The issue of similarity or difference between Al-Hāwi Fi al-Tibb and Al-Jāmi' Al-Kabir of Muhammad ibn Zakariya Al-Razi: An Evidence based study

Abstract

Mohammad ibn Zakariya Al- Razi is one of the most famous Physicians in Islamic Civilization, whose opinions and works have played an important role in the History of medicine. Al- Hawi fi Al-Tibb is his most famous work that sometimes has been considered similar to Al- Jami' Al-Kabir. The importance of Al-Hawi in History of Medicine Studies has demanded studying the similarnties and differences betweenAl-Jami' Al-Kabir. Ibn Abi Usayba'a and Al-Qifṭī (Among Classic Writers) and Albert Iskandar, Mehrnaz Katuzian and Sami Hamarneh (Among Recent writers), distinguish between these two books. Nevertheless however, the study of other Al- Razi's works, other works of Islamic medicine and the Islamic Bibliographic books shows that we can't demonstrate exactly that Al- Hawi and Al- Jami are an identical work, althoughwe have obtained more evidence proving thier similarity.. This Article attempts to show there are some differences and similarities between these two works based on evidences.

Keywords

• mohammad ibn zakariya al-razi
• al-hāwi fi al-tibb
• al-jāmi' al-kabir
• islamic medicine
• historical source