rhazes rejected the mind-body dichotomy and pioneered the
concept of mental health and self-esteem as essential to a patient's
welfare. This "sound mind, healthy body" connection prompted him to
frequently communicate with his patients on a friendly level,
encouraging them to heed his advice as a path to their recovery and
bolstering their fortitude and determination to resist the illness and
swiftly convalesce." (G. Stolyarov II)
In Doubts about Galen Razi rejects claims of Galen's, from the alleged
superiority of the Greek language to many of his cosmological and medical
views. He places medicine within philosophy, inferring that sound practice
demands independent thinking. His own clinical records, he reports, do not
confirm Galen's descriptions of the course of a fever. And in some cases he
finds that his clinical experience exceeds Galen's. He rejects the notion,
central to the theory of humours, that the body is warmed or cooled only by
warmer or cooler bodies; for a warm drink may heat the body to a degree much
hotter than its own. Thus the drink must trigger a response rather than
simply communicating its own warmth or coldness. This line of criticism has
the potential, in time, to bring down the whole theory of humours and the
scheme of the four elements, on which it was grounded. Razi's alchemy, like
his medical thinking, struggles within the cocoon of hylomorphism. It
dismisses the idea of potions and dispenses with an appeal to magic, if
magic means reliance on symbols as causes.
But Razi does not reject the idea that there are wonders in the sense of
unexplained phenomena in nature. His alchemical stockroom, accordingly, is
enriched with the products of Persian mining and manufacture, and the
Chinese discovery, sal ammoniac. Still reliant on the idea of dominant forms
or essences and thus on the Neoplatonic conception of causality as
inherently intellectual rather than mechanical, Razi's alchemy nonetheless
brings to the fore such empiric qualities as salinity and inflammability-the
latter ascribed to 'oiliness' and 'sulphurousness'. Such properties are not
readily explained by the traditional fire, water, earth and air schematism,
as al-óhazali and other later comers, primed by thoughts like Razi's, were
quick to note.
"Galen's core blunder had been the so-called theory of humors, which
suggested that the body was possessed by four separate liquid
substances whose balance was the key to health and normal temperature,
and that the sole means of upsetting such a system was to introduce a
liquid of a varying temperature into the organism, after which the
resulting instability would bring about an increase or decrease in
bodily heat identical to the temperature of the particular fluid.
Rhazes, however, had experimentally proved that, in the words of I. E.
Goodman, "a warm drink may heat the body to a degree much hotter than
its own. Thus the drink must trigger a response rather than simply
communicating its warmth and coldness." This was the first step toward
a comprehensive refutation of the entire theory of humors, which had
been founded on the simplistic four elements scheme upheld by numerous
ancients. Here Rhazes' experiments in the field of alchemy served to
furnish observations of such qualities within objects as "oiliness" and
"sulphurousness", or inflammability and salinity, which were "not
readily explained by the traditional fire, water, earth, and air
schematism." Rhazes opened the door to a far more complex and realistic
conception of elemental makeup through a challenge posed to a set of
blundering and empirically unwarranted speculations." (G. Stolyarov II)
Many accused him of ignorance, since he criticized Galen's work greatly.
However, Razi repeatedly expressed praises and gratitude to Galen for his
commendable contributions and labors, saying:
"I prayed to God to direct and lead me to the truth in writing this
book. It grieves me to oppose and criticize the man Galen from whose
sea of knowledge I have drawn much. Indeed, he is the master and I am
the servant (disciple). But all this reverence and appreciation will
and should not prevent me from doubting, as I did, what is erroneous
among his theories. I imagine and feel deep in my heart that Galen has
chosen me to undertake this task, and if he was alive, he would have
congratulated me on what I am doing. I say this because Galen's aim was
to seek and find the truth and to bring light out of darkness. Indeed I
wish he was alive to read what I have published."
Thereafter, Razi, with a view to vindicate Galen's greatness and to justify
his criticism of him, lists four reasons why great men make errors more than
others:
1. Because of negligence, as a result of too much self confidence.
2. Because of unmindfulness (indifference) which often leads to errors.
3. Because of enticements to follow one's own fancy or impetuosity in
imagining that what he does or says is right.
4. Crystallization of ancient knowledge in view of the dynamic nature of
science so that present day knowledge must of necessity surpass that of
previous generations. This is because of the continuous discoveries of
new data and new truths.
