Some of the Prophet

بعض تعاليم النبي العامه عن الصحه

Some of the Prophet's General Teachings Concerning Health

 

 



Narrated Abu Malik El Hareth:The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Purity is half faith.” (Related by Muslim)

The Prophet (PBUH) said: "The stronger believer (in health, wealth, opinion etc.) is more blessed and beloved to Allah than the weak believer.But both of them are in good fortune."

This is the case if both of them have equal chances but the weaker spoiled his health in wrong things. Man should not be unjust to himself. A person may spoil his health in overeating or over indulgence. Still another gets enamoured of spiritual elevations. He suppresses his genuine desires, refuses to fulfil his physical needs, leaves the home and retires into mountains and jungles.

Such instances of maladjustment and disequilibrium should not happen in man’s life. Islam stands for human welfare, and its avowed objective is to establish poise and balance in life. Islam forbids the use of all those things which are injurious to man’s physical mental and moral existence. Islam enjoins upon man the use of all clean, healthy and useful things and asks him not to deprive his body of clean food and clothes etc. For man’s body too has a right upon him. Allah has confirmed this fact in Quran: Allah said:

“But seek with the (wealth) that Allah has bestowed on thee, The home of the hereafter nor forget the portion in this world, but do thou good as God has been good to thee and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land. For Allah loves not those who do mischief.”

The Following Ahadith are from Albukhari, Text book for Hadith.

1. Narrated Abdullah bin Amr bin al-as. Allah’s Apostle said, “O Abdullah! Have I not been informed that you fast all the day and stand in prayer all night?” I said, “Yes O Allah’s Apostle!” He said, “Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave them (the fast) at other times; stand up for the prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right (over you), your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over you.” 

2. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Your Lord has a right on you, your soul has a right on you, your family ha s a right on you; so you should give the right of all those who has a right on you.” Abu Ad-Darda come to the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Salman has spoken the truth.”

3. Narrated Ibn Abbas (PBUH): The Prophet (PBUH) said, “There are two blessings which many people lose: (they are) Health and free time for doing good.”

4. Narrated Abu Huraira (PBUH): Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) said, “If a fly falls in the vessel of any of you, let hid dip all of it (into the vessel) and then through 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.”

Similarly Allah (S.W.T.) created organisms and other mechanisms which kill these pathogens e.g. penicillin fungus kills (pathogens) plus the antidote for those organisms. Ordinarily when a fly touches a liquid food it infects the liquid with its pathogens, so it must be dipped in order to release also the antidote for those pathogens to act as a counter balance to the pathogens. 

Regarding this subject I also wrote through a friend of mine to Dr. Muhammad M. ELSAMAHY chief of Hadith Dept. in Al Azhar university CAIRO (Egypt) who has written an article upon this Hadith and as regards medical aspects he has mentioned that the microbiologists have proved that there are longitudinal yeasts cells living as parasites inside the belly of the fly and these yeast cell sin order to repeat their life-cycle protrude through respiratory tubules of the fly and if the fly is dipped in a liquid, these cells burst in the fluid and the content of those cells is an antidote for the pathogens which the fly carries.

 Curative Approach In Health:

Islamic approach to healing is an elective one, i.e. one is to use the best of every discipline so that the health of the individual will be preserved and promoted.

Quran and Sunnah encourage the people to ask for treatment. They give the hope to the patients in the fact that every sickness should have a remedy.

Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah the Poets (Ash-Shu’ara) about healing from diseases:  “. . . . and when I sicken, then He (Allah) heals me” (26:80).

As far as the Prophet is concerned, related to the healing of diseases, it was reported by Jabir ibn Abdullah that Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said:

“For any disease there is a cure, and when the cure matches the disease, the person recovers by the will of Allah...” (Related by Muslim)

The Prophet also said about the healing of diseases: It was reported by Abu Harairah that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Allah never inflicts a disease unless He makes a cure for it. . .” (Related by Al Bukhari)

As for as the treatment of diseases it was reported by Usamah bin Shareek saying: Narrated Ziad Ebn Ulakah,I was with the Prophet (PBUH) and Arabs came to him asking ‘O messenger of Allah: Do we take medicine for treatment? He said, “Yes, Oh you the servants of Allah, take medicine, as Allah Almighty has not created a disease    without having created a cure for it except one disease! They asked, “what’s it”? He said “Old age.” In another saying “Allah never inflicts a disease without providing a cure; only those who were aware of it knew it whereas those who were not aware, were ignorant of it.” (Related by Ahmad and others).

The Prophet (PBUH) was prescribing the natural therapeutics like medical vegetations, honey, olive oil, seeds of the plants and the primitive surgical procedures. Examples of some prescriptions and recommendations.

