Treatment by Lawful Things

Treatment by Lawful Things

By: Dr. / Zaghloul El-Naggar

Tariq ibn Swuayd narrated that he asked the Prophet (PBUH) about taking Khamr (alcohol), thereupon he forbade him. He asked him again and the Prophet (PBUH) forbade him for the second time. The man then said: "O Messenger of Allah, it is a cure (or a medicine)". The Prophet (PBUH) then said to him: “No, (it is not a medicine) but it is a disease”.

Abu ad-Darda (A.S.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:

“Allah has sent down the disease and the cure, and He has appointed a cure for every disease, so treat yourselves medically, but use nothing unlawful”.

Daylam al-Himyari narrated that he asked the Prophet (PBUH) saying: "O Messenger of Allah! We live in a land of cold weather in which we do heavy work and we make liquor from wheat to get strength from it for our work and to stand the coldness of our country". The Prophet (PBUH) asked: “Is it intoxicating?” I replied: "Yes". He (PBUH)   said: "You must avoid it". I said: "The people will not abandon it". He (PBUH)   said: "If they do not abandon it, fight them".

Explanation of the Hadith

All of these Prophetic Ahadith, when put together, and with other sayings of the Prophet (PBUH), are emanated from the words of Allah (Glorified be He):

﴾ They ask you (O Muhammad (PBUH)) concerning alcoholic drinks and gambling . Say: "In them is a great sin, and (some) benefits for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit ﴿ 

(Surat Al- Baqarah (The Cow): 219)

It is obvious that their great harm lies in what results from them; the loss of one's religion, morals, dignity, sanity, money and the waste of time. All of these elements constitute man's life about which he will be asked when he is judged before Allah, the Almighty. As for the benefits, they are mainly represented in the prohibited (Haram) profit, which may be gained from dealing in these two crimes, i.e. wine and gambling. This money is obviously prohibited (Haram), and will not be blessed by Allah, and that is why their harm is greater than their benefits.

The miraculous nature of this hadith is extremely evident as it assures that man in this life is subject to many diseases, which is obviously part of human nature. Moreover, it indicates that Allah has never sent down a disease without sending down its cure along with it. Dualism is one of the Wonders of Allah in this universe, so that only Allah the All Mighty remains "The Only One" Who has the Absolute Unity and Oneness, over all His creation. For every disease in this world, Allah has created a cure or a medicine to antagonize its effect, just as matter has its antagonists, and energy has its antagonists and so on.

Another miraculous aspect in this hadith is evident in the order given by the Prophet (PBUH) to seek treatment, so that man would not let his body be destroyed by diseases. The third miraculous aspect found in this hadith, is that any substance, which is prohibited, cannot function as a treatment for any disease. Wine is among the prohibited substances, which are mentioned in the hadith. Moreover, it was described in another hadith narrated by 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Wine (Khamr) is the mother of all sins and one of the worst of the major sins …”. That is why the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) make it prohibited to take wine (alcoholic beverage) as a medicine or to deal financially in it; whether by producing, transferring, selling, buying, drinking, or even touching it. It is a disease and not a medicine or a cure.

On the contrary, wine is the cause of many physical, psychological and social diseases. Many studies proved that taking wine results in the intoxication of the body , mental disorder , amnesia and many other mental and physical diseases, such as : renal failure , congestion of the prostate , inflammation of various parts of the digestive system , starting with the mouth and ending with the colon . These inflammations normally end up with cancer, and mostly lead to several ulcers, inflammation and fibrosis of the liver and pancreas. It also leads to an increase in blood pressure and the weakening of the heart muscle, angina, heart failure and brain damage. It also leads to frequent hemorrhage and to the deterioration of the immunity system, which eventually lead to the deterioration of the whole body's resistance to several diseases. Taking wine also leads to infections of the respiratory system that normally end up in tuberculosis and cancer of the lung, the trachea and the larynx. Moreover, drinking wine leads to the disorder of the endocrine glands and to many nervous diseases and even sterility as well as many other diseases that could not be enumerated in such a brief statement. The most dangerous of all is the deformity of babies of the women who are alcoholics.

As for the other moral and social aspects, it has been proven that most behavioral crimes are committed under the effect of alcohol, which led WHO to issue a statement in 1979, stating that "Drinking alcohol is one of the major health problems in the world today. Drinking alcohol stands against healthy, social and economic development in many societies. It is an unsolvable problem that constitutes a major obstacle in the field of health as well as one of the most effective factors that lead to the damage of public health."

At this point any just person cannot help but say: O Messenger of Allah! You are truthful when you said: " Do not use anything prohibited (Haram) as medicine”, and when you said: "It is not a medicine but it is a disease”.