Treatment with Intoxicants
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The second question of Fatwa No. ( 3163 )
Q2: What is the ruling of the Islamic Shari'ah regarding drinking intoxicants out of dire necessity, such as when a doctor orders one to drink them?
A2 : It is forbidden to treat oneself by drinking intoxicants, or by any of the foul things that Allah has forbidden, according to the majority of scholars. This is based on what was narrated by Wā'il ibn Ḥujr :Mishkat al-Masabih 3642 It was narrated by the Imam Ahmad and Muslim , and from Abū al-Dardā' - may Allah be pleased with him - he said: The Messenger of Allah - peace and blessings be upon him - said: Sunan Abi Dawud 3874Da'if (Al-Albani) It was narrated by Abu Dawud , and from Abū Hurayrah - may Allah be pleased with him - he said: Mishkat al-Masabih 4539 And in another wording: (meaning: poison) It was narrated by Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah , and al-Bukhari mentioned in his (Sahih) from Ibn Mas'ud - may Allah be pleased with him - that he said: (Indeed, Allah has not made your healing in what He has forbidden to you) And it was narrated by Abū Ḥātim and Ibn Ḥibbān in his (Sahih) as marfu' (traced to the Prophet) - peace and blessings be upon him. These texts and their like are explicit in the prohibition of treating oneself with foul things, explicitly stating the prohibition of treating oneself with intoxicants, for it is the mother of foul things and the gathering of sin. And whoever among the scholars of Kufah permitted treating oneself with intoxicants has
analogized it to the permissibility of eating carrion and blood for one in dire necessity. This is weak because it contradicts the explicit text; for it is an analogical reasoning with a difference, since eating carrion and blood removes the dire necessity and preserves life, and it has become the only way to do so. As for drinking intoxicants for treatment, removing the illness by it is not established as the only way; rather, he - peace and blessings be upon him - informed that it is a disease and not a cure, and it has not become the only way for treatment. May Allah have mercy on Muslim, who sufficed himself in treating his illness with what Allah has permitted of good things, and was content with that over what He - Exalted is He - has forbidden of foul things and prohibited things. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q2: What is the ruling of the Islamic Shari'ah regarding drinking intoxicants out of dire necessity, such as when a doctor orders one to drink them?
A2 : It is forbidden to treat oneself by drinking intoxicants, or by any of the foul things that Allah has forbidden, according to the majority of scholars. This is based on what was narrated by Wā'il ibn Ḥujr :
Wa’il al-Hadrami said that Tariq b. Suwaid asked the Prophet about wine and he forbade him. When he told him that he made it only as a medicine he replied, “It is not a medicine, but is a disease.” Muslim transmitted it.
أن طارق بن سويد الجعفي سأل النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - عن الخمر فنهاه أو كـره أن يصنعها، فقال: إنما أصنعها للدواء، فقال: إنه ليس بدواء ولكنه داءAllah has sent down both the disease and the cure, and He has appointed a cure for every disease, so treat yourselves medically, but use nothing unlawful.
إن الله أنزل الداء والدواء، وجعل لكل داء دواء، فتداووا ولا تداووا بحرامGod’s messenger prohibited unclean medicine
نهى رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - عن الدواء الخبيثanalogized it to the permissibility of eating carrion and blood for one in dire necessity. This is weak because it contradicts the explicit text; for it is an analogical reasoning with a difference, since eating carrion and blood removes the dire necessity and preserves life, and it has become the only way to do so. As for drinking intoxicants for treatment, removing the illness by it is not established as the only way; rather, he - peace and blessings be upon him - informed that it is a disease and not a cure, and it has not become the only way for treatment. May Allah have mercy on Muslim, who sufficed himself in treating his illness with what Allah has permitted of good things, and was content with that over what He - Exalted is He - has forbidden of foul things and prohibited things. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.