The Contribution of Shaykh Abbas Kuta Karang in Malay Medical: A Study on Al-Rahmah fi Al-Tib wa Al-Hikmah Manuscript

Malay scholars had played a significant role in the Malay Archipelago's Islamization. Shaykh Abbas Kuta Karang is well-known in Aceh, Indonesia, as a 19th-century Malay scholar, religious figure, astronomer, warrior, and medicinal expert. His well-known Malay medical manuscript titled Al-Rahmah fi al-Tib wa al-Hikmah is one of his masterworks. It is one of the most important references for Malay medical practitioners. The paper objectives to (i) highlight a biography of Shaykh Abbas Kuta Karang and (ii) describe the writing methodology of the medical knowledge documented in this manuscript. This study employed a qualitative methodology and was conducted in the mode of library research. This study's data was collected from the manuscript, books, journals, and previous studies. Medical knowledge in Al-Rahmah fi al-Tib wa al-Hikmah consists of five chapters beginning with human anatomy (based on fire, wind, water, and soil fundamentals), types of food and medicine (grain, milk, meat, and fruit), preventive healthcare (healthy eating, drinking habit, body movements, and others), types, causes, and treatments for certain illnesses (hair loss, migraine, freckles, earache, tooth ache, and others), and types, causes, and treatments for general illnesses (fever, vertigo, stroke, semi paralysis, and many more).