PHILOSOPHICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF HEALTHY LIFESTYLE (SIHHA) IN THE INTELLECTUAL HERITAGE OF THE EASTERN RENAISSANCE

Abstract

This paper explores the conceptual foundations of a healthy lifestyle (Sihha) as articulated in the intellectual heritage of the Eastern Renaissance. Unlike modern clinical approaches that often focus on the treatment of specific pathologies, the philosophy of health developed by medieval Eastern thinkers - such as Ibn Sina, Al-Farabi, and Ar-Razi-emphasizes a holistic and preventive paradigm. The study analyzes the “Six Essential Factors” (Al-Asbab al- Sitta) - including environmental conditions, nutrition, physical activity, and mental hygiene-as a methodological framework for maintaining human equilibrium. The research argues that in Eastern Peripatetic thought, health is not merely a biological state but a philosophical category representing the harmony between the soul (nafs) and the body (jism). By synthesizing Aristotelian traditions with Eastern ethical values, these scholars established a system where the rational management of one's lifestyle is viewed as a moral duty and a prerequisite for intellectual perfection. The findings suggest that this medieval “philosophy of health” provides significant insights for contemporary preventive medicine and the bio-psycho-social model of well-being, offering a timeless strategy for holistic human development.