Al-Razi Quotes
Abu Bakr al-Razi, known to the Latin West as Rhazes, was a Persian polymath, physician, alchemist, and philosopher, and one of the most original minds of the Islamic Golden Age. As head of hospitals in Rayy and Baghdad, he produced a vast encyclopedic medical work, the Comprehensive Book, and a celebrated treatise on smallpox and measles. The quotes below are attributed to Al-Razi, organized by topic.
Browse Al-Razi by topic
Al-Razi on God
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“The doctor 's aim is to do good, even to our enemies, so much more to our friends , and my profession forbids us to do harm to our kindred, as it is instituted for the benefit and welfare of the human race, and God imposed on physicians the oath not to compose mortiferous remedies.”
Islamic Science, the Scholar and Ethics , Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation.
Al-Razi on Knowledge
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Attributed to Al-Razi:
“All learning is preceded by the recognition of one's own ignorance.”
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“Islamic Science, the Scholar and Ethics , Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation.”
The doctor 's aim is to do good, even to our enemies, so much more to our friends , and my profession forbids us to do harm to our kindred, as it is instituted for the benefit and welfare of the human race, and God imposed on physicians the oath not to compose mortiferous remedies. -
“I prayed to God to direct and lead me to the truth in writing this book. It grieves me to oppose and criticize the man Galen from whose sea of knowledge I have drawn much. Indeed, he is the Master and I am the disciple. Although this reverence and appreciation will and should not prevent me from doubting, as I did, what is erroneous in his theories. I imagine and feel deeply in my heart that Galen”
Introduction of Doubts about Galen , as quoted in Bashar Saad, Omar Said, Greco-Arab and Islamic Herbal Medicine: Traditional System, Ethics, Safety, Efficacy, and Regulatory Issues , John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ISBN 9781118002261 , page -
“Al-Razi, Al Syrat al Falsafiah [The Philosophical Approach]”
... In short, while I am writing the present book, I have written so far around 200 books and articles on different aspects of science, philosophy, theology, and hekmat (wisdom). ... I never entered the service of any king as a military man or a man of office, and if I ever did have a conversation with a king, it never went beyond my medical responsibility and advice. ... Those who have seen me kn
Al-Razi on Mind
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Attributed to Al-Razi:
“The intellect is God's greatest gift to humankind, and we should not impose another authority above it.”
Al-Razi on Nature
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Attributed to Al-Razi:
“When the patient gets too much medicine, the disease is harmed but the patient is harmed too.”
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Attributed to Al-Razi:
“The physician's task is to imitate the work of nature.”
Al-Razi on Truth
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Attributed to Al-Razi:
“Truth in medicine is an unattainable goal, and the art as described in books is far beneath the knowledge of an experienced thoughtful physician.”