Prophetic
Medicine:
Between the Nass and Empirical
Experience
by Prof Dr Omar Hasan
Kasule Sr.
Basic Characteristics
of Prophetic Medicine
Definition
Tibb Nabawi refers to
words and actions of the Prophet with a bearing on disease, treatment
of disease, and care of patients. Thus also included are words of
the prophet on medical matters, medical treatment practiced by others
on the prophet, medical treatments practised by the prophet on himself
and others, medical treatments observed by the prophet with no objections,
medical procedures that the prophet heard or knew about and did
not prohibit, or medical practices that were so common that the
prophet could not have failed to know about them. The prophet's
medical teachings were specific for place, population, and time.
They however also included general guidance on physical and mental
health that are applicable to all places, all times, and all circumstances.
Tibb nabawi is not one monolithic or systematic medical system as
some people would want us to believe. It is varied and circumstantial.
It covers preventive medicine, curative medicine, mental well-being,
spiritual cures or ruqyah, medical and surgical treatments. It integrates
mind & body, matter and spirit.
Search for cures
The Prophet enunciated
a basic principle in medicine that for every disease there is cure
(ma anzala allahu daa; illa anzala lahu shifa'a- Kitaab al Tibb,
al Bukhari). This is an impetus for us to look for remedies. Thus
the prophetic medical tradition does not stop at only the medical
teachings of the prophet but goes beyond to encourage humans to
search and experiment with new treatment modalities. This implies
among other things that prophetic medicine is not static. There
is room for growth and even breaking new ground. Other implications
of this hadith is that seeking treatment does not contradict qadar
(pre-destination). Thus both the disease and its treatment are part
of qadar.
Sources of tibb nabawi
Tibb nabawi has several
sources: revelation (wahy), empirical experience of the prophet,
folk medicine of that time in the Arabian peninsula, and it is possible
that some medical knowledge of other communities could have been
known in Makka or Madina at the time of the prophet. Our sources
are from books of hadith and siira. Bukhari in his Sahih narrated
129 hadiths directly related to medicine. He devoted two books to
medicine: kitaab al tibb and kitaab al mardha There are many other
hadiths in Bukhari indirectly related to medicine. Other books of
hadith also narrate more hadiths with relevance to medicine. Scholars
have collected these hadiths together and some have related them
to available medical knowledge. Among these authors are: Abu Nu’aim
(d. 430 AH), Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyat (d. 751 AH), and Jalaluddin
al Suyuti (d. 911 AH). There are also more recent writings as articles
and books. In his book, A Tibb al Nabawi, Imaam Ibn al Qayim mentions
many medical conditions for which the Prophet provided guidance.
He interpreted the hadiths using the available medical knowledge
of his day. This book needs rewriting and it will look very different
if written interpreting the prophetic traditions using today's medical
knowledge.
Scope of tibb nabawi
Tibb Nabawi as reported
to us did not cover every conceivable disease at the time of the
Prophet neither can it cover all ailments today or in the future
in various parts of the world. This is easy to understand from the
context that although the Prophet practiced medicine, his mission
was not medicine and he was not a full-time physician. The hadiths
of the Prophet should not be looked at as a textbook of medicine.
They should be used for the diseases that they dealt with. The proper
way to get additional medical knowledge is through research and
looking for signs of Allah in the universe (2:164, 3:190, 10:5-6,
30:20-27, 39:59, 51:20-23).
Classification of
tibb nabawi
The classification of
traditions relating to medicine depends on the state of knowledge
and changes with time and place. Jalaluddin al Suyuti published
a book on tibb nabawi and divided medicine into 3 types: traditional,
spiritual and preventive. Most of tibb nabawi is preventive medicine
which is a very advanced concept given the level of scientific knowledge
at the prophet's time and certainly must have been divinely inspired.
Al Suyuti (1994) listed preventive medical measures such as food
and exercise. Other preventive measures taught in hadith include:
quarantine for epidemics (hijr sihhi), forbidding urination in stagnant
water (bawl fi mai raqid), use of tooth stick (Siwak), precautions
in the house at night: fire & pests, leaving a country because
of its water and climate. Study of tibb nabawi reveals that there
are spiritual aspects of healing and recovery. Prayer, dua, recitation
of the Qur’an, and remembrance of Allah play a central role. Psychosomatic
diseases could respond to spiritual approaches. Curative medicine
involved prophetic teachings about treatment of wounds, use of honey
and the black seed for several ailments. The use of ruqyat (surat
al fatiha, al mu’awadhatain) falls between physical curative and
spiritual. The curative part of ruqyat can be understood in modern
terms in the way the psyche can modulate immune mechanisms that
protect against disease.
