Mind, Morality, and Medicine: A Historical Inquiry into Mental Asylums in the Muslim World
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/ijrcs.v8i1.390Keywords:
Islamic medicine, mental health, bīmāristān, decolonial psychiatry, waqf, Sufism, spiritual healingAbstract
This paper explores the historical development of mental health care in the Muslim world, spanning from the early Islamic period to colonial disruption and the postcolonial era. Drawing on Islamic philosophy, medical ethics, and institutional history, it highlights how mental illness was historically understood and treated through a holistic approach integrating body, mind, and spirit. The study examines the intellectual contributions of scholars such as al-Rāzī, Ibn Sīnā, and al-Ghazālī, and analyses the role of bīmāristān—charity-funded hospitals that provided compassionate psychiatric care. Through detailed case studies of key institutions in Baghdad, Cairo, and Damascus, the paper uncovers the ethical, therapeutic, and architectural sophistication of Islamic mental healthcare. It further critiques the colonial marginalisation of these systems and argues for a decolonial framework that revives culturally rooted, integrative mental health models. Ultimately, this research challenges Eurocentric narratives and advocates for a more inclusive history of psychiatry that honours the intellectual and spiritual legacies of the Muslim world.
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