Sleep Medicine in the Arab Islamic Civilization

Abstract

Islamic civilization covers a time frame between the seventh century and the fifteenth century spreading to a vast area from Spain in the West, to China in the East and encompassing the whole of northern Africa including Egypt as well as Syria, Palestine, Transjordan, Central Asia, and parts of western India. Later, it was spread by Muslim merchants to the Far East: Malaysia and Indonesia. The two sources of Islamic jurisprudence are the Quran and Hadith. The Holy Quran is the basis of Islamic religion and Hadith the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him, PBUH) as recorded by his followers. Among Hadiths are rules pertaining to personal hygiene, bathing, drinking, marriage, circumcision, sanitation, and sleep posture. Muslim medicine has an important theological basis, with reference to taking care of the body, a religious obligation for the Muslims. Quranic verses and Hadith played an important role in creating the Islamic frame of mind of the future physicians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)