Good evening sir, I see that you have an ear ache… I prescribe… 3 doses of holy water and an excommunication!
Unlike their European counterparts, disabilities in the Ottoman Arab Age were treated quite differently. The word “‘āhā”, meaning blight, encapsulates the Islamicate view of disability, meaning a [quote] “mark that spoils the presumed wholeness, integrity, or aesthetics of something.” Disabilities were seen more like illnesses that needed to be treated instead of a reflection of someone’s spiritual state. Today we’ll be looking at mental disabilities in this age including idiocy, melancholia, and “holy fools.”
Idiocy, or “‘Atāha,” is the least discussed impairment of the mind because it was seen as, well, incurable. Idiocy was similar to the common view of mental retardation, simply an intellectual disability that was often noticeable at a young age. No treatment was prescribed and those with idiocy were labeled as minors and taken care of by family members. At least they weren’t seen as cursed by God or paraded around royal courts as a laughingstock, a common practice in Medieval Europe.
Malikhuliya, from the Greek word Melancholia, meant “Black Bile” and was thought to lead to many symptoms including loneliness, depression, irritability, distrust, and fits of occasional violence. It was thought to be caused by a buildup of black bile, one of the four humors or bodily fluids, and was seen as a dry and cold disease. One of the most prominent examples of this mental illness was when Ibn Ayub, a judge and historian in the 16th century, described his sick friend Muhammad as [quote] “sick with black bile, resulting in dryness and burning of the head.” Some thought it was caused by the death of a family member or an unbalanced diet, and doctors prescribed blood letting, diet change, peaceful music, and spending time with family. For those who went insane from malikhuliya, doctors often chained and imprisoned them to keep them from harming themselves and family members.
Surprisingly, it was uncommon for melancholia to be linked to demonic oppression or possession from Jinn. Instead it was seen as a sickness that could be cured through treating the humors and mental treatment, just like any other disease.
“Holy fools” or majdhubs, are by far the most unique and widely remembered category of mental disability. According to visitors from abroad, there were supposedly thousands of Holy fools in the Ottoman/Arab world who wandered the streets with shaved beards and heads, no clothes or ragged clothes, or uncovered heads. Holy fools were often seen as divinely associated with God and some were thought to hold supernatural qualities. There are many stories of majdhubs who could discern anyone’s name or knew when certain travelers would return to the city. They also took part in many acts that some described as divine like spending the night in an active oven, sitting in an orchard for a year, and walking barefoot without dirt sticking to their feet. Majdhubs were not subject to the same laws as other members of society, meaning they did not have to take part in Islamic prayer practices, observe Ramadan fasting, and property laws did not apply because holy fools were “devoid of reason.”
It was widely believed that if a man was recognized as a Holy Fool and not simply posing as one, they should not be rebuked, spoken out against, or harmed in any way. This belief is likely linked to rumors of opposition to holy fools dying suddenly or falling ill; almost as a punishment from God for interfering with the Majdhubs. Women were almost never recognized as Holy Fools because they would likely be seen as insane and imprisoned rather than be granted acceptance in the unique status of a majdhub. However, some women, including Shaykh ‘Ali, married Holy Fools and gained similar status. Shaykh ‘Ali dressed as a man and often stood up on benches “speaking indecently” along with her husband Shaykh ‘Ali al-Bakr, until they were both beaten and imprisoned for indecency.
Overall, Holy Fools were seen as a type of madness, but one sanctioned by God and fluidly accepted by society. Because of this unique status, they were not seen as “curable” or even in need of help, but instead were given certain freedoms of expression and some supposedly gained large amounts of respect and reverence.
Whether treating disabilities as incurable
like Idiocy, allowing freedoms and sanctioning to God like holy fools, or treating ailments with healthy food
balancing the immune system, and music like with Melancholia, the Ottoman Arab age of medicine
treated mental disability like any other illness that required medicine and provided care.