In search of harmony of body, soul: Concept of healing in Islam

Universally accepted as one of the pivotal epochs of human history, the Golden Age of Islam is widely recognised for its cultural outpourings, and especially the flowering of the sciences, mathematics, architecture and various other disciplines. Lesser known is its contribution to healthcare and well-being. Yet, the Dar al-Shifas or healing houses that flourished in Anatolia during the period, could have a lasting impact on modern healthcare.

Now, Rania Awaad, a senior psychiatrist from Stanford University in the US, is studying the concept of healing in Islam, and, using her insights into Anatolian Dar al-Shifas, is challenging the modern, Eurocentric construction of psychiatry, and the understanding of psychological treatment.

From Seljuks to the Ottomans, Anatolia became home to many Dar al-Shifas, which employed various treatment methods, such as water, sound and aroma therapies.

Her research shows that not only are the methods of treatment in these medical centres different from the hospitals that draw from an European legacy, but also in the way they approach the human body. Instead of looking at the human body as made up of different parts, they looked at it as different aspects — physical, mental and spiritual — and addressed them using a holistic approach.

In Türkiye, Awaad was able to see practical implications of what she had read in books about the concept of healing in Islam, which she is using to challenge the modern understanding of psychiatric treatment.

When she had the chance to go to Edirne, which houses a Dar al-Shifa inside the Bayezid II Health Museum, she felt very different: “You're able to see in real life, in 3D, what you read about in theory.”

“The fountain, the sound, the lighting, even things like the air quality, all of this is very hard to experience, unless you're there in person," she tells TRT World.

She claims her visit even exposed her to how, even through their designs, the Dar al-Shifas create an atmosphere that helps people recover. “You enter one and you begin to draw deeper breaths. It's the garden, the greenery, the calm.”

Külliya, or architecture for holistic healing

One of the things that impresses her about the design of Dar al-Shifas is the idea of külliya. Originating in the Seljuk period and extending through the Ottoman era, this was an urban planning concept that incorporated various public buildings within a complex, with a mosque at the centre, built on waqf land. A külliya would include madrasas, libraries, Dar al-Shifas, kitchens, bakeries, public baths, etc, within the same complex, the idea being that all parts of the human body have to heal together. Hence the different institutions appealing to the mind, body and soul, standing next to each other.

Awaad also draws attention to the importance of putting a medical school next to the Dar al-Shifa within this complex. Through the proximity of the two different institutions — school and hospice — “you could see the practical learning that was happening, with the doctors as apprentices of senior caregivers”.

Dar al-Shifas are akin to cutting-edge hospitals of today that integrate different healing methods like sound, water and aroma therapies into their healthcare management regimen.

Yet, when compared to the modern, Eurocentric understanding of healing, they are very different in their approach. Rooted in Islamic faith, they put prime importance to the healing of the human spirit. Awaad points out that what is missing in modern psychiatric treatment is spiritual healing, adding that Dar al-Shifas incorporated some advanced treatment regimens unavailable to modern psychiatric treatment.

She further says, “It would be wonderful if modern psychiatry integrated different senses to the process of healing.” The idea is that for any part of our body to heal, all other parts need to heal simultaneously.

In psychiatry, there is a lot of focus on cognitive and behavioural diagnosis and therapies. In contrast, the concept of holistic healing rooted in Islam and practised in the Dar al-Shifas of yore focused on healing the full person — mind and body — while looking to find individualised treatment for each and every person, she explains. There would be specific pills and diets prescribed to individuals, while dieticians cooked meals tailored for specific persons.

“That level of customisation really makes a difference,” she says.

Under this regimen, the healing would take time and effort, and offered no quick fix like modern psychiatric treatment.

A bridge to the past

Islamic empires may have ended, but across Türkiye, Dar al-Shifas still stand, offering an insight about the Islamic healing since the time of the Seljuks.

“Many Dar al-Shifas here are in place, intact and going under restoration, and still exist,” she says, describing her visits across Türkiye’s Dar al-Shifas, from Istanbul to Bursa, Edirne, Kayseri, Sivas and Amasya.

What struck in her mind was the uniformity in their designs. “Again and again, the standard was met and repeated across several cities in Türkiye, and in other countries across the Muslim world.”

This standardisation is key to the Islamic empires, that can be observed across the countries Islam went, she adds. “They follow the same healing concept in their design philosophy, all the way down to the fountains, arches and details, even though the angles and sizes may differ.”

The other thing that caught her eye was the extent of involvement of women in the construction of Dar al-Shifas in Türkiye. In some cases, the names of the Dar al-Shifas indicate they are dedicated to women. Others had women patrons who paid for their construction with their own money, without any assistance from the state or from charity.

Islam and psychiatry

That brings Awaad to the massive blind spot in the West, regarding psychiatry and Islam. She says most of her students in the US, even the Muslims, have no idea about the connection, and feel that psychiatry does not belong to Muslim world.

“Therapy is very secular. It does not allow for religion or God. A believer going into therapy feels a disconnect, like something is missing.” But, she says, this disconnect can be overturned by challenging the dominant narrative to rewrite the history of psychological treatment. And she aims to do that, on the way revealing the link between Muslim heritage and modern psychology.

Already, she says, people are amazed when they learn about it.

And, by reviving the connections between Turkish Islamic healthcare systems as practised in the Dar al-Shifas, and by integrating spirituality into the therapy process, she aims to connect more people to modern psychiatry.

Towards this end, she has already founded the non-profit organisation, Madristan, that includes healing circles and classes that enable people to learn psychology from an Islamic perspective. “We hope it will become a blueprint that sets a model for the rest of the world, and changes psychiatric treatment.”