HONEY

Ibn Jurayj said that Al-Zuhri said, “Eat honey because it is good for the memory.” The best type of honey is the white, pure, light and sweet honey. Also, the honey that is collected from trees and mountains is better than the honey that is grown in cells. Further, the quality of the honey varies according to the area where the bees collect their food.

Al-Bukhari narrated the Prophet ﷺ said:

‏ الشِّفَاءُ فِي ثَلاَثَةٍ شَرْبَةِ عَسَلٍ، وَشَرْطَةِ مِحْجَمٍ، وَكَيَّةِ نَارٍ، وَأَنْهَى أُمَّتِي عَنِ الْكَىِّ ‏

“Healing is in three things: A gulp of honey, cupping, and branding with fire (cauterizing).” But I forbid my followers to use (cauterization) branding with fire.”  
(Sahih Bukhari: 5680)

It is also narrated in the Sahihan that Abu Saeed A-Khudri (RA) said:

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، أَتَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ أَخِي يَشْتَكِي بَطْنَهُ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ اسْقِهِ عَسَلاً ‏”‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ أَتَى الثَّانِيَةَ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ اسْقِهِ عَسَلاً ‏”‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ فَقَالَ فَعَلْتُ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ، وَكَذَبَ بَطْنُ أَخِيكَ، اسْقِهِ عَسَلاً ‏”‏‏.‏ فَسَقَاهُ فَبَرَأَ‏.

“A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said,’ My brother is complaining about his stomach, or he is complaining about diarrhea. ‘The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Give him some honey. ’ The man went back 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 ﷺ saying to him, ‘Give him some honey.’ In the third or fourth time, the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Allah (SWT) has said the truth while your brother’s stomach has lied.”
(Sahih Bukhari: 5684)

Honey has tremendous medicinal values, because it washes harmful substances that might be collected in the vanes and intestines. Honey also 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 ones bowel moment and is a good preserving agent. Also, honey reduces bitter tastes of other medicine, cleanses the liver and the chest, adds 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 egg plants are kept in honey, they too will be preserved.

Further, 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 also add softness and beauty to the hair while allowing it to grow longer. When honey is applied to the eye as a kohl, it will strengthen week eye sight. Honey also whitens the teeth, preserves their health and the health of the gums, opens the orifice of the veins also with causing the flows menstruations. 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 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 from bile and who should take it with vinegar to neutralize its harm.

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

The Prophet ﷺ used to drink 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 when we explain the Prophet’s guidance regarding preserving good health.

A Hadith narrated by ibn Majah and others stated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

‏ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالشِّفَاءَيْنِ ، الْعَسَلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ ‏

“You should take the two that bring healing: Honey and the Qur’an.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah: 3578)

The 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 men whom the Prophet ﷺ had prescribed honey to cure his diarrhea, which was caused by overeating. The Prophet ﷺ prescribed honey for him to rid his stomach and intestines from accumulating harmful substances or excretion that prevents 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, specially when the honey is mixed with warm water.

The Prophet ﷺ 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 fully cured. When the prescribed medicine is in a large than necessary dose, it will weaken the body and cause side effects. When the Prophet ﷺ ordered the man to give his brother honey, he did not give him sufficient amount to cure his condition. When the man said that his brother was not cured, the Prophet ﷺ knew that the dose was not sufficient amount to cure his condition. So He told the man several times to give his brother more honey, so the dose would reach the 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 the Prophet ﷺ said to the man:

 ‏ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ، وَكَذَبَ بَطْنُ أَخِيكَ

“Allah (SWT) has said the truth, but your brother’s `Abdomen has told a lie”
(Sahih Bukhari : 5684)

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

Prophetic is not similar to that offered by the 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 other than a Prophet are built in hypothesis, observations 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 Qur’ân which is a cure for whatever the heart conceals, is not acknowledged and accepted with faith, it will not provide the cure for the heart. In fact, Qur’ân will only add evil more evil and disease to the hearts of the hypocrites.

Prophetic medicine is only suitable for good and pure bodies, just as the Qur’ân 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 do not work, it is due to the negativity of the body and the soul that are not suitable for accepting the medicine, not because the medicine does not work. All success comes from Allah (SWT).

Wherein is healing for men

There is a conflict of opinion concerning what Allah (SWT) said:

يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ

“There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people.”
[An-Nahl : 69]

The disagreement revolves around the word “wherein is the healing for men” if they refer to the drink or the Qur’an? There are two opinions on this matter, the closest to the truth is  

what Ibn Mas’ud t, Ibn Abbãs t, Al- Hassan, Qatadah, and majority of the scholars رحمهم  الله  stated, that these words refer to the drink. The Verse is talking about the drink and not the Qur’an. Adding to this fact, the Prophet ﷺ said in the previous Hadith, “Allah (SWT) has said the truth,” as it is clear in determining that the verse is referring to the drink. Allah (SWT) knows the best.