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Paper presented at The Annual Training for Better organization and Islamic Health Conference organized by the Islamic Medical Faculties of Indonesia at Universitas Islam Sultan Agung Semarang on 20th December 2008 by Dr Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH (Harvard) Professor of Epidemiology and Islamic Medicine Institute of Medicine Universiti Brunei and Visiting Professor of Epidemiology Universiti Malaya. EM: http://omarkasule.tripod.com
There is a semantic confusion between the adjectives 'Islamic' and 'Muslim'. 'Islamic' refers to values, ideas, guiding principles, and application of the Qur'an and 'Muslim' refers to people who self-identify as Muslims as well as their activities and institutions. They may not follow all the teachings of Islam. Thus Islamic medicine, the ideal, is not the same as Medicine of Muslim societies, which is the actual historical or contemporary experience of Muslim societies.
Islamic Medicine is defined as Medicine whose basic paradigms, concepts, values, and procedures conform to or to do not contradict the Qur'an and Sunnah. It is not specific medical procedures or therapeutic agents used at a particular place or a particular time. Islamic medicine is universal, all - embracing, flexible, and allows for growth and development of various methods of investigating and treating diseases within the frame-work described above.
This definition calls for basic transformation of medical systems. Islamic medicine thus becomes the result of an Islamic critique and reformulation of the basic paradigms, research methodology, teaching, and practice of medicine. This process of conceptual transformation, also called Islamization of medicine, is described in detail in the paper. The end-results of the Islamization process will not be a medical system, therapies, or procedures for Muslims only but for the whole humanity because Islam is a set of universal and objective values. Islamization is not theologizing, localizing, or parochializing medicine but making it excellent for all humanity.
The process of Islamization covers all systems of medicine. Priority is for western medicine because of its dominance. We have to start by critically examining and reforming the methodology of research. Knowledge is produced by research and we have to be on the producing and not the consuming end of the knowledge process. A new reformed methodology of research will be built using guidelines of the Qur'an on (a) objectivity (istiqamah) (b) unbiasedness (no hawa & dhann) (c) haqq (truth) (d) a holistic view of the universe, harmony and coordination (tauhid) (e) looking for causal relations (sunan Allah fi al kawn wa al insan ) (f) utility ('ilm nafi ), and (g) pursuit of excellence (ihsan). The next task will be reforming the values, ethics, and attitudes of medical training and practice.