The Seminar on the Impact of Islamic Lifestyles on the Health and Development of Mankind

Abstract

The Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization, the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, and the Royal Academy for Islamic Civilization Research (the Aal Al-Bayt Foundation) jointly sponsored a seminar on “Islamic Lifestyles and their Impact on Health and the General Development of Mankind” in order to put this Islamic heritage in the service of all human beings. The idea of.holding this Seminar was first conceived by the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization because of its profound conviction that: 1. Health constitutes the physical, psychological, and social wellbeing of the individual. 2. Particular lifestyles have a major impact on the health of the individual and the society at large. 3. Islam views the concept of well-being as a pre-requisite of ‘Aqidah (creed) and Shari’ah which the Muslims fully applied and implemented in their Golden Age -thus, providing living proof of its success in real life. The first task undertaken by the participants involved the exhaustive listing and description of Islamic lifestyles in all spheres, and, the determining of their Islamic roots on the basis of evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith. The second task focused on exploring the benefits to be acquired and the harms to be avoided through the adoption of these Islamic lifestyles by the individual, the family, the society, and all human beings especially in the spheres of mental and physical health, and the well-being of social and human relationships. The third task involved devising plans of action for utilizing and applying all or part of the knowledge gained about Islamic lifestyles in order to demonstrate their beneficial influence as a means of reforming life and setting mankind on the straight path. The Seminar participants also formed a smaller committee to exatnine the results of its research and deliberations so as to prepare, as soon as possible ...