Abstract
The astronomer, physician, philosopher, Quṭb al-Dīn al-Shīrāzī (d. 1311), known as the author of Commentary on the Canon of Medicine by Ibn Sīnā (d. 1037), wrote a short treatise on medical ethics, Explanation of the Need for Medicine and Physicians. In this article, I elucidate how Shīrāzī explained the need for medicine, and point out the characteristic of his argument.
In Chapter One of the work, Shīrāzī argued for the need for medicine on the basis of both the rational and the traditional argument. The rational argument derived from Greek philosophy. In the traditional argument, on the other hand, he cited Qur'an and a number of the Prophetic sayings and deeds (ḥadīth), and concluded that medicine is a duty of the whole community of Muslims.
The characteristic of this latter type of argument can be illuminated by comparing Shīrāzīʼs treatise with those of his predecessors. First, some texts in the genre of “Prophetic medicine” collected medical knowledge for believers, but did not discuss extensively the need or legitimacy of medicine. Second, treatises on medical ethics written before Shīrāzīʼs did not argue for the need for medicine on the basis of Islamic tradition. This contrast demonstrates that Shīrāzī deliberately departed from his predecessors in making his traditional side of argument.