Razi believed, and rightly so, that contemporary scientists and scholars,
because of accumulated knowledge at their disposal are, by far, better
equipped, more knowledgeable, and competent than the ancients. Indeed, what
Razi did in attempting to overthrow blind reverence and the unchallenged
authority of ancient sages was, by itself, a great step in the right
direction. This impetus encouraged and stimulated research and advances in
the arts, technology, and the sciences. It unshackled the human spirit for
greater and more fasting achievements.
Few of His Many Books on Medicine
(Names may differ)
* The Embody (Large Comprehensive) (al-Hawi, Jame'e Bozorg Maaroof be
Hawi) Also called: The Virtuous Life, The Continent, Continens Liber,
al-Hawi al-Kabir
* An Introduction to Medical Science (Isbateh Elmeh Pezeshki)
* Dar Amadi bar Elmeh Pezeshki
* Rade Manaategha 'tibb jahez
* Rade Naghzotibbeh Nashi
* The Experimentaion of Medical Science and its Application
* Guidance
* Kenash
* The Classification of Diseases
* Royal Medicine
* For One Without a Doctor
* The Book of Simple Medicine
* The Great Book of Krabadin
* The Little Book of Krabadin
* The Book of Taj (Crown)
* The Book of Disasters
* Food and its Harmfulness
* The Book of Smallpox and Measles (A Treatise of Small Pox and Measles)
* Ketab dar Padid Amadaneh Sangrizeh (Stones in the Kidney and Bladder)
* Ketabeh Dardeh Roodeha
* Ketab dar Dard Paay va Dardeh Peyvandhayyeh Andam
* Ketab dar Falej
* The Book of Tooth Aches
* Dar Hey'ateh Kabed
* Dar Hey'ateh Ghalb (About Heart Ache)
* About the Nature of Doctors
* About the Earwhole
* Dar Rag Zadan
* Seydeh neh/sidneh
* Ketabeh Ibdal
* Food For Patients
* Soodhayeh Serkangabin
* Darmanhayeh Abneh
* The Book of Surgical Instruments
* The Book on Oil
* Fruits Before and After Lunch
* Book on Medical Discussion (with Jarir Tabib)
* Book on Medical Discussion II (with Abu Feiz)
* About the Menstrual Cycle
* Ghi Kardan
* Snow and Medicine
* Snow and Thirst
* The Foot
* Fatal Diseases
* About Poisoning
* Hunger
* Soil in Medicine
* The Thirst of Fish
* Sleep Sweating
* Warmth in Clothing
* Spring and Disease
* Misconceptions of a Doctors Capabilities
* The Social Role of Doctors
Translations
Razi's notable books and articles on medicine (in English) include:
* The Book for the Elite (Mofid al Khavas)
* The Book of Experiences
* The Cause of the Death of Most Animals because of Poisonous Winds
* The Physicians' Experiments
* The Person Who Has No Access to Physicians
* The Big Pharmacology
* The Small Pharmacology
* Gout
* The Doubt on Galen (Al Shakook ala Jalinoos)
* Kidney and Bladder Stones
Alchemy
The Transmutaion of Metals
Razi's interest in alchemy and his strong belief in the possibility of
transmutation of lesser metals to silver and gold was confirmed half a
century after his death by Ibn an-Nadim (The Philosophers Stone). He
attributed a series of twelve books to ar-Razi, then seven more, including
his refutation to al-Kindi's denial of the validity of alchemy, and finally,
ar-Razi's two best-known alchemical texts: al-Asrar and Sirr al-Asrar (the
secrets, and secret of secrets). These two works were not only among
ar-Razi's last publications on alchemy, but they superseded his earlier ones
as the final representation of his alchemical teachings. The latter text
incorporates much of the former (al-Asrar).
It has been told that one night in the midst of delivering a speech General
Simjur confronted Razi and questioned:
"Oh conversant one whose ken is vast; bravery is what you lack. In Rayy
I had heard that you are capable of transmuting metals and that from
iron and copper you bring about gold. I had heard that this is the
reason for which you do not charge your patients. Is it true?"
It appeared to those present that Razi was reluctant to answer; he looked
obliquely at the general and replied:
"I understand alchemy and I have been working on the characteristic
properties of metals for an extended time. However, it still has not
turned out to be evident to me, how one can transmute gold from copper.
Despite the research from the furthermost scientists that have
undergone in the past centuries, there has been no reply. I very much
doubt if it is possible..."
(From: Mohammad Zakaria Razi by Khosro Moetazed, Translated by: Alireza
Hashemi)
While conducting these alchemical experiments Rhazes developed many modern
laboratory instruments that still remain in use today. Rhazes is known to
have experimented more precisely by methods of distillation and extraction.
