Ravanshenasi & Din

Despite the growing use of multidimensional models in explaining mental disorders, contemporary research still lacks coherent theoretical frameworks capable of clarifying the interaction between biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Classical texts of Islamic ṭibb al-nafs—particularly Maṣāliḥ al-Abdān wa al-Anfus by Abu Zayd al-Balkhī—contain important conceptual models that have not yet been systematically examined. The central question of the present study is how al-Balkhī conceptualizes the role of internal and external factors in mental disorders, and how this conceptual structure can enrich current multi-factorial approaches. The aim of the study is to reconstruct al-Balkhī’s explanatory model through rigorous and fully documented analysis. Using a qualitative design and a thematic analysis approach, the text of Maṣāliḥ al-Abdān wa al-Anfus was coded page by page. This process yielded 274 meaning units, 132 open codes, 16 subthemes, and three overarching themes. The findings show that al-Balkhī views mental disorders as emerging from the dynamic interaction of three levels: internal factors (thoughts, temperament, and the regulating faculties of the self), external factors (sensory stimuli, environment, climate, water, and social relations), and the mediating mechanisms between them. This conceptual system presents a complex, network-based, multi-factorial model that exhibits remarkable alignment with contemporary biopsychosocial frameworks.