The atmosphere of fear that we live in today because of COVID-19 is nothing new for humanity; our ancestors throughout history have experienced similar situations facing different epidemics and plagues. We are advised to take similar measures for isolation today as those recommended by scholars and doctors in former times - each excelled in their area of specialization and strove on behalf of their communities to stem the spread of disease - just as our health professionals continue to do for us. Just like modern healthcare experts and scientists, these forerunners dedicated themselves to diagnosing, prescribing treatments, and trying to find ways of preventing it from spreading.

The world has witnessed many plagues throughout history, and interesting details about some of them are mentioned in various historical literature and books from earlier eras. They record descriptions of the outbreak, the victims, the suffering experienced, how it ended, and people's overall behavior during such epidemics.

In this lecture, Dr. Aisha Al-Mannai will explore an ancient book written by pharmacist and biologist Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-Tamimi Al-Maqdisi titled: “Survival Substance for Removing Air Pollution and Prevention from the Suffering of Epidemics”. As long as a thousand years ago, the book addressed “air pollution” and treated air quality as one of the requirements towards a healthy life.

The book represents the first scientific work on epidemics. Not long ago, doctors still believed that diseases were disorders generated by and infecting the human body. Thus, most of them simply prescribed drugs, foods, antidotes, and the like. However, Al-Tamimi Al-Maqdisi, for the first time, linked diseases with the natural conditions that surround humans, and identified the relationship between an illness and the quality of the water patients drink and the air they breathe.

Speaker:

Dr. Aisha Yousef Al-Mannai, Director, Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization

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