Therefore, a survey of the Sirr al-Asrar will hopefully throw some light on
Razi's rational approach and technical procedures, which represent the
highest expression of alchemical knowledge during this period. Of course the
greatest of his contributions was his development of mineral acids and
alcohol. Alchemists of the time had always thought of ways of transforming
people into more perfect human beings and their alchemical desires helped
them learn the use of medicine.
Rhazes discovered sulfuric acid and influenced other Islamic alchemists of
the time such as Geber to work on mineral acids.
Of His Many Books on Alchemy
(mostly in Persian)
* Modkhele Taalimi
* Elaleh Ma'aaden
* Isbaate Sanaa'at
* Ketabeh Sang
* Ketabe Tadbir
* Ketabe Aksir
* Ketabe Sharafe Sanaa'at
* Ketabe Tartib, Ketabe Rahat, The Simple Book
* Ketabe Tadabir
* Ketabe Shavahed
* Ketabe Azmayeshe Zar va Sim (Experimentation on Gold)
* Ketabe Serre Hakimaan
* Ketabe Serr (The Book of Secrets)
* Ketabe Serre Serr (The Secret of Secrets)
* The First Book on Experiments
* The Second Book on Experiments
* Resaale'ei Be Faan
* Arezooyeh Arezookhah
* A letter to Vazir Ghasem ben Abidellah
* Ketabe Tabvib
Al-Asrar
The book was written in response to a request from Razi's close friend,
colleague, and former student, Abu Mohammed b. Yunis of Bukhara, a Muslim
mathematician, philosopher, and a natural scientist of good stature In Sirr
al-Asrar, Razi divides his subject matter into three categories as he did in
his book al-Asrar.
1. Knowledge and identification of drugs from plant, animal, and mineral
origins and the choicest type of each for utilization in treatment.
2. Knowledge of equipment and tools used, which are of interest to both
the alchemist and the apothecary.
3. Knowledge of the seven alchemical procedures and techniques such as
sublimation and condensation of mercury, precipitation of sulphur and
arsenic calcination of minerals (gold, silver, copper, lead, and iron),
salts, glass, talc, shells, and waxing.
This last category contains, in addition, a description of other methods and
applications used in transmutation: the admixture and uses of solvent
vehicles, the amount of heat (fire) used, 'bodies and stones' that can or
cannot be transformed into corporal substances of metals at Id salts, and
the liquid mordant that quickly and permanently colors lesser metals for
better sales and profits.
Similar to the discussion on the third/ninth-century text on amalgams
ascribed to Jabir, Razi describes methods and procedures or coloring (gold
leafing) a silver object to imitate gold. Also described is the reverse
technique for removing the color and returning it to silver. Gilding and
silvering of other metals (alum, calcium salts, iron, copper, and tutty) are
also described, as well as how colors will stay for years without tarnishing
or changing. The procedures involved no deceptive motive, but rather
technical and economic deliberations. This is evident from the author's
quotation of market prices and the technical triumph of artisan, craftsman,
or alchemist in declaring the results of their efforts so that "it will look
exactly like gold!". There was, however, another similar motive involved,
namely, to manufacture something to resemble gold for easy sale to help a
good friend who happen to be in need of quick money. It could be due to this
trend in Razi's alchemical technique for silvering and gilding of metal that
many Muslim biographers concluded that he was first a jeweler before he
turned to alchemy.
Of interest in the text is Razi's classification of minerals into six
divisions, giving his discussion a modern chemical connotation:
1. Four spirits: mercury, sal ammoniac, sulphur, and arsenic.
2. Seven bodies; silver, gold, copper, iron, black lead (plumbago), zinc,
and tin.
3. Thirteen stones including marcasite, magnesia, malachite, tutty,
talcum, lapis lazuli, gypsum, and glass (then identified as as made of
sand and alkali of which the transparent crystal Damascene is
considered the best).
4. Seven vitriols including alum, and white, black, red, and yellow
vitriols (the impure sulphates of iron, copper, etc.).
5. Seven borates including the tinkar, natron, and impure sodium borate.
6. Eleven salts including brine, common (table) salt, ashes, naphtha, live
lime, and urine, rock, and sea salts. Then he separately defines and
describes each of these substances and their choicest kinds and colors
and possible adulterations.
Concerning the tools and equipment of the alchemist, Razi classifies them
into two kinds:
1. Utensils used for the dissolving and melting of bodies such as the
furnace, bellows, crucible, holder (tongue or ladle), macerator, pot,
stirring rod, cutter, and grinder.
