An Excerpt from “Tibb un Nabawiyy

وَأُفَوِّضُ أَمْرِي إِلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ

فى "الصحيحين": من حديث أبى المتوكِّل، عن أبى سعيد الخُدْرِىِّ، "أنَّ رجلاً أتى النبىَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال: إنَّ أخى يشتكى بطنَه وفى رواية: استطلقَ بطنُهُ فقال: "اسْقِهِ عسلاً"، فذهب ثم رجع، فقال: قد سقيتُه، فلم يُغنِ عنه شيئاً وفى لفْظ: فلَم يزِدْه إلا اسْتِطْلاقاً، مرتين أو ثلاثاً كل ذلك يقولُ له: "اسْقِه عَسَلاً". فقال لهُ فى الثالثةِ أو الرابعةِ: "صَدَقَ اللهُ، وكَذَبَ بَطْنُ أَخِيكَ".

It is narrated in the Sahihain that Abu Said Al Khudri Radhi Allahu ‘anh said :

A man came to Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim and said, "My brother is complaining about stomach, or he is complaining about diarrhea". Our beloved Prophet said, "Give him some honey". The man went and came back later, saying, I have given him some honey, but it did not help, or he said, "It made his diarrhea worse". He repeated this twice or three times, all the while the Prophet continued saying to him, "Give him some honey". In the third or fourth time, Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim said,

صَدَقَ اللهُ، وكَذَبَ بَطْنُ أَخِيكَ

"Allah has said the truth while your brother's stomach has lied."

Honey has tremendous medicinal value, because it washes away the harmful substances that might be collected in the veins and the intestines. Honey dissolves excess moisture, is beneficial as a drink and as an ointment, it is of great value for the elderly, and those suffering from phlegm and cold moods or condition (chills). Honey is nutritious, softens one’s bowel movement and is a good preserving agent. In addition, honey reduces the bitter taste of other medicines, cleanses the liver and the chest, aids in producing urine, and dissolves the phlegm that is accompanied by coughing. When honey is consumed hot and mixed with rose oil, it cures animal bites and the effects of opium. Taking honey mixed with water helps against the bite of a rabid dog and the effects of eating poisonous mushrooms. If fresh meat is kept in honey, it preserves its freshness for three months. Likewise if gourds, cucumbers and eggplants are kept in honey, they too will be preserved.

Furthermore, honey will keep some types of fruit fresh for six months. It preserves dead corpses, thus deserving to be called, "The true preserver". When honey is applied to someone that is infected with lice, it will kill both the lice and the eggs. Honey will add softness and beauty to the hair while allowing it to grow longer. When honey is applied to the eye as Kohl (eyeliner), it will strengthen weak eyesight. Honey whitens the teeth, preserves their health and the health of the gums, and opens the orifice of the veins along with causing the flow of menstruation. Furthermore, licking honey on an empty stomach will help the body get rid of mucus and phlegm. It cleanses the stomach and rids it of harmful substances or mixtures, heats the stomach mildly and opens up the pores. Honey has similar effects on the kidneys, the prostate, urinary bladder and the liver. Furthermore, honey is the least harmful sweet substance for congesting the liver and kidneys.

Adding to all these benefits that we mentioned, honey does not have any side effects, nor harm except for those suffering from bile and who should take it with vinegar to neutralize its harm.

Honey is a food, a drink, a sweet, a remedy, a type of refreshment and an ointment, along with its numerous medicinal values. Therefore, there is no other substance that is more beneficial than honey or that even rivals its value. This is why the people of old relied on honey, for most of the books of old do not mention sugar, as this was discovered in modem times.

Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim used to drink some honey mixed with water on an empty stomach. There is a wonderful secret behind this practice regarding preserving the health. Only those who enjoy sound comprehension will be able to recognize such a secret. We will mention this subject again when we explain the Prophet’s guidance regarding persevering good health.
A Hadith [narrated by Ibn Majah and others] stated that Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim said:

علَيْكُم بالشِّفَاءَيْنِ‏:‏ العَسَلِ والقُرآنِ
"Make use of the two cures: Honey and the Quran".

This Hadith joins the material and the divine cures, the medicine of the body and the soul, the earthly medicine and the heavenly cure.

Understanding these facts, let us go back to the man to whom the Prophet had prescribed honey to cure his diarrhea, which was caused by overeating. Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim prescribed honey for him to rid his stomach and intestines from accumulating harmful substances or excretions that prevents the food in the stomach from being digested, because honey has a cleansing effect. The harmful, viscid substances were adhering to the stomach walls, which is similar to the material of a towel, polluting both the stomach and the food. Honey removes these substances that engulf the stomach, and it is the best cure for this condition. Honey is a potent cleanser and is effective in treating cases of diarrhea, especially when the honey is mixed with warm water.

Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim repeated his command to the man, to give some honey to his sick brother for a good reason. The prescribed medicine should be in sufficient doses; otherwise, the ailment will not be filly cured. When the prescribed medicine is in a larger than necessary dose, it will weaken the body and cause side effects. When the Prophet A first ordered the man to give his brother honey, he did not give him a sufficient amount to cure his condition. When the man said that his brother was not cured, the Prophet s& knew that the dose was not sufficient, so he told the man several times to give his brother more honey, so that the dose would reach a sufficient amount, When the sick person has several doses of honey in a sufficient amount to fight the disease, the cure occurs by Allah’s permission. Giving the correct dose of the proper medicine is a major part of the science of medicine.

When Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim said to the man:

"Allah has said the truth and your brother’s stomach has lied".

This indicates the sure effectiveness of the honey. It also explains that the illness remained not because the prescribed medicine was not effective, but because the stomach had a large amount of spoiled substances in it. Therefore, the Prophet I, ordered the man to take more medicine because his stomach contained excessive amounts of spoiled substances.

Prophetic medicine is not similar to that offered by doctors and physicians. Prophetic medicine is indeed the effective treatment and cure provided by the revelation and the guidance of the Prophet that is coupled with a sound and perfect mind. In comparison, the majority of remedies prescribed by others are built on hypothesis, observation and experimentation.

It is a fact that many people do not benefit from Prophetic medicine, because it will help only those who acknowledge and have faith in it. Thus, they believe that it will help them and they then submit to it. If the Quran, which is a cure for whatever the heart conceals, is not acknowledged and accepted with faith, it will not provide a cure for the heart. In fact, the Quran will only add more evil and disease to the hearts of the hypocrites.

Prophetic medicine is only suitable for good and pure bodies, just as the Quran is only suitable for righteous souls and feeling hearts. Therefore, when the people ignore Prophetic medicine, it is like ignoring the help and guidance of the Quran, which is the most effective medicine. Again, when the medicine (Quran and the Prophetic medicine) do not work, it is due to the negativity in the body and soul that are not suitable for accepting the medicine, not because the medicine does not work. All success comes from Allah.

There is a conflict of opinion concerning what Allah said:

‏يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ‏‏

There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying color wherein is healing for men. (16:69)

The disagreement revolves around the words "wherein is healing for men" if they refer to the drink or the Quran. There are two opinions on this matter, the closest to the truth is what lbn Mas’ud, Ibn ‘Abbas, Qatadah Radhi Allahu ‘anhumma and the majority of the scholars stated, that these words refer to the drink. The Ayah, (Verse) is talking about the drink and not the Quran. Adding to this fact, Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim said in the previous Hadith, “Allah Has Said the truth, as it is clear in determining that the verse is referring to the drink. Allah knows best.