Part 8

The story that was mentioned in the last Hadith has several areas of interest, as follows. The Hadith encourages the use of medicines and cures. The Hadith In addition indicates the purity of the milk of the animals that Muslims are allowed to eat, for using what Allah has prohibited in medicine is disallowed. Further, the people mentioned in the Hadith were not commanded to rinse their mouths or their clothes for the prayer, although they were new Muslin:s [indicating that rinsing the mouth and the clothes in such cases is not necessary]. The Prophet b cannot delay the necessary details of a religious command when such elaboration is necessary. In addition, this story emphasizes the fact that the aggressor is punished by the same method he transgressed. The people mentioned in the Hadith killed the shepherd and branded his eyes, as evident in another narration of this Hadith by Imam Muslim. The Hadith In addition mentioned that the entire group was killed for killing one person. In addition, this story indicates that whereas the aggressor deserves to be punished for multiple crimes, one punishable according to the law of equality and the other for an act of aggression,

then both laws are applied. The Prophet ordered that the hands and feet of the aggressors be cut off, as a punishment from Allah for their audacious raid and aggression. They were In addition killed because they had killed the shepherd. In addition, the Hadith indicates that when armed aggressors steal money and In addition commit murder, their hands and feet are cut off, and they are then executed. The Hadith In addition indicates that the punishment for multiple crimes is multiplied, because the people who were mentioned in the story reverted from Islam, killed a human being, disfigured the dead shepherd, stole other people's property and announced their armed aggression. In addition, the entire armed band mentioned in the story were executed, not only those who actually committed the murder, as the Prophet b, did not consider this fact, nor did he ask about who actually committed the murder. Furthermore, assassination warrants capital punishment and cannot be pardoned [by the relatives of the deceased] or compensated, according to the scholars of Al-Medina and the Mathhab of Imam Ahmad, which our Shaikh (Ibn Taymiyyah) has chosen.

The Prophet's guidance on treating wounds and cuts

In the Sahihan it is narrated that Sahl bin Sa'd was asked about how the Messenger's injuries in the battle of Uhud were treated. Sahl said, "The Prophet's face was injured, his tooth was broken and the helmet he was

wearing was smashed on his head. Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah b, was washing the blood off while 'Ali was pouring water on her hands with his shield. When Fatimah realized that the bleeding did not stop, she took a burned mat (of palm leaves) and inserted the ash in the wound of Allah's Messenger and the bleeding stopped." The ashes of burnt palm leaves are very effective in stopping bleeding, because it is a strong drying agent and because it has the least burning effect (on the exposed skin). Other strong drying remedies have a burning effect on the skin and cause the blood to be irritated and the bleeding to intensify. Further, when the ashes of palm leaves are applied alone or mixed with vinegar in a bleeding nose, it will stop the bleeding. The author of Al-Qonun said, "Al-Baradii (Papyrus) is effective in stopping bleeding and coating exposed flesh when it is placed on a wound. In old Egypt, paper was made of the Baradii, which has a cold, dry condition. Baradii ash is effective in treating oral fungus and infection, hemoptysis (spitting up blood) and In addition prevents malignant infections from spreading.”

The Prophet's guidance using honey, cupping and cauterizing as remedies

Al-Bokhary narrated that the Prophet said:

"There is cure in three substances, a drink of honey, a slash with a knife used for cupping and

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cauterizing by fire. I forbid my Nation from cauterizing by fire."

Abu ‘Abdullah Al-Maziri said, —‘ Plethoric (excessive substances) conditions are either sanguineous (bloody), bilious, phlegm, or melancholic. Curing sanguineous plethora entails extracting the blood. If plethora was from the other three types, its cure is in softening the stool as warranted for each disease. The Prophet Us has indicated that honey is used as a laxative and that cupping is used to extract [septic] blood. Some people said that when the slash by a cupping knife does not work, the last resort is branding by fire (cauterizing). The Prophet b mentioned branding by fire as a last resort when the body has a strong resistance against medicine, rendering it ineffective. The Prophet b then said: "I forbid my Ummah (Muslim Nation) from branding by fire (cauterizing)," and in another narration, "I do not like to be branded by fire." Cauterizing by fire should be the last resort and only used when warranted. The fire should not be the first choice because of the intense pain it causes and which will be used to remove a lesser pain!

