Islamic Medicinal Practices: Difference between revisions

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Islamic scriptures address medical topics and offer medical advice at many points.
Islamic scriptures address medical topics and offer medical advice at many points.
==Camel Urine==
==Camel Urine==
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In at least one hadith, saliva mixed with dust is recommended as a topical treatment for any sort of pain:
In at least one hadith, saliva mixed with dust is recommended as a topical treatment for any sort of pain:


*For any pain, mix saliva with dust, and then apply on the affected part.<ref>Sunaan Abu Dawud 3.28.3886</ref>
*For any pain, mix saliva with dust, and then apply on the affected part.<ref>{{Abu Dawud||3895|darussalam}}</ref>


==Muhammad's spit==
==Muhammad's spit==
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Allah's Apostle said, "He who eats seven 'Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them."}}
Allah's Apostle said, "He who eats seven 'Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them."}}


{{quote |{{Bukhari|7|65|663}} | Narrated Saud:  
{{quote |{{Bukhari|||5768|darussalam}} | Narrated Saud:  
The Prophet said, "If somebody takes some 'Ajwa dates every morning, he will not be effected by poison or magic on that day till night."}}
The Prophet said, "If somebody takes some 'Ajwa dates every morning, he will not be effected by poison or magic on that day till night."}}


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Islamic scriptures address medical topics and offer medical advice at many points.

Camel Urine

In Islamic texts, camel urine is described as a cure for most diseases.

Narrated Anas: The climate of Medina did not suit some people, so the Prophet ordered them to follow his shepherd, i.e. his camels, and drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they followed the shepherd that is the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy. Then they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. When the news reached the Prophet he sent some people in their pursuit. When they were brought, he cut their hands and feet and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron.
Sahih Bukhari 5686
A group of people from 'Ukl (tribe) came to the Prophet and they were living with the people of As-Suffa, but they became ill as the climate of Medina did not suit them, so they said, "O Allah's Apostle! Provide us with milk." The Prophet said, I see no other way for you than to use the camels of Allah's Apostle." So they went and drank the milk and urine of the camels, (as medicine) and became healthy and fat. Then they killed the shepherd and took the camels away. When a help-seeker came to Allah's Apostle, he sent some men in their pursuit, and they were captured and brought before mid day. The Prophet ordered for some iron pieces to be made red hot, and their eyes were branded with them and their hands and feet were cut off and were not cauterized. Then they were put at a place called Al-Harra, and when they asked for water to drink they were not given till they died. (Abu Qilaba said, "Those people committed theft and murder and fought against Allah and His Apostle.")
Sahih Bukhari 6804

Saliva and dust

In at least one hadith, saliva mixed with dust is recommended as a topical treatment for any sort of pain:

  • For any pain, mix saliva with dust, and then apply on the affected part.[1]

Muhammad's spit

Several hadiths attribute miraculous healing power to the saliva of Muhammad.

Narrated 'Aisha: The Prophet used to say to the patient, "In the Name of Allah The earth of our land and the saliva of some of us cure our patient."
Sahih Bukhari 5745
  • Muhammad reportedly spat on dust, which healed a dying man who drank the mixture. [2]
  • Muhammad reportedly spat in the eye of a blind man, who then regained his sight. [2]
  • During the battle of Khaybar, Muhammad reportedly spat on the thigh wound of Salam ibn al Akwa’, after which the wound was healed. [2]
  • Muhammad reportedly spat on the broken thigh of Ali ibn al Hakam, which immediately healed it. [2]
  • Muhammad reportedly spat on the severed hand of Mu’awwidh ibn Afra, after which the wound was healed. [2]

Indian incense

Indian incense has long been used in ancient India, both ritualistically and for its purported healing properties. This predates the advent of Islam. Incense is also used by Buddhists and practitioners of traditional Chinese religions. This remedy is acknowledged in Islamic texts as a cure for several diseases.

Narrated Um Qais bint Mihsan: I heard the Prophet saying, "Treat with the Indian incense, for it has healing for seven diseases; it is to be sniffed by one having throat trouble, and to be put into one side of the mouth of one suffering from pleurisy." Once I went to Allah's Apostle with a son of mine who would not eat any food, and the boy passed urine on him whereupon he asked for some water and sprinkled it over the place of urine.
Sahih Bukhari 5692
Narrated Um Oais: that she took to Allah's Apostle one of her sons whose palate and tonsils she had pressed to treat a throat trouble. The Prophet said, "Be afraid of Allah! Why do you pain your children by having their tonsils pressed like that? Use the Ud Al-Hindi (a certain Indian incense) for it cures seven diseases, one of which is pleurisy."
Sahih Bukhari 5718

Eye sight

Muhammad reportedly said that four acts can reduce or eventually impair eyesight: looking at unclean and impure objects, witnessing a hanging, looking at a woman's private parts, and sitting with the Ka'aba to one's backside.

