MUSLIM CULTURE

Far from Greece and Rome where western civilization had developed, the Islamic society was developed in the Mideast. In an area known today as Saudi Arabia, nomadic people, living primarily in tribes, struggled for existence on the arid desert of Arabia, while oasis settlements relied on agriculture. Large numbers of people traveled to Mecca (Makkah) to visit the Ka’abah, the House of God built by the Prophet Abraham, which, at that time, housed numerous idols belonging to the inhabitants of the city and to tribes. About 400 A.D., Mecca became a trading center (Peck, 2002). The Prophet Muhammad was born in Makkah in 570 A.D. At about age 40, he began to preach a religion that would later be identified by the name “Islam.” His preachings were not well received by the people of Mecca; Muhammad and his small group of followers endured persecution and in the year 622 A.D., were forced to emigrate to the city of Madinah (once known as Yathrib), located 260 miles to the north. This migration (Hijrah) marked the beginning of a new era and also the beginning of the Muslim calendar. The city had abundant water supplies, which nourished dates and vegetables, and became a reprovisioning point for caravans traveling from the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula along the Red Sea to Syria and Egypt. As the religion grew, mosques were built for worshipers. The first was established at Quba; another adjacent to Muhammad’s house soon became the social and economic center of the city. Muhammad spent 8 years strengthening the Islamic community and warding off aggressors. At the end of this time, he and his followers were able to enter Mecca without bloodshed, remove all idols from the Kaaba, and convert inhabitants of Mecca to Islam (“Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah,” 1998). Both civil and religious life were given direction through the writings of Muhammad. Thirty years after his death in 632, these writings were incorporated into a book titled the Koran (Qu’ran). Muhammad formulated rules for good living that excluded gambling, lying, wine drinking, uncleanness, and eating unclean food. He advocated kindliness, honesty, hospitality, forgiveness, almsgiving, cleanliness, and eating only prescribed foods. (Jamieson & Sewall, 1944). As the Islamic culture grew, the writings of Hippocrates and Galen were translated into Arabic. Although Muslim beliefs regarding uncleanness forbade dissection, an extensive materia medica developed. Hospitals were built. Little has been written in nursing history books about the role of nursing in early Muslim cultures. Recently, attention has been drawn to an 11th-century Muslim “Nightingale” named Rufaida Al-Asalmiya, who was a nurse during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. Rufaido Al-Asalmiya’s father was a healer. While assisting her father, Rufaido developed many nursing skills. With the permission of the Prophet Muhammad, she began to train women and young girls in the art of nursing. She is said to have developed the first code of nursing conduct and ethics, long before it was introduced in the Western world. When the holy war began, she is reported to have provided care to the Muslim army in battle, enjoining her Muslim nurses to assist her. She continued this care after the battle ended, setting up tents near the mosque of Nabvi, where she provided care and health education. A building at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing has been named in her honor (Jan, 1996).