Abu Zayd al-Balkhi's Sustenance of the Soul: The Cognitive Behavior Therapy of A Ninth Century Physician

From Masalih al-Abdan wa al-Anfus (Sustenance for Bodies and Souls) preserved in the Ayasofya Library in Istanbul is an astonishing manuscript. Written more than eleven centuries ago, by the ninth century CE polymath Abu Zayd al-Balkhi, it tackles mental and psychological disorders which seem commonplace to us today. Al-Balkhi explains symptoms and treatments giving advice on preventive measures and how to return the body and soul to their natural healthy state. In doing so he displays a keen understanding of the human condition and the medical nature of the human emotional state. An astonishing feat given that many of the conditions he discusses were left largely unknown and untreated for centuries before being clinically defined as such, only as relatively recently as the 20th century. A genius, his insights on human psychopathology as well as diagnoses of psychological ailments including stress, depression, fear and anxiety, phobic and obsessive-compulsive disorders, together with their treatment by cognitive behavior therapy, relate to us in every way and are in sync with modern psychology. Importantly they also incorporate a greater dimension to include the soul and the worship of God.

Author: Malik Badri
Publisher: International Institute of Islamic Thought
Pages: 71
Binding: Softcover
ISBN: 978-1-56564-599-8

About the Author:
Malik Babikr Badri Mohammed was a Sudanese author and professor of psychology. He was the founder of modern Islamic Psychology and published such influential books as 'The Dilemma of Muslim Psychologists' and many others. He was sometimes affectionately called Baba Malik. He died on February 8, 2021, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was the son of Babikr Bedri who had established the Ahfad University. He was married with 7 children.

Professor Dr. Malik Badri obtained his B.A. (with distinction) and his Masters from the American University of Beirut. He further obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Leicester, England, and his Postgraduate Certificate of Clinical Psychology from the Academic Department of Psychiatry of the Middlesex Hospital Medical School of London University. He was elected Fellow of the British Psychological Society and is a Chartered Psychologist. In recognition of his contributions in his field, he was awarded an honorary D.Sc. from the Ahfad University and was with the medal of Shahid Zubair which is the highest award for academic excellence. Professor Badri was  Professor and Dean in various universities including Dean of the Faculties of Education at the University of Khartoum and Juba University and the Acting Dean of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization of the International Islamic University, Malaysia. Professor Badri also served as a senior clinical psychologist in a number of hospitals and clinics in the Middle East and Africa and was the founder of the Psychological Clinic of the University of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  He was  Holder of the prestigious Chair of IbniKhaldun in the Faculty of Revealed Knowledge and Human Science of theInternational Islamic University in Malaysia. He has published widely in psychology and education and his works have been translated into many languages of the Islamic world. His research interests include Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Islamic Psychology, Social Psychology, and Islamic Studies.