  • Four things that reduce eye-sight are: to look at unclean and impure objects, to see one being hanged, to look at female private parts and to sit keeping Kaba behind[3]

Losing eyesight (possibly due to overindulgence in the aforementioned activities) can also reportedly earn one a place in paradise:

  • A few ansars (Islamic helpers) wanted to get blind because Muhammad said Allah has reserved paradise for a person whose two eyes are blind[4]

Hearing

Love for materialistic objects can also purportedly cause deafness (in addition to blindness) according to another hadith:

Narrated AbudDarda': The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Your love for a thing causes blindness and deafness".
Sunan Abu Dawud 5130

House fly

One hadith instructs that flies should be dipped into any consumable substance they land upon or fall into:

Allah's Apostle said, If a fly falls in the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it (into the vessel) and then throw it away, for in one of its wings there is a disease and in the other there is healing (antidote for it) i. e. the treatment for that disease.
Sahih Bukhari 5782

Cupping

Cupping was a surgical technique used by the desert dwellers of medieval Arabia to heal certain illnesses. In this technique, using a sharp object such as a needle, an incision is made on certain part of the body, usually on the neck or on scalp. Then an experienced cupper would suck the incision to draw out the blood from the body. This practice was thought to heal certain ailments, including headaches; historical evidence suggests that Muhammad suffered from chronic migraines, causing him to resort to regular cupping to reduce his pain. Some of the cuppers Muhammad employed are reported to have drank his blood.

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet was cupped and he paid the wages to the one who had cupped him and then took Su'ut (Medicine sniffed by nose).
Sahih Bukhari 5691
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet was cupped while he was fasting.
Sahih Bukhari 5694
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet was cupped while he was in a state of Ihram.
Sahih Bukhari 5695
Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah: that he paid Al-Muqanna a visit during his illness and said, "I will not leave till he gets cupped, for I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "There is healing in cupping."
Sahih Bukhari 5697
Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: I heard the Prophet saying, "If there is any healing in your medicines, then it is in cupping, a gulp of honey or branding with fire (cauterization) that suits the ailment, but I don't like to be (cauterized) branded with fire."
Sahih Bukhari 5683

Honey

One hadith prescribes honey as a cure for diarrhea. If symptoms persist, it's because the abdomen is bluffing, and not because the Islamic remedy has failed:

Narrated Abu Said: A man came to the prophet and said, 'My brother has got loose motions'. The Prophet said, Let him drink honey." The man again (came) and said, 'I made him drink (honey) but that made him worse.' The Prophet said, 'Allah has said the Truth, and the abdomen of your brother has told a lie."
Sahih Bukhari 5716

Dates

Eating seven dates, specifically of Ajwa variety, purportedly builds up immunity for for many kinds of poisons:

Narrated Sad: Allah's Apostle said, "He who eats seven 'Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them."
Sahih Bukhari 5445
Narrated Saud: The Prophet said, "If somebody takes some 'Ajwa dates every morning, he will not be effected by poison or magic on that day till night."
Sahih Bukhari 5768

Black cumin

One hadith describes black cumin as an effective treatment for all diseases (other than death):

Narrated Khalid bin Sad: We went out and Ghalib bin Abjar was accompanying us. He fell ill on the way and when we arrived at Medina he was still sick. Ibn Abi 'Atiq came to visit him and said to us, "Treat him with black cumin. Take five or seven seeds and crush them (mix the powder with oil) and drop the resulting mixture into both nostrils, for 'Aisha has narrated to me that she heard the Prophet saying, 'This black cumin is healing for all diseases except As-Sam.' Aisha said, 'What is As-Sam?' He said, 'Death."
Sahih Bukhari 5687
Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "There is healing in black cumin for all diseases except death."
Sahih Bukhari 5688

Fever

One hadith describes fever as the heat from hell that has radiated onto one's body. The temperature can subside if the sufferer drinks water:

Narrated Nazi': Abdullah bin 'Umar said, "The Prophet said, 'Fever is from the heat of Hell, so put it out (cool it) with water.' " Nafi' added: 'Abdullah used to say, "O Allah! Relieve us from the punishment," (when he suffered from fever).
Sahih Bukhari 5723
Narrated Fatima bint Al-Mundhir: Whenever a lady suffering from fever was brought to Asma' bint Abu Bakr, she used to invoke Allah for her and then sprinkle some water on her body, at the chest and say, "Allah's Apostle used to order us to abate fever with water."
Sahih Bukhari 5724
Narrated 'Aisha: The Prophet said, "Fever is from the heat of Hell, so abate fever with water."
Sahih Bukhari 5725
Narrated Rafi bin Khadij: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Fever is from the heat of Hell, so abate fever with water."
Sahih Bukhari 5726

See Also

  • Health - A hub page that leads to other articles related to Health

References

  1. ↑ Sunan Abu Dawud 3895
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Ash Shifa, p.178
  3. ↑ Ghazali, p.2.19
  4. ↑ Ghazali, p.4.239
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