Skip to Content
A HAKIM campaignAn unbroken chain · 7th century to today

Forgotten Heroes.

Forgotten heroes of medicine. Stories of service and mercy.

Follow the trail

We do not know their faces. We do not know their stories. We do not know their names. And sometimes we know the heroes of others better than we know our own.

Forgotten Heroes is a campaign about the forgotten heroes of medicine, people from history and from our own time who give us, as Muslims, a sense of who we are. Not because they were loud, but because they carried others, served them, and left something behind.

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا

„We feed you only for the sake of Allah. We desire from you neither reward nor thanks.“

Sūrat al-Insān (76:9)

Early Islamic Era

7th Century3 Portraits
Ibn Abī Ramtha at-TamīmīPlate 17th century CEIbn Abī Ramtha at-Tamīmī"The Physician is Allah"Read the portrait
Rufaida al-AslamiyyaPlate 27th century CERufaida al-AslamiyyaThe First Nurse of IslamRead the portrait
Al-Shifa bint AbdullahPlate 37th century CEAl-Shifa bint AbdullahCalled "the Healing"Read the portrait

Golden Age

9th to 13th Century5 Portraits
Fatima al-FihriPlate 4c. 800 to 880 CEFatima al-FihriFounder of the Oldest University in the WorldRead the portrait
Abū Bakr ar-RāzīPlate 5died around 925 CEAbū Bakr ar-Rāzī"Akhlāq aṭ-Ṭabīb · The Ethics of the Physician"Read the portrait
Abū Zayd al-BalkhīPlate 6died 322 AH (934 CE)Abū Zayd al-Balkhī"The Physician of the Soul"Read the portrait
Abū al-Qāsim az-ZahrāwīPlate 7c. 936 to 1013 CEAbū al-Qāsim az-Zahrāwī"The Service of the Hand"Read the portrait
Ibn an-NafīsPlate 8607 to 687 AH (1213 to 1288 CE)Ibn an-Nafīs"Faqīh and Physician"Read the portrait

Later Legacy

14th to 15th Century3 Portraits
Symbolbild: ein anatomisches Herz aus goldener Honigwabe auf dunkelblauem GrundPlate 9died 751 AH (1350 CE)Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya“Medicine as Worship”Read the portrait
Symbolbild: eine Nadel, durch die sich eine Bahn aus Puzzleteilen zieht, auf dunkelblauem GrundPlate 10732 to 808 AH (1332 to 1406 CE)Ibn Khaldūn“Qāḍī and founder of the science of civilization”Read the portrait
Şerefeddin SabuncuoğluPlate 111385 to c. 1468 CEŞerefeddin Sabuncuoğlu"Knowledge that does not die"Read the portrait

Present Day

5 Portraits
The Unknown HeroPlate 12UnknownThe Unknown HeroThis portrait is still being writtenRead the portrait
Husain Abdul Sattar, Symbolbild: Mikroskop, DNA-Helix und Origami-SchmetterlingePlate 13b. 1972Husain Abdul SattarThe Teacher of a Generation of PhysiciansRead the portrait
Marwa el-Sherbini, GedenkkompositionPlate 141977-2009Marwa el-SherbiniShahīdat al-ḤijābRead the portrait
Dr. Mohamed MashallyPlate 151944-2020Dr. Mohamed MashallyThe doctor of the poorRead the portrait
Prof. Malik BadriPlate 161932-2021Prof. Malik BadriFather of Modern Islamic PsychologyRead the portrait
Appendix

By Discipline

16 lives, 5 fields of service.

01

Surgery & Healing

3 Portraits
Ibn Abī Ramtha at-TamīmīIbn Abī Ramtha at-Tamīmī7th century CE"The Physician is Allah"Abū al-Qāsim az-ZahrāwīAbū al-Qāsim az-Zahrāwīc. 936 to 1013 CE"The Service of the Hand"Şerefeddin SabuncuoğluŞerefeddin Sabuncuoğlu1385 to c. 1468 CE"Knowledge that does not die"
02

Care, Education & Endowment

4 Portraits
Rufaida al-AslamiyyaRufaida al-Aslamiyya7th century CEThe First Nurse of IslamAl-Shifa bint AbdullahAl-Shifa bint Abdullah7th century CECalled "the Healing"Fatima al-FihriFatima al-Fihric. 800 to 880 CEFounder of the Oldest University in the WorldHusain Abdul Sattar, Symbolbild: Mikroskop, DNA-Helix und Origami-SchmetterlingeHusain Abdul Sattarb. 1972The Teacher of a Generation of Physicians
03

Internal Medicine

3 Portraits
Dr. Mohamed MashallyDr. Mohamed Mashally1944-2020The doctor of the poorAbū Bakr ar-RāzīAbū Bakr ar-Rāzīdied around 925 CE"Akhlāq aṭ-Ṭabīb · The Ethics of the Physician"Ibn an-NafīsIbn an-Nafīs607 to 687 AH (1213 to 1288 CE)"Faqīh and Physician"
04

Soul & Psychology

2 Portraits
Abū Zayd al-BalkhīAbū Zayd al-Balkhīdied 322 AH (934 CE)"The Physician of the Soul"Prof. Malik BadriProf. Malik Badri1932-2021Father of Modern Islamic Psychology
05

Ethics & Fiqh

2 Portraits
Symbolbild: ein anatomisches Herz aus goldener Honigwabe auf dunkelblauem GrundIbn Qayyim al-Jawziyyadied 751 AH (1350 CE)“Medicine as Worship”Symbolbild: eine Nadel, durch die sich eine Bahn aus Puzzleteilen zieht, auf dunkelblauem GrundIbn Khaldūn732 to 808 AH (1332 to 1406 CE)“Qāḍī and founder of the science of civilization”

The chain does not break

Write the next chapter with us.

HAKIM connects Muslim physicians and healthcare professionals in Germany, in the spirit of those who served before us. Stay part of the story.

News from the series: portraits, essays and events. Unsubscribe at any time.