One of the earliest texts on Islamic medical ethics, it has been called the "crowning achievement" of early works concerning adab in medicine.
[1] Due to this strong Islamic influence, a modern scholar has disputed this interpretation, claiming that only a full Muslim could have produced such a text.
[5] Adab al-Tabib builds on the works of several earlier Muslim and middle-eastern Christian philosophers and medical authorities, like Al-Kindi and Hunayn ibn Ishaq.
Despite his thoroughness in citing his influences, Al-Ruhawi notably makes no mention or acknowledgement to any earlier texts that specifically deal with Islamic medical ethics, suggesting that this book may have been the earliest work on the subject.
[3] Because contemporary and later Islamic works have been relatively neglected in analysis, it is difficult to ascertain Al-Ruhawi's impact on later thinkers in the field.