The Ruling on Treating Oneself with What Is Forbidden
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His Eminence the Shaykh: What is the ruling on treating oneself with what is forbidden? Are anesthesia and some alcoholic substances found in certain medicines considered forbidden? Is the ruling the same in cases of necessity and non-necessity?
Treating oneself with what is forbidden is not permissible; because Allah has not made the healing of this Ummah in what He has forbidden for them; and because Allah does not forbid us a thing except due to its harm, and that which is harmful never becomes beneficial.Even if it is said: If one is compelled to do so, there is no absolute necessity for medicine; because one may treat oneself and not be healed, and one may be healed without treatment.
Therefore: There is no necessity for medicine, but if a person is hungry and fears that he will die if he does not eat, it is permissible for him to eat carrion and to eat pork; because if he eats, his necessity is averted and the danger of death is removed from him. But medicine does not admit of necessity as mentioned before, except in one thing, which is cutting off some of the limbs in a case of necessity. For example, if cancer occurs in some of the limbs,And the doctors said: and it is not possible to stop the spread of this disease except by cutting off a limb, and it is known that cutting off limbs is forbidden; it is not permissible for a person to cut off even a finger,If they say: unless the limb must be cut off, and this necessity is confirmed if they are certain that if it is cut off, this disease, which is cancer, will be stopped.
As for anesthesia, there is nothing wrong with it, because it is not intoxication. Intoxication is the loss of reason in a state of pleasure and delight, and the one who is anesthetized does not take pleasure or delight.For this reason, the scholars said: Anesthesia is lawful and there is nothing wrong with it.
As for the alcoholic substances in some medicines, if the effect of that alcohol appears in this medicine such that it intoxicates the person, then it is forbidden. But if the effect does not appear, and the alcohol substance is only put in it for the sake of preserving it, then there is nothing wrong with it; because the alcohol substance has no effect in it.
Treating oneself with what is forbidden is not permissible; because Allah has not made the healing of this Ummah in what He has forbidden for them; and because Allah does not forbid us a thing except due to its harm, and that which is harmful never becomes beneficial.Even if it is said: If one is compelled to do so, there is no absolute necessity for medicine; because one may treat oneself and not be healed, and one may be healed without treatment.
Therefore: There is no necessity for medicine, but if a person is hungry and fears that he will die if he does not eat, it is permissible for him to eat carrion and to eat pork; because if he eats, his necessity is averted and the danger of death is removed from him. But medicine does not admit of necessity as mentioned before, except in one thing, which is cutting off some of the limbs in a case of necessity. For example, if cancer occurs in some of the limbs,And the doctors said: and it is not possible to stop the spread of this disease except by cutting off a limb, and it is known that cutting off limbs is forbidden; it is not permissible for a person to cut off even a finger,If they say: unless the limb must be cut off, and this necessity is confirmed if they are certain that if it is cut off, this disease, which is cancer, will be stopped.
As for anesthesia, there is nothing wrong with it, because it is not intoxication. Intoxication is the loss of reason in a state of pleasure and delight, and the one who is anesthetized does not take pleasure or delight.For this reason, the scholars said: Anesthesia is lawful and there is nothing wrong with it.
As for the alcoholic substances in some medicines, if the effect of that alcohol appears in this medicine such that it intoxicates the person, then it is forbidden. But if the effect does not appear, and the alcohol substance is only put in it for the sake of preserving it, then there is nothing wrong with it; because the alcohol substance has no effect in it.