The Young Medics Club, operating under the Department of Health, Culture and Sports (HCS) of Üsküdar University, organized an event titled “The Doctor's Compass”. At the event, attended by Researcher and Author Dr. İhsan Şenocak, it was emphasized that the medical profession is not merely an academic process but a sacred duty that must be integrated with ethics, conscience, and spiritual values.
The event, held at the Ibn-i Sina auditorium of Üsküdar University NP Health Campus, was attended by the President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, founding member of the Young Medics Club, 5th-year Medical Faculty Intern Dr. Mehmet Hamza Budulgan, President of the Young Medics Club, 2nd-year Medical Faculty student Mehmet Emre Doğrusever, and many other students and academics.
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “Approaching with compassion is the foundation of the medical profession”
President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, underscored the necessity of integrating medicine with the ethics of the Holy Quran. Tarhan said; “You recommended both the medical and judicial services, and indeed it is so. There is a beautiful Azerbaijani saying, which I had written at the beginning of my book: ‘If I eat little, I have no business with a doctor; if I walk straight, I have no business with a judge.’ Indeed, the wisdom aspect of the medical profession comes from the same root. From that perspective, in addition to that material approach, approaching the first person encountered with compassion, as expressed by the Prophet Muhammad regarding mercy, is already the foundation of the medical profession. That is, the sensitivity to treat that person as if they were a relative, a sibling, or a member of your family… When approached otherwise, empathetic communication cannot be established. This perspective is very important, critical information for young people. At this point, we also recommend to young people to combine the ethics of the Quran with medicine and use both together. Indeed, we see the true equivalent of this in patients treated by doctors who succeed in this. Trust develops in the patient. This is called therapeutic cooperation or therapeutic alliance. Of course, this trust is not established solely for this reason, but sincerity has a very powerful effect. Sincerity almost has a miracle. Therefore, sincerely approaching patients as if they were one's own child or relative aligns with the recommendations of both Islam and medicine, especially psychiatry.”
Dr. İhsan Şenocak: “Our entire being leads us to Allah, the creator of the worlds”
Researcher and Author Dr. İhsan Şenocak, referring to the Islamic origins of medicine and the concept of wisdom, emphasized that a physician should treat a person not only in their physical aspect but also as a whole, encompassing their spiritual and moral dimensions.
Şenocak stated that healthcare professionals should blend their professional expertise with an Islamic character and a high sense of responsibility; “Human… Who was capable of doing this centuries ago? At that time, there is a power that created and governs you. Therefore, my brother, when we look at a person – their eyes, eyebrows, creation, walk, stance… Our entire being leads us to Allah, the creator of the worlds. So, in essence, who should possess the strongest faith? The doctor and healthcare professional who reads the book of humanity most closely. If a doctor is truly a hakim, then humility is inherent in them from head to toe. They see themselves as nothing and are in submission before the power and majesty of Allah Almighty.”
“A physician does not view a person merely as a material being”
Şenocak, speaking about Islam's perspective on medicine and how it should be practiced, emphasized that the concept of a physician is not merely a professional title, stating the following:
“The reason doctors are called ‘hekim’ (physicians/wise ones) is this: a hekim does not view a person merely as a material being. They do not solely concern themselves with the body. They know that this human is not a tool or a machine. They have a soul, a family, a social circle; they are either a mother, a father, a child, or a sibling. Because they evaluate the human being as a whole, because they express their will to utter the most accurate words about a person, and because they do not rush when declaring their judgment, but rather think, contemplate, refer to their knowledge and experience, and only after all these operations give a judgment about them, that is why a physician, a doctor, is called a hekim. May Allah Almighty employ all of us in the ranks of those hekim.” he stated.
Intern Dr. Mehmet Hamza Budulgan: “The medical profession is not just about academia…”
Intern Dr. Mehmet Hamza Budulgan, founding member of the Young Medics Club and a 5th-year Medical Faculty student, speaking about the medical profession being a process beyond academic knowledge, said; “We all know that the medical profession is not merely an academic training process. The Young Medics are a community that believes that the persona we call a physician, and especially the identity of a healthcare professional, has a mission, a vision, and a perspective.”
Mehmet Emre Doğrusever: “Not just physicians, but those who bear the heaviest burden of being human…”
Mehmet Emre Doğrusever, President of the Young Medics Club and a 2nd-year Medical Faculty student, spoke about physicians being one of Allah’s greatest blessings on earth. Drawing attention to the bombing of hospitals and the martyrdom of doctors in Gaza, Doğrusever said; “Being a doctor is not just a profession limited to a white coat. Physicians are those who deal with health, one of Allah's greatest blessings on earth, and strive to be instrumental in healing. Today, in Gaza, the greatest wound of the world, physicians are being martyred, and hospitals are being bombed. Mothers are dying while carrying their children in their arms. Doctors are trying to operate for days with little sleep, hungry and thirsty. Immediately after burying their own children, they try to help other lives again. They are not just physicians, but also those who bear the heaviest burden of being human.”
Following the speeches, a question and answer session was held.
Presentation of a certificate by Prof. Nevzat Tarhan…
Later, the President of Üsküdar University, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, presented a certificate and a book to Dr. İhsan Şenocak.
Tarhan signed his book 'Ezber Bozan Hayat' (Life That Breaks Molds) for Şenocak. Additionally, Dr. İhsan Şenocak also presented a gift to Tarhan.
The event concluded with a group photo.
