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In Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (Vol. 28, p. 146), Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) says:

"Allah upholds a just state even if it is disbelieving, and He does not uphold an unjust state even if it is Muslim."

(إن الله يقيم الدولة العادلة وإن كانت كافرة ولا يقيم الدولة الظالمة وإن كانت مسلمة).

Ibn Taymiyyah also explains that even non-Muslims who practice certain virtues — like honesty, justice, charity — may receive worldly blessings from Allah, even though these deeds might not lead to salvation in the Hereafter unless combined with correct faith (īmān).

Ibn Taymiyyah further mentions how Allah's wisdom in distributing provisions, power, or favour is not tied only to a person's religion, but also to general principles Allah has established — such as justice being beloved to Him, and oppression being hated by Him.

Allah is the most just and lord of justice...

Inspiring our clinicians and teachers at SPC by the likes of:

c. 460 – c. 370 BCE:

Hippocrates, often called the "Father of Medicine," was a Greek physician who laid the foundation for Western medical practice. He rejected superstitious explanations for disease, emphasising natural causes and the importance of careful observation and diagnosis. His approach introduced the idea of the "four humors" (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile), which influenced medical thought for centuries. The famous Hippocratic Oath, attributed to him, set ethical standards for medical practitioners that are still referenced today.

c. 129 – c. 216 CE:

Galen was a Greek physician and philosopher whose medical writings dominated European and Islamic medicine for over a millennium. Building on Hippocratic principles, Galen conducted extensive dissections (mostly on animals) and developed a detailed understanding of anatomy, physiology, and disease. He expanded the theory of the four humors and emphasised the balance of bodily fluids in maintaining health. His comprehensive medical texts were highly influential, especially after being translated into Arabic, and shaped medical education well into the Renaissance.

Hippocrates laid the philosophical and ethical foundation of medicine, focusing on clinical observation and natural causes of illness. His approach was empirical and cautious, emphasising prognosis and patient care.

Galen built a much more detailed system, adding anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and complex theories about the body’s functions. He systematised and expanded Hippocrates' ideas, creating a vast medical framework.

Hippocrates = early foundation & ethics.

Galen = detailed system & medical science.

During the Islamic Golden Age, Muslim physicians deeply studied and expanded on both Hippocrates and Galen:

Ibn Sina (Avicenna) in The Canon of Medicine adopted much of Galenic medicine but also critically analysed and improved upon it. He systematised medical knowledge, combining Greek theories with his own observations.

Al-Razi (Rhazes) often challenged Galen, sometimes correcting him based on clinical experience, especially regarding fever and infectious diseases.

Ibn al-Nafis made one of the most important corrections to Galenic anatomy by discovering pulmonary circulation, directly contradicting Galen’s theory of invisible pores in the heart.

Islamic scholars respected Hippocrates and Galen but were not blindly loyal — they tested, critiqued, and advanced their knowledge.

This laid the foundations and was crucial for the advancement of the healthcare system and medical education, ultimately leading to the remarkable period in Islamic history known as the Golden Age of Islam, spanning roughly from the 8th to the 13th century.

Muslim and Arab medicine became the gold standard of medical practice, offering the world first-class medical education and healthcare:

By the mercy and will of Allah, and through the efforts of Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809 CE) and the Abbasid Caliphate — who honoured scholars, scientists, poets, educators, and physicians — remarkable figures emerged, including:

• Hunayn ibn Ishaq, the leading translator of Greek medical texts.

• Al-Razi (Rhazes), a pioneer in medicine and author of The Comprehensive Book on Medicine.

• Ibn Sina (Avicenna), who authored The Canon of Medicine, used worldwide for centuries.

• Al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis), regarded as the father of surgery.

It is also important to note that this extraordinary progress may not have been possible without the earlier efforts of Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān and his progeny, who established the Umayyad Dynasty and worked tirelessly towards the early Muslim Empire:

-Political consolidation (uniting the rapidly growing empire)

-Military expansion (spreading Islam into North Africa, Spain, Central Asia)

-Administration (developing state systems, coinage, official languages, infrastructure)

Although the Ummayad Dynasty focused more on political advancement and expansion of the Muslim Lands, there is someone quite special from the Dynasty who had a personal interest in science, alchemy, and medicine. That interest seeded what Abbasside Caliphate achieved and I will honour the individual in my later work/blogs.

May Allah be pleased with them all and accept their efforts as Khair. Ameen..