Some doctors said that diseases related to the temperament are either material or non-material. The material types are either cold, hot, wet or dry or a combination of these conditions. The four conditions, hotness and coldness are effected, while the other two,

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wetness and dryness, are usually affected. When one of the two effective iemperaments is stronger than the other, one of the affected temperaments usually accompanies it. Every type of temperament in the body has two parts, effective and affected.

Temperamental ailments are usually caused by whichever effective condition is stronger, hotness or coldness. The Prophet's statement directs us to the origin of ailments, hotness and coldness. If the ailment was hot, the cure entails extracting the blood by cupping or puncturing the veins, both of which help extract the septic matter, cooling the temperament. If the ailment is cold, we treat it with heat, such as by taking honey. If we In addition need to extract the cold material that has caused the ailment, honey In addition helps in this case because it leads the various substances to maturity along with its other qualities of cleansing, softening, soothing and purging the affected organs. In this case, the septic material will be gently extracted while saving the body the annoyance of using strong laxatives.

Physical ailments are either acute, not needing cauterization because they would soon be neutralized, or chronic ailments, for which cauterizing the proper organ is the best remedy after extracting the septic substances. Chronic diseases usually result from thick, cold septic substances residing in the affected organ, ailing it,

spoiling its constitution and, thereby, inflaming the parts of the body that are directly connected to the affected organ. Therefore, cauterizing should be used to dissipate and extract the septic substances in the affected organ with fire.

The Hadith explains treatments for all type of physical ailments, just as we learned the treatment method

for all simple ailments (accompanied by fever) from the Hadith,

"The heat of the fever is a breath of the Hell Fire; coo] it with water."

As for cupping, Ibn Majah narrated in his Sunan that the Messenger of Allah b said:

“During the night of Israa' (the overnight journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to the heavens), every company (of angels) that I passed by would say, 'O Muhammad! Order your nation to use cupping.

In addition, in the Sahihan it is narrated that the Prophet ate once had his blood cupped (medically) and paid the person who applied the cupping.

Further, in tne Sahihan it is narrated:

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"Cupping is among your best remedies."

The benefits of cupping include cleansing the exterior parts of the body more than puncturing the veins, or puncturing the veins, is better when used to extract blood from the internal parts of the body. Cupping entails removing blood from the various parts of the skin.

Using either cupping or puncturing the veins depends on the time of year, the area, the age and state of the ailing person. For instance, cupping is more beneficial than puncturing the veins in warm areas, warm weather and hot-tempered people, whose blood is near maturity (concerning the septic substances in the blood). In this case, the septic, maturing blood will collect near the skin. Cupping extracts the septic blood more efficiently than puncturing the veins. This is why using cupping for children and those who cannot bear puncturing the veins is better and more useful.

Doctors affirm that cupping is better used in warm areas than puncturing the veins and that cupping is preferred in the middle of the month or soon after,

especially in the last quarter in the month. In the beginning of the month, the blood will have already become irritated (thus carrying septic materials that need to be cupped). In the end of the month, the blood will be idle, unlike the case in the middle and last quarter of the month when the blood is agitated and sufficiently produced.

The author of Al-Qanun said, ‘Cupping is not preferred in the beginning of the month, because the body's various conditions will not be agitated then, nor is it preferred in the end of the moath, because by then the conditions would have decreased. Cupping is preferred in the middie of the month when the substances (of the constitution, or condition) accumulate and become agitated,’ It was reported that the Prophet b said:

"Cupping and puncturing the veins are your best remedies."

This Hadith is directed at the people of Hijaz and warm areas in general, for their blood is delicate and circulates closer to the surface of the skin, while the pores on their skin are wide and their strength weakened (i.e., during summer). Puncturing the veins is harmful for them. Puncturing of each of the veins usually has a special benefit. For instance, puncturing of the basilica vein (the large vein running on the inner side of the upper arm) is useful against the neat of the liver and spleen and various

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blood-related tumors in these two organs. It is In addition useful for tumors of the lungs (emphysema), arterial pulsation, pleurisy and all blood-related diseases of veins in the lower part of the knee to the hip. Further, puncturing of the median vein helps against the various swellings that appear throughout the entire body, especially when the swelling is blood-related, and contains spoiled blood in general. In addition, puncturing of the arm's vein helps against the ailments in the head and neck that result from excessive amounts of blood or from septic blood. Puncturing of the jugular vein helps against the ailments of the spleen, asthma, thoracic cavity and forehead pain.