Critical Content Analysis of Narrative Version of Islamic Medicine

Abstract

Background and Objective: The nature of Narrative version of Islamic medicine (NIM) is based on Quran and hadith, exclusive attention to Islamic narrative references and rejection of the strategies of other medical schools. This study was conducted to criticize NIM. Methods: In this qualitative study of content analysis, after collecting the opinions of 6 prominent scholars of NIM, the criticisms of these opinions were presented and categorized by three doctors specialized in Persian medicine, a cleric in the field of Islamic jurisprudence and a methodologist by holding expert panel meetings. Findings: Criticisms were raised based on three points of view. The intra-religious area including the routine of Ahl al-Bayt (The holy family of the Prophet Muhammad) in illness and the role of physicians, the place of reason and experience in Islamic sciences, differences in geographical areas, not mentioning the full history of patients and newly occurring diseases was brought up. From a medical point of view, the important points include lack of a research method to check the effectiveness of a medical narrative, lack of diagnostic aspects and an approach to screening. From the viewpoint of religious and social consequences, religious trauma resulting from lack of response to treatment attributed to Ahl al-Bayt, approach to other manifestations of Western civilization, ethical issue of producing, prescribing and selling drugs by a group and loss of life and money due to waste of time in cases with definitive or relative treatment was raised in other medical schools. Conclusion: Based on the results of this research, the introduction of this theory to society without sufficient investigations in the seminaries and universities of medical sciences may cause physical, mental and religious trauma at the individual and social level.