The Meaning of the Hadith: (The Cure is in Three Things . . . )

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

We move on to a message received from Rabigh, sent by one of the brothers, Abdullah al-Hawari. Our brother has three questions:
His first question: He asks about the meaning of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) which says:

The cure for my Ummah is in three things: a cauterization with fire -as His Eminence the Shaykh mentions- or a verse from the Book of Allah, or a dose of honey

شفاء أمتي في ثلاث: كية من نار -كما يورد سماحة الشيخ- أو آية من كتاب الله، أو جرعة من عسل

Is this hadith authentic?
Answer: The hadith is in the Sahih. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The cure is in three things: a cauterization with fire, or a stroke of a cupping vessel, or a drink of honey

الشفاء في ثلاث: كية نار، أو شرطة محجم، أو شربة عسل

It does not contain the verse. As for the verse, it is taken from the saying of Allah the Exalted:

And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers

وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

[Al-Isra: 82] and from His saying:

Say, "It is, for those who believe, a guidance and cure."

قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ

[Fussilat: 44] and from his practice (peace and blessings be upon him), for he used to recite the verses over the sick person. He used to recite over himself:

Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

[Al-Ikhlas 112:1]

and the two Mu'awwidhat (seeking refuge chapters) when sleeping, if he was afflicted, (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Companions used to recite verses over the sick person. Some of the Companions recited Surat al-Fatihah over a person bitten by a snake, and Allah cured him. They presented this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he approved them, saying:

How did you know it was Ruqyah?

وما يدريك أنها رقية؟

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2064Sahih (Darussalam)

They had been given a share of a flock of sheep, so they took it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved them in that, saying:

Narrated Abu Sa’id Al Khudri: Some of the Companions of Prophet (ﷺ) went on a journey. They encamped with a clan of the Arabs and sought hospitality from them, but they refused to provide them with any hospitality. The chief of the clan was stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake. They gave him all sorts of treatment, but nothing gave him relied. One of them said: Would that you had gone to those people who encamped with you ; some of them might have something which could give you relief to your companion. (So they went and) one of them said: Our chief has been stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake. We administered all sorts of medicine but nothing gave him relief. Has any of you anything, i.e. charm, which gives healing to our companion. One of those people said: I shall apply charm; we sought hospitality from you, but you refused to entertain us. I am not going to apply charm until you give me some wages. So they offered them a number of sheep. He then came to and recited Faithat-al-Kitab and spat until he was cured as if he were set free from a bond. Thereafter they made payment of the wages as agreed by them. They said: Apportion (the wages). The man who applied the charm said: Do not do until we come to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and consult him. So they came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) next morning and mentioned it to him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: From where did you learn that it was a charm ? You have done right. Give me a share along with you.

اضربوا لي معكم بسهم

Sunan Abi Dawud 3418Sahih (Al-Albani)

.
So the result is that he (peace and blessings be upon him) approved them in reciting the Qur'an over the sick person for the purpose of seeking a cure.
As for the hadith, what is in it is:

The cure is in three things: a cauterization with fire, or a stroke of a cupping vessel -meaning: cupping- or a drink of honey. He said: I do not like to be cauterized

الشفاء في ثلاث: كية نار، أو شرطة محجم - يعني: حجامة- أو شربة عسل، قال: وما أحب أن أكتوي

And in the other wording:

but I forbid my people to cauterize

وأنا أنهى أمتي عن الكي

Mishkat al-Masabih 4516

It was narrated by al-Bukhari in the Sahih. This indicates that these three are among the causes of cure: cauterization when there is a need for it, cupping when there is a need for it, and honey. Allah has made clear in His great Book that honey contains a cure for people. However, if a treatment other than cauterization is available, that is better. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

but I do not like to be (cauterized) branded.

وما أحب أن أكتوي

Sahih al-Bukhari 5704

and he said:

but I forbid my people to cauterize

وأنا أنهى أمتي عن الكي

Mishkat al-Masabih 4516

But he cauterized some of his Companions out of necessity.
So the result is: Cauterization is not prescribed except when there is a need, when there is nothing sufficient to replace it. If another medicine is available that is sufficient to replace it, it is better to leave off cauterization; because it is a type of torture by fire, so it is not resorted to except when there is a need. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.

Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

Similar fatwas