2. Utensils used to carry out the operation of transmutation, such as the
retort, alembic, receiver, other parts of the distilling apparatus,
oven (stove), cups, bottles, jars, pans, and blowers.
Secret of Secrets
His most famous book which has gained a lot of recognition in the west is
Secret of Secrets in which he gives systematic attention to basic chemical
operations important to the history of pharmacy.
Philosophy
Razi believed that the competent physician must also be a philosopher well
versed in the fundemental questions regarding existence:
"He proclaimed the absolutism of Euclidean space and mechanical time as
the commonsense basis for the world in which men lived, but resolved
the dilemma of existent infinities by synthesizing this outlook with
the atomic theory of Democritus, which recognized that matter existed
in the form of indivisible and fathomable quanta. The continuity of
space, however, holds due to the existence of void, or a region lacking
matter... This is remarkably close to the systems yielded by the
discoveries of such later European scientists as John Dalton and Max
Planck, as well as the observational and theoretical works of modern
astronomer Halton Arp and Objectivist philosopher Michael Miller.
Progress, in the view of all these men, is not to be obstructed by a
jumble of haphazard and contradictory relativistic assertions which
result in metaphysical hodge-podge instead of a sturdy intellectual
base. Even in regard to the task of the philosopher, Rhazes considered
it to be progressing beyond the level of one's teachers, expanding the
accuracy and scope of one's doctrine, and individually elevating
oneself onto a higher intellectual plane." (G. Stolyarov II)
Razi is known to be a free-thinking Islamic philosopher, since he was
well-trained in the Greek sciences. He was also well versed in the musical
theory, as were many other Islamic scientists of the time, although his
approach in chemistry was naturalistic.
Of His Many Books on Philosophy
names may differ
* The Small Book on Theism
* Response to Abu'al'Qasem Braw
* The Greater Book on Theism
* Modern Philosophy
* Dar Roshan Sakhtane Eshtebaah
* Dar Enteghaade Mo'tazlian
* Delsoozi Bar Motekaleman
* Meydaneh Kherad
* Khasel
* Resaaleyeh Rahnamayeh Fehrest
* Ghasideyeh Ilaahi
* Dar Alet Afarineshe Darandegan
* Shakkook
* Naghseh Ketabe Tadbir
* Naghsnamehyeh Ferforius
* Do name be Hasanebne Moharebe Ghomi
Notable Books (in English): Spiritual Medicine, The Philosophical Approach
(Al Syrat al Falsafiah), and The Metaphysics
The Philosophical Approach (excerpt)
"In short, so far while I am writing the present book, I have written
around 200 books and articles on different aspects of science,
philosophy, theology, and hekmat (wisdom)... I was never at the service
of any king as a military man or a man of office, and if I ever did
have a conversation with a king, it never went beyond my medical
responsibility and advice ... those who have seen me know that I have
never gone to excess in eating, drinking, and doing blamed things, as
for my interest in science, people know well and have witnessed how I
have devoted all my life to science since my youth ... and my patience
and persistence in the pursuit of science have been to such extent that
about only one special matter I have written 20,000 pages in small
letters, and I spent fifteen years of my life -- day and night --
writing the big collection entitled Al Havi, and during this time, I
lost my eyesight, my hand got paralyzed, and thus, now I am deprived of
reading and writing as a result. Nonetheless, I never gave up, but kept
on reading and writing with the help of others instead. Practically
speaking, I can make concessions to my enemies and admit my
shortcomings, but I wonder what they would say scientifically. If they
find my approach defective, they can put forward their views and make
their points clear so that I may study them. If I found their views
right, I would admit it, and if I found them wrong, I could discuss the
matter and prove my case. However, if this is not the case , and if
they merely disagree with my approach and my way of life, I hope they
would make use of my knowledge and not interfere with my attitude."
