Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University,Ahvaz, Iran..
Abstract
The present study aims to reexamine the epistemological foundations of medical science from the perspective of the Holy Qur’an by investigating the relationship between sensory empiricism and divine inspiration in the process of medical knowledge acquisition. In the contemporary world, medicine is largely grounded in empiricism and sensory observation, deriving its epistemic validity from experimental data. In contrast, the Qur’an, by presenting a monotheistic view of the world and the human being, does not confine the sources of knowledge to the external senses alone, but also recognizes higher faculties of cognition—such as reason, the heart, and divine inspiration—as effective in the discovery of truth. Accordingly, medical knowledge in the Qur’anic worldview is not merely an empirical form of knowledge, but a multi-layered process that gains meaning through its connection with divine guidance and monotheistic knowledge. This research adopts a descriptive–analytical method and employs conceptual analysis of Qur’anic verses related to knowledge, healing, and inspiration (such as Q. 16:68; 26:80; 96:4–5; and 8:29). The findings indicate that within the Qur’anic epistemic framework, sensory perception functions as the initial instrument of knowledge, while the ultimate validity of knowledge depends on divine guidance and correction. The originality of this article lies in proposing a “three-level model of Qur’anic medical epistemology,” consisting of: (1) sensory experience and natural observation, (2) rational reflection and conceptual analysis, and (3) divine inspiration and illumination. This model can provide a theoretical foundation for the development of “religious medicine” and for redefining the role of the human being in the healing process through the integration of reason and revelation.
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