The Seminar on the Impact of Islamic Lifestyles on the Health and Development of Mankind

The Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization,the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, and the Royal Academyfor Islamic Civilization Research (the Aal Al-Bayt Foundation) jointly sponsoreda seminar on “Islamic Lifestyles and their Impact on Health and theGeneral Development of Mankind” in order to put this Islamic heritage inthe service of all human beings.The idea of.holding this Seminar was first conceived by the EasternMediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization becauseof its profound conviction that:1. Health constitutes the physical, psychological, and social wellbeingof the individual.2. Particular lifestyles have a major impact on the health ofthe individual and the society at large.3. Islam views the concept of well-being as a pre-requisite of‘Aqidah (creed) and Shari’ah which the Muslims fully appliedand implemented in their Golden Age -thus, providingliving proof of its success in real life.The first task undertaken by the participants involved the exhaustive listingand description of Islamic lifestyles in all spheres, and, the determiningof their Islamic roots on the basis of evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith.The second task focused on exploring the benefits to be acquired and theharms to be avoided through the adoption of these Islamic lifestyles by theindividual, the family, the society, and all human beings especially in thespheres of mental and physical health, and the well-being of social and humanrelationships. The third task involved devising plans of action for utilizingand applying all or part of the knowledge gained about Islamic lifestylesin order to demonstrate their beneficial influence as a means of reforminglife and setting mankind on the straight path.The Seminar participants also formed a smaller committee to exatninethe results of its research and deliberations so as to prepare, as soon as possible ...