Examples of tibb nabawi
Ibn Qayim al Jawziyat
listed many diseases with their recommended treatments from tibb
nabawi. Diseases in tibb nabawi treatable by natural remedies: fever
(humma), bowel movements (istitlaq al batan), dropsy (istisqa),
wounds (jarh), epilepsy (sar’a), sciatica (‘irq al nisa), temparaments
(tabau’), skin itch (hakk al jism), pleurisy (dhaat al janb), headache
and hemicrania (sidau and shaqiiqat), inflammation of the throat
(‘adhrat), enlargement of the heart (al maf’uud), ophthalmia (al
ramad), catalepsy (khudran al kulli), pimples (bathrat), skin eruptions
(awraam), food poisoning (summ), witchcraft (sihr), and head lice.
He also mentioned other diseases like: plague, leprosy, eye diseases,
throat and tonsils, diarrhea, abdominal disease, fever, plague,
snake bite, scorpion bite, food contamination by a fly, headache,
nose bleeds, teeth, cough, dropsy, sprain, fracture, bite by rabid
dog, and the evil eye. There are three therapeutic modalities used
in Prophetic medicine: natural, spiritual, mixture of natural and
spiritual. The treatments mentioned were honey (al 'asal), cold
water for fever (al mau al barid), diet (ghadha), milk (al laban),
camel milk, camel urine, cupping (al hijaam), cauterization (al
kayy), venesection with cauterization (qatiu al uruuq wa al kayy).
The black seed (al habba al sauda) was especially emphasised.
Application of TIibb
Nabawi Today
General considerations
There are 3 aspects that
we have to deal with regarding modern application of tibb nabawi.
(a) is tibb nabawi part of the Shariah and is therefore compulsory?
(b) spatio-temporal changes (c) empirical research on tibb nabawi.
Tibb nabawi as part
of the shariat
A correct answer to this
question requires clarifying the very concept of shariat. The regulations
about salat, menstruation, and toilet hygiene are part of the shariat
rules that are immutable and there is no dispute about them. There
are other regulations about the government (ahkam sultaniyat) that
are part of the Shariah but that change with circumstances. We can
therefore distinguish two parts of the Shariah: (a) fixed and immutable
and applicable to all places and times and (b) fixed general principles
whose details of application change with place and time. If we take
the meaning of Shariah in (b) above we can conclude that prophetic
medicine is part of Islamic Shariah that can change and grow using
ijtihad and empirical research to apply general Shariah principles
to changing circumstances.
Spatio-temporal changes
Whatever the Prophet
said or did was valid and must be followed because he never uttered
any untruth even when joking. The ijtihad of the prophet even in
worldly matters was protected (ma'suum). The Qur'an and hadith have
records of divine intervention to comment on the prophet's ijtihad
on worldly matters such his advice on some aspects of agriculture
that he later withdrew. Thus the record of authentic hadith that
we have is valid whether in 'aqidat or worldly matters. The attempt
to distinguish between the medical teachings of the prophet-messenger
and as a human living in Arabia at a particular historical epoch
is not easy and is of no practical significance. The question is
whether all or some of the tibb nabawi should be used today. If
the diagnosis of a disease and all the circumstances surrounding
it are exactly like those at the time of the Prophet, then we have
no hesitation in saying tibb nabawi should be used. In actual practice
it is difficult to ascertain that the conditions are the same. Changes
in disease pathology, changes in the genetic pool of the patients,
changes in the genetic pool of the medicinal plants, weather and
climatic conditions are among many variables that may make a particular
remedy recommended by the Prophet not appropriate for a medical
condition today. The circumstances of time and place have changed.
Indiscriminate use of the historical remedies could be using the
right drug for the wrong disease. There is even a more serious linguistic
problem. The meaning of words has changed. What was called fever
in the 1st century AH may not be the same as the meaning
of the same world today. Even medicinal plants like the black seed
may not be exactly the same plant. We can therefore conclude that
the teachings of tibb nabawi can only be a foundation to guide and
encourage scientific research for remedies that are suitable for
our times.
Empirical research
on tibb nabawi
There is a lot of scientific
interest in prophetic teachings on medicine. In Egypt for example
many institutions are involved in research on traditional remedies:
universities, the National Research Center, the Desert Institute,
and the Horticultural Department of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Many medicinal plants including the black seed have been investigated
extensively and have been commercialised (Sayed 1980). The black
seed (nigella sativa) is an example of a prophetic remedy that has
been studied extensively by both Muslims and non-Muslims. Animal
research has shown that the black seed is a potent anti-hypertensive
(Tahir et al. 1993) and respiratory stimulant (Tahir at al 1993).
It was shown to act against bacterial infection in mice (Hanafy
et al. 1991). Al-Awadi et al (1991) studied the effect of a plant
mixture including black seed on liver gluconeogenesis in rats with
induced diabetes. Salomi et al (1991) studied the inhibitory effects
of the black seed on chemical carcinogenesis in rats. Nair et al
(1991) studied the modulatory effect of the black seed on toxicity
in rats induced by a cis-platinum, a cancer treatment drug. Keshri
et al (1995) studied the post-coital contraceptive effects of the
black seed in rats. El-Dakhakhny (1965) studied the pharmacological
properties of the black seed. Toppozada et al (1965) studied the
antibacterial properties of the black seed with clinical applications.