"In his book "Philosophical Biography", he defended his personal
biography and the philosopher's life and he laid out a framework based
on the idea that there is life after death containing happiness or
misery. Thus, rather than being self-indulgent, man should seek
knowledge, utilise his intellect and apply justice. According to
Al-Razi, "This is what our merciful Creator wanted to whom we pray for
reward and whose punishment we fear." In brief, man should be kind,
gentle and just. Al-Razi believed that there is a close relationship
between spiritual integrity and physical health ... Al-Razi does not
forget to try to make the soul avoid distress due to death. He states
that this psychological symptom cannot be avoided completely without
the individual being convinced that, after death, the soul will lead a
better life. This subject needs a detailed study of doctrines and
religions. He focuses on the opinion of those who think that the soul
perishes if the body perishes. As a result, fear of death has no basis
in the mind. Death, undoubtedly, is inevitable. So, the person who
continuously thinks about death is distressed and time after time will
feel as if he is dying whenever he thinks about it. Therefore, he
should forget it in order to avoid upsetting himself. Thinking about
his destiny after death, the benevolent and good man who performs the
ordinances of the Islamic Shari`ah should not fear because he is
promised comfort and permanent bliss in the Hereafter. As for the one
who doubts the Shari`ah, he can only contemplate. If he spares no
effort in this, he will not deviate from the right way. If he deviates,
Allah will excuse him and forgive his sins because he is not requested
to do something that he cannot bear." (Dr. Muhammad Abdul-Hadi Abu
Reidah)
Metaphysics
His ideas on metaphysics were also based on the works of the great Greeks:
"The metaphysical doctrine of al-Razi, insofar as it can be
reconstructed, derives from his concept of the five eternal principles.
God, for him, does not 'create' the world from nothing but rather
arranges a universe out of pre-existing principles. His account of the
soul features a mythic origin of the world in which God out of pity
fashions a physical playground for the soul in response to its own
desires; the soul, once fallen into the new realm God has made for it,
requires God's further gift of intellect in order to find its way once
more to salvation and freedom. In this scheme, intellect does not
appear as a separate principle but is rather a later grace of God to
the soul; the soul becomes intelligent, possessed of reason and
therefore able to discern the relative value of the other four
principles. Whereas the five principles are eternal, intellect as such
is apparently not. Such a doctrine of intellect is sharply at odds with
that of all of Razi's philosophical contemporaries, who are in general
either adherents of some form of Neoplatonism or of Aristotelianism.
The remaining three principles, space, matter and time, serve as the
non-animate components of the natural world. Space is defined by the
relationship between the individual particles of matter, or atoms, and
the void that surrounds them. The greater the density of material
atoms, the heavier and more solid the resulting object; conversely, the
larger the portion of void, the lighter and less solid. Time and matter
have both an absolute, unqualified form and a limited form. Thus there
is an absolute matter - pure extent - that does not depend in any way
on place, just as there is a time, in this sense, that is not defined
or limited by motion. The absolute time of al-Razi is, like matter,
infinite; it thus transcends the time which Aristotle confined to the
measurement of motion. Razi, in the cases of both time and matter, knew
well how he differed from Aristotle and also fully accepted and
intended the consequences inherent in his anti-Peripatetic positions."
(Paul E. Walker)
Although it is quite evident that most of his thoughts derived from Islam,
this is demonstrated clearly in his writing of The Metaphysics.
Miscellaneous
Quotes from Rhazes
"Let your first thought be to strengthen the natural vitality."
"Truth in medicine is an unattainable goal, and the art as described in
books is far beneath the knowledge of an experienced and thoughtful
physician."
Asked if a philosopher can follow a prophetically revealed religion, al-Razi
openly retorts:
"How can anyone think philosophically while committed to those old
wives' tales, founded on contradictions, obdurate ignorance, and
dogmatism?"
"gentility of character, and nicety and purity of mind, are found in those
who are capable of thinking deeply about abstruse matters and scientific
minutiae."
"Man should hasten to protect himself from love before succumbing and wean
his soul from it if he falls."
"The self-admirer, generally, should not glorify himself nor be so conceited
that he elevates himself above his counterparts. Neither should he belittle
himself to the extent that he becomes inferior to his counterparts or to
those who are inferior both to him and to his counterparts in the sight of
others. If he follows this advice, he will be free of self-admiration and
feelings of inferiority, and people would call him the one who truly knows
himself."
When asked of envy, Razi retorts: "It results from the gathering of
niggardliness and avarice in the soul." "one of the diseases that cause
grave harm to the soul."
Quotes on Rhazes
"Rhazes was the greatest physician of Islam and the Medieval Ages." --
George Sarton
"Rhazes remained up to the 17th century the undisputable authority of
medicine." -- The Islamic Encyclopaedia
"His writings on smallpox and measles show originality and accuracy,
and his essay on infectious diseases was the first scientific treatise
on the subject." -- The Bulletin of the World Health Organization (May
1970)
"In today's world we tend to see scientific advance as the product of
great movements, massive grant-funded projects, and larger-than-life
socio-economic forces. It is easy to forget, therefore, that many
contributions stemmed from the individual efforts of scholars like
Rhazes. Indeed, pharmacy can trace much of its historical foundations
to the singular achievements of this ninth-century Persian scholar." --
Michael E. Flannery
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