Islamic History Month The Doctors Before Us: The Muslims Who Changed Medicine

Imagine spending years becoming a doctor, without ever knowing the Muslim physicians who helped shape medicine as we know it.

For centuries, Muslim doctors, scholars and institutions were at the forefront of medicine.

They built hospitals, advanced surgery and pharmacology, documented disease, trained physicians and helped develop ideas that would influence medicine far beyond the Muslim world.

Yet most of us never really learn that story.

The Doctors Before Us is an evening about changing that.

As part of Islamic History Month Canada 2026, we’re bringing together students, families, healthcare professionals and members of the wider community for a special seminar with Hassam Munir - historian, researcher and educator.

We’ll explore the people, ideas and institutions that shaped medicine, but also the bigger question:

What does that history mean for us now?

If you’re a student considering medicine or healthcare, this is a chance to understand the tradition you’re stepping into.

If you’re already studying or working in healthcare, it’s a chance to reconnect with the bigger story behind the profession.

If you’re a parent, bring your children. Let them see a side of Islamic history built around scholarship, service and contribution.

And if you simply love history, medicine or learning, you’ll enjoy this.

What to expect
? Stories of the Muslim physicians who helped change medicine
? The history of hospitals and medical education
? Medicine, science and scholarship across the Muslim world
? How ideas travelled between civilisations
? Time to meet and speak to students, doctors and families from across the GTA
? Networking with people interested in medicine, healthcare and education
☕ A proper community evening - not just two hours of sitting through a lecture

There are not many opportunities to bring history, medicine, students, professionals and families into the same room like this.

That is exactly what we want this evening to be.

? Sayeda Khadija Centre, Mississauga
? Saturday 3 October 2026
? 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

?️ Tickets: $5 per person

We’ve kept the ticket at $5 because we want people to actually come.

Come with your friends.
Come with your family.
Bring the future doctor in your house.