What does al-Farabi's music theory say, and what did he think about music and the soul? Read his Grand Book of Music apart from the myths and today's science.
There is a post that circulates widely on social media: a list of maqams (the modal systems of Turkish and Middle Eastern music), with a note beside it saying "According to al-Farabi, this maqam is good for insomnia and that one for sadness." It is liked thousands of times, and nobody asks where it comes from. Al-Farabi really is a very important thinker when it comes to music, yet not every sentence attributed to him actually came from his pen. In this article we try to describe al-Farabi's understanding of music on the basis of documented sources, and to separate his thoughts on how music affects the human soul from the stories that were added to them later. In the final section we also look at what today's psychological research says about music and mental health.
Who Was Al-Farabi and Why Does He Matter in the History of Music?
Al-Farabi is one of the early philosophers of the Islamic world. He is known for his writings on philosophy, logic and political thought; but what gives him a special place in the history of music is that he left behind a comprehensive work that treats music systematically.
To understand al-Farabi, it helps to think of him as a link in a chain. Before him, al-Kindi had written treatises on music and drawn connections between the strings of the oud and the cosmos. After him, Ibn Sina (Avicenna) would devote a section of his great work Kitab al-Shifa (The Book of Healing) to music. Al-Farabi stands between these two names as a thinker who took music seriously in both its theoretical and its practical aspects.
Readers curious about the first link in that chain can take a look at our article on al-Kindi and music. Al-Kindi associated the four strings of the oud with the heavenly bodies, the seasons and the four elements, and explained the effect of these strings on human beings within the framework of the "ethos" doctrine inherited from ancient Greece. Al-Farabi's approach, by contrast, focuses more on sound itself, on intervals and on instruments.
The Grand Book of Music: The Core of Al-Farabi's Music Theory
Al-Farabi's most important work on music is Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir, the "Grand Book of Music". According to the TDV Encyclopaedia of Islam (TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi), the work was written at the request of the Abbasid vizier al-Karkhi, probably around the year 930. It consists of two books and offers a systematic study of maqams, instruments and acoustics.
One of the striking features of the work is that it rests on the principle that performance comes before theory. In other words, al-Farabi does not see music merely as ratios calculated on paper; he treats it first as something that is played, heard and lived, and builds his theory on top of that experience. This approach still feels familiar today: music educators who argue that a child should first learn to hear sounds and feel rhythm, rather than first learning to read notation, are acting on a similar intuition.
The work is known to discuss the following topics in detail:
- Sounds and intervals: which sounds are heard as harmonious together, and how intervals are to be measured.
- Maqams: the structures formed when sounds are brought together in particular arrangements.
- Instruments: the construction of the instruments of the period and how sounds were produced on them.
- Acoustics: reflections on how sound is produced and how it travels.
Even this list makes one thing clear: the Grand Book of Music is not a book of "maqam prescriptions" but a book of music theory.
What does it tell us that a vizier commissioned the work?
The fact that the work was written at the request of a statesman shows how highly music was regarded in the court circles of the time. Music was not just an ornament for evenings of entertainment; it was seen as a serious field of knowledge that deserved to be thought about, written down and taught. It could be compared to a government ministry today asking a scientist for a comprehensive report; the conditions of the period were of course very different, but the respect for knowledge is familiar.
What should we bear in mind when reading al-Farabi today?
When reading a text written more than a thousand years ago, it is easy to fall into two traps. The first is to belittle the text in the light of today's knowledge: saying "What did they know back then?" means ignoring one of the most systematic studies of music of its time. The second is to load today's expectations onto the text: presenting al-Farabi as a pioneer of modern music therapy is an attempt to read a book he never wrote. A healthy reading means assessing the work together with the questions and concepts of its own period. For history enthusiasts and students, this is both a more honest and a far more interesting journey.
Is Music a Science? The Place of Music in the Classification of the Sciences
Today we mostly think of music as an art. In the intellectual tradition in which al-Farabi was formed, however, music was counted among the mathematical sciences. In the tradition of the "classification of the sciences" that began with al-Kindi, that is, the sorting of kinds of knowledge into categories, music continued to be placed among the mathematical sciences by al-Farabi, the Ikhwan al-Safa (the Brethren of Purity) and Ibn Sina.
What this means is that music was seen as a field of knowledge that studied the ratios between sounds and their durations in time. Ibn Sina, too, defined music as a mathematical science that examines sounds and the time intervals between them. This idea continues an ancient view that counted music, together with arithmetic, geometry and astronomy, as one of the ways of understanding order in the universe.
This also shows how incomplete the picture in popular posts is. Al-Farabi's relationship with music was built far more on a curiosity about the nature and order of sound than on listing "this maqam for that complaint" like a herbal guide.
How Did Al-Farabi See the Link Between Music and the Soul?
Al-Farabi is counted among the thinkers who held that music affects the human soul. The idea was not new in his time; since ancient Greece it had been thought that music could influence a person's character and emotions. Al-Kindi's emphasis on the "ethos" doctrine was also part of that tradition.
Here, however, we need to be careful. Popular sources frequently claim that al-Farabi wrote that particular maqams produce particular states of mind, such as sleep, joy or sorrow, and that this was used as a method of "treatment"; but the primary passages on which these claims rest could not be found in the sources we consulted. So saying "al-Farabi believed that music affects the soul" is consistent with the available evidence. Saying "al-Farabi recommended this maqam for that illness", on the other hand, presents an undocumented claim as historical fact.