Honey As Treatment:

A man came to the Prophet and said, “My brother has some abdominal trouble.” The Prophet (PBUH) said to him, “Let him drink honey.” The man came for the second time and the Prophet (PBUH) said, “ Let him drink honey.” He returned again and said, “I have done that.” The Prophet (PBUH) then said, “ Allah has said truth, but your brother’s abdomen has told a lie. Let him drink honey.” So he made him drink honey and thus he was cured.” (Related Al Bukhari)

The above prescription showed these items:

1. The dose of the drug.

2. The number of doses to be taken.

3. The quantity of the medicine to be given.

The modern medical prescriptions are exactly similar to the above one in the fact that they include the above three items together.

Cupping As Treatment of Diseases:

Narrated Anas that he was asked about the wages of the one cups others. He said, “Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) was cupped by Abu Taiba, to whom he gave two SA of food and interceded for him with his masters who consequently reduced what they used to charge him daily.”

Then the Prophet (PBUH): The Prophet (PBUH) was cupped and he paid the wages to the one who had cupped him and then took Su’ut. *(Medicine sniffed by nose).

Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: I heard the Prophet (PBUH) saying, “ if there is any healing in your medicines, then it is cupping, a gulp of honey or cauterization that suits the ailment, but I don’t like to be cauterized”.

Treatment of fever by water:          

A woman with 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 (PBUH) used top order us to abate fever with water”.

Indian Incense as a Treatment:

Narrated Um Qais Mihsan: I heard the Prophet (PBUH) 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 those suffering from pleurisy.

Dates as treatment and Prophylaxis:

Narrated Sa’d (PHUH): The Prophet (PBUH) said, “ If somebody takes some “Ajwa dates every morning, he will not be effected by Poision or magic on that day till night”. (Another narrator said seven days).

Black Cumin and its benefits:

Narrated Khalid bin Sa’d: We went out and Ghalib Bin Abjar was accompanying us. He fell ill on the way and when we arrived at Madina he was still sick. Ibn Abi Atiq came to visit him and said to us, “ Treat him with black cumin” Take five or seven and crush them (mix the powder with oil) and drop the resulting the mixture into both nostrils, for Aisha (PBUH) has narrated to me that she heard the Prophet (PBUH) saying, “ This black cumin is healing for all diseases except As-Sam.” Aisha said As-sam? He said, “Death”.

Narrated Aisah (PBUH): The Prophet (PBUH) said, “ Fever is from the heat of Hell, so abate with water”.

Narrated Sa’id bin Zaid: I heard the Prophet (PBUH) saying, “Truffles are like Manna (I.E. they grow naturally without man’s care) and their water heals diseases”.

Az-Zuhri said: “ The drinking of human urine because of great necessity is unlawful, for it is a foul thing. Allah (S.W.T.) Says: “ Lawful for you are (all) good and pure things” (5:4) Ibn Mass’ud said (about wine): Allah does not cure your diseases with what he has made un-lawful”.

 Other Medicine Related Subjects :

1.   Oral Hygiene and Islam 

Islam strongly recommends oral hygiene. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Were it not for fear of troubling my disciples, verily I would order them to clean their teeth before every prayer”. (Related by Albukhari and Muslim)

And He also said: “ Tooth brushing by (Meswak) is an oral hygiene and a satisfaction for Allah.”

Before the discovery and the use of the modern toothbrush in 1800 the Muslims were using the roots of toothbrush tree (Al MESWAK) to clean their teeth. Still some people are using it nowadays. These roots contain lot of substances like aromatic compounds and oils, mineral salts, starches and other substances, which have an antibiotic effect against microbes. In Arabic the tree is called “ ARAK TREE ”

Nowadays numerous companies which manufacture tooth paste compete with each other in improving the quality of the paste by introducing the extract of the roots of Arak tree. Carelessness of oral cavity and teeth may lead to tooth decay (falling), to gingivitis and to infected pockets between the teeth which may lead to several diseases and health troubles. Teeth falling or removed will make mastication difficult leading to indigestion and chronic gastric and intestinal disturbances eg. Chronic constipation, headache and piles formation, subacute and chronic gastritis. Infected pockets may act as septic foci leading to sinusitis, rheumatic pains, retinitis, nephritis and lung abscesses.

Tooth cleaning by brushing with paste or meswak should be a regular act as recommended by the Prophet of Islam. If done may give the teeth the normal white colour, will remove particles of food which remains after meals between the teeth and secretions which suspended on the gums and teeth.  It is also an act of massage to the gums which activates their circulation and giving them their normal colour