Liberal Arts Forum

email from Sheikh Abdullah al-Adhami

wa ‘alaikum assalam
dear faraz:
may His grace bless you all and increase you in vigilence.

this is, technically, not a fiqh question; it’s what one ‘knows’ they can stomach seeing,
even if just for educational purposes. the show would probably ‘not be suitable’ for young
children, for example. naturally, ’suitability’ and ‘prohibition’ are distinctly different.

the eminent physician ibn al-nafis wrote a lucid commentary on the anatomy section of
ibn sina’s al-qanun fi-l-tibb, renowned as liber canonis in its latin translation. i’m almost
certain that if any of our jurist imams were among us today, they would have henry grey’s
anatomy in their library. it’s an indispensible complement to enrich the juridical lexicon.

notwithstanding what he proclaims in his introduction (to sharH tashreeH al-qanun), the
descriptions of ibn al-nafis are remarkably detailed, and actually serve to correct numerous
assumptions that galen’s treatise on the functions of body parts made.

if your friend is not a medical student, the first sentence herein is sufficient.
the rest? well, …, along with its timeless, universal ethics, the spirit of excellence
are the landmark signature of our tradition; teachers need ‘live’ examples to help
pass along this magnificent trust ever onwards.

thank you for your thoughtful du’a`, and more power to you!
wassalam.

abdullah adhami