Imagine that a university student wants to describe al-Farabi's view of music in an assignment and copies a table found online word for word. The first thing the lecturer will ask is: "In which work, and in which section of it, does this information appear?" That question is not just academic rigour; it is also a matter of respect for history.
Loving a thinker does not mean putting words into his mouth that he never said; it means reading what he did say correctly.
Maqams and States of Mind: Between Legend and Record
Al-Farabi's name is mentioned alongside Ottoman treatises on music and medicine written centuries later. Popular sources say that al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Abu Bakr al-Razi and certain Ottoman physicians wrote about the relationship between maqams, emotions and organs; but this list has not been verified either.
The maqam–illness pairings in these treatises, such as statements that the rast maqam is good for paralysis or the buselik maqam for headaches, contradict one another from source to source and have never been scientifically tested. Some lists also pair the maqams with particular times of day. These pairings rest on the theory of the four humours inherited from Hippocrates and Galen, the belief that the human body works according to a balance of blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. Modern medicine has abandoned this theory.
We have covered the details more broadly in our article on the effects of maqams on people. Here it is enough to say the following:
- These pairings are valuable for understanding the worldview and beliefs of their time.
- They are not scientifically supported knowledge today.
- Maqam music is not recommended as treatment for any illness or psychological difficulty.
Academic criticism on this subject also deserves attention. In a news report published in 2011, a music therapy specialist criticised the way information attributed to al-Farabi and Ibn Sina was being used "with a tabloid logic, without conforming to scientific methodology". This criticism reminds us that taking ownership of a historical heritage means passing it on accurately.
Music in the darüşşifas: what do we know?
Although no direct link can be drawn with al-Farabi's own ideas, it is known that in later centuries music was played to patients in some darüşşifas, the hospitals of the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. For example, it is said that in the darüşşifa of the Sultan Bayezid II Complex in Edirne, people with mental illness were cared for with the sound of water, music and the scent of flowers; the traveller Evliya Çelebi also writes in his Seyahatname (Book of Travels) that an ensemble of musicians performed for the patients there three days a week. This shows that music was seen as part of care; but it does not mean it was a proven method of treatment in today's sense.
What Does Today's Science Say About Music and Mental Health?
Al-Farabi's intuition, the idea that music affects the human soul, is being researched today in a different language. Music therapy is now defined as an approach in which a trained practitioner interacts with a participant through music within a therapeutic framework. Simply listening to recorded music does not count as music therapy under the Cochrane definition.
A 2017 Cochrane review on depression examined 9 studies and 421 participants. According to its findings, when music therapy is added to usual care, it may reduce depressive symptoms in the short term, that is, over a period of up to three months. However, the certainty of the evidence is low to moderate, and clinical guidelines do not yet recommend the approach as a routine addition.
The common limitations of research in this field should also be known: studies mostly have small samples, blinding is impossible because participants know what they are taking part in, results rely largely on self-report and follow-up periods are short. In short, music-based approaches are supportive; they are not a substitute for psychotherapy, medication or medical care. If you are curious about how the approach is used today, our article on music therapy is a good place to start.
Commercial claims frequently encountered online, such as "healing frequency music" or "maqam prescriptions", are not scientifically supported. Using al-Farabi's name to promote such products is unfair both to history and to the listener. The authority of a historical name does not show that a product is effective; whether a method works can only be understood through carefully designed research. Keeping this distinction in mind is the way to protect both our curiosity about the past and our health today.
Letting Music Keep You Company, and When to Seek Support
This journey from al-Farabi to the present also holds a lesson for everyday life: music is a lovely way to get in touch with our feelings, to calm ourselves or simply to enjoy ourselves. It is realistic to think of this not as therapy but as a self-care habit.
- Notice while you listen: pay attention to what happens in your body and mind as you listen to a piece. Are your shoulders relaxing, or is a memory coming to life?
- Choose according to your mood: on a sad day, instead of pieces that drag you right to the bottom, try choosing songs that recognise your feeling but do not leave you there.
- Try playing or singing: a bağlama (Turkish long-necked lute), a ney (reed flute) or a simple rhythm instrument; no talent needed, just the pleasure of making sound.
- Share it: singing old folk songs together as a family on a bayram (religious holiday) evening can be an experience that brings the generations together.
Music does help; but in some situations it is not enough on its own. If you have had low mood for weeks, are unable to enjoy anything, notice changes in sleep and appetite, or have anxiety that is disrupting your work or school life, it is worth speaking to a mental health professional. These signs alone do not amount to a diagnosis; but they deserve to be assessed. For depression and mood difficulties, research-supported methods such as cognitive behavioural therapy are used; where necessary, an assessment by a psychiatrist may also be part of the process. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, call 112 (emergency services) in an emergency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is al-Farabi's most important work on music?
It is Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir, the "Grand Book of Music". It was written at the request of the Abbasid vizier al-Karkhi, probably around 930. It consists of two books and is a systematic study of maqams, instruments and acoustics.
Did al-Farabi recommend particular maqams for treating illnesses?
This claim appears frequently in popular sources, but the primary passages that would support it have not been verified. It can be said that al-Farabi held that music affects the soul; that he prescribed particular maqams for particular illnesses is not documented information.
Why was music considered a mathematical science in al-Farabi's understanding?
In the classification of the sciences of the period, music was seen as a field studying the ratios and durations between sounds. For this reason it was placed among the mathematical sciences, together with arithmetic, geometry and astronomy.
Is listening to maqam music good for mental health today?
Listening to music you love, maqam music included, can help you relax and enjoy yourself. However, there is no scientific evidence that particular maqams cure particular psychological or physical illnesses. When psychological difficulties persist, it is important to seek support from a professional.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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