El-Fattary (1975) isolated and described the anti-bacterial principles
from the black seed. Chakravarty (1993) studied the inhibition of
histamine release from mast cells by the black seed. Salomi et al
(1992) studied the anti-tumor activity of the black seed. Human
studies of the black seed have also been undertaken. Akhtar et al
(1991) studied the effect of the black seed on nematode worm infection
in children. Haq et al (1995) studied the effect of the black seed
on human lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leucocyte phagocytic
activity. Laboratory studies provided scientific support for the
traditional use of the black seed and its derived products As a
treatment for rheumatism and related inflammatory diseases (Houghton
et al 1995). The study of the black seed as a medicine has even
extended to its side effects since no medicine however useful is
free from side effects. Steinmann et al (1997) recorded occurrence
of contact dermatitis after topical use of the black seed. Tennekoon
et al. (1991) studied the possible hepatic-toxicity of the black
seed.
Conclusion and Future Challenges
From the survey above we can conclude
that tibb nabawi is an authentic and valid medical system. The general
principles of this system are applicable at all times and all places.
The specific remedies taught by the Prophet (PBUH) are valid and
useful. They however can not be used today withiut undertaking further
empirical research because of changes in humans, medicinal plants,
the environment, and meanings of linguistic terms. Thus the conditions
for which these remedies were prescribed in the 1st century
of hijra may not be exactly the same as the conditions we are dealing
with today. The many empirical studies on prophetic remedies like
the black seed promise a good future for prophetic medicine to continue
exerting its influence on medical practice.
References
- Sahih al Bukhari
- Ibn Al Qayyim Al Jawziyyah: al
Tibb al Nabawi
- Abu Naim Al Asfahani: al Tibb
al Nabawi
- Al Hafidh Abi Abdillah Muhammad
Bin Ahmad Al Dhahabi: al Tibb al Nabawi
- Jalaluddin al Suyuti: al Tibb
al Nabawi
- el-Tahir-KE; Ashour-MM; al-Harbi-MM:
The cardiovascular actions of the volatile oil of the black seed
(Nigella sativa) in rats: elucidation of the mechanism of action.
Gen-Pharmacol. 1993 Sep; 24(5): 1123-31
- el-Tahir-KE; Ashour-MM; al-Harbi-MM:
The respiratory effects of the volatile oil of the black seed
(Nigella sativa) in guinea-pigs: elucidation of the mechanism(s)
of action. Gen-Pharmacol. 1993 Sep; 24(5): 1115-22
- Hanafy-MS; Hatem-ME: Studies on
the antimicrobial activity of Nigella sativa seed (black cumin).
J-Ethnopharmacol. 1991 Sep; 34(2-3): 275-8
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Egyptian Nigella sativa L. IV. Some pharmacological properties
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Panikkar-KR: Modulatory effects of Crocus sativus and Nigella
sativa extracts on cisplatin-induced toxicity in mice. J-Ethnopharmacol.
1991 Jan; 31(1): 75-83
- Haq-A; Abdullatif-M; Lobo-PI;
Khabar-KS; Sheth-KV; al-Sedairy-ST: Nigella sativa: effect on
human lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocyte phagocytic activity.
Immunopharmacology. 1995 Aug;
- Keshri-G; Singh-MM; Lakshmi-V;
Kamboj-VP: Post-coital contraceptive efficacy of the seeds of
Nigella sativa in rats. Indian-J-Physiol-Pharmacol. 1995 Jan;
39(1): 59-62
- Houghton-PJ; Zarka-R; de-las-Heras-B;
Hoult-JR: Fixed oil of Nigella sativa and derived thymoquinone
inhibit eicosanoid generation in leukocytes and membrane lipid
peroxidation. Planta-Med. 1995 Feb; 61(1): 33-6
- Chakravarty-N: Inhibition of histamine
release from mast cells by nigellone. Ann-Allergy. 1993 Mar; 70(3):
237-42
- el-Tahir-KE; Ashour-MM; al-Harbi-MM:
The cardiovascular actions of the volatile oil of the black seed
(Nigella sativa) in rats: elucidation of the mechanism of action.
Gen-Pharmacol. 1993 Sep; 24(5): 1123-31
- el-Tahir-KE; Ashour-MM; al-Harbi-MM:
The respiratory effects of the volatile oil of the black seed
(Nigella sativa) in guinea-pigs: elucidation of the mechanism(s)
of action. Gen-Pharmacol. 1993 Sep; 24(5): 1115-22
- Salomi-NJ; Nair-SC; Jayawardhanan-KK;
Varghese-CD; Panikkar-KR: Antitumour principles from Nigella sativa
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