I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions were sitting as if they had birds on their heads. I saluted and sat down. The desert Arabs then came from here and there. They asked: Messenger of Allah, should we make use of medical treatment? He replied: Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease, namely old age.
حَدَّثَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ، وَأَبُو عَامِرٍ - وَهَذَا لَفْظُ أَبِي عَامِرٍ - عَنْ فُلَيْحِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ صَعْصَعَةَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ أَبِي يَعْقُوبَ، عَنْ أُمِّ الْمُنْذِرِ بِنْتِ قَيْسٍ الأَنْصَارِيَّةِ، قَالَتْ دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَعَهُ عَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ وَعَلِيٌّ نَاقِهٌ وَلَنَا دَوَالِي مُعَلَّقَةٌ فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا وَقَامَ عَلِيٌّ لِيَأْكُلَ فَطَفِقَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ لِعَلِيٍّ " مَهْ إِنَّكَ نَاقِهٌ " . حَتَّى كَفَّ عَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ . قَالَتْ وَصَنَعْتُ شَعِيرًا وَسِلْقًا فَجِئْتُ بِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " يَا عَلِيُّ أَصِبْ مِنْ هَذَا فَهُوَ أَنْفَعُ لَكَ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ قَالَ هَارُونُ الْعَدَوِيَّةِ .
Narrated Umm al-Mundhar bint Qays al-Ansariyyah:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to visit me, accompanied by Ali who was convalescing. We had some ripe dates hung up. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up and began to eat from them.
Ali also got up to eat, but the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said repeatedly to Ali: Stop, Ali, for you are convalescing, and Ali stopped.
She said: I then prepared some barley and beer-root and brought it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: Take some of this, Ali, for it will be more beneficial for you. AbuDawud said: The narrator Harun said: al-Adawiyyah (i.e. Umm al-Mundhar).
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْوَزِيرِ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ حَسَّانَ - حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي الْمَوَالِي، حَدَّثَنَا فَائِدٌ، مَوْلَى عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي رَافِعٍ عَنْ مَوْلاَهُ، عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي رَافِعٍ عَنْ جَدَّتِهِ، سَلْمَى خَادِمِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَتْ مَا كَانَ أَحَدٌ يَشْتَكِي إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَجَعًا فِي رَأْسِهِ إِلاَّ قَالَ " احْتَجِمْ " . وَلاَ وَجَعًا فِي رِجْلَيْهِ إِلاَّ قَالَ " اخْضِبْهُمَا " .
Narrated Salmah:
the maid-servant of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), said: No one complained to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) of a headache but he told him to get himself cupped, or of a pain in his legs but he told him to dye them with henna.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to have himself cupped on the top of his head and between his shoulders, and that he used to say: If anyone pours out any of his blood, he will not suffer if he applies no medical treatment for anything.
The Prophet (ﷺ) had himself cupped three times in the veins at the sides of the neck and on the shoulder. Ma'mar said: I got myself cupped, and I lost my memory so much so that I was instructed Surat al-Fatihah by others in my prayer. He had himself cupped at the top of his head.
(the narrator other than Musa said that Kayyisah daughter of AbuBakrah) She said that her father used to forbid his family to have themselves cupped on a Tuesday, and used to assert on the authority of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that Tuesday is the day of blood in which there is an hour when it does not stop.
The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade to cauterise; we cauterised but they (cauterisation) did not benefit us, nor proved useful for us.
Abu Dawud said: He used to hear the salutation of the angels: When he cauterized, it stopped. When he abandoned, it returned to him.
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: If I drink an antidote, or tie an amulet, or compose poetry, I am the type who does not care what he does.
Abu Dawud said: THis was peculiar to the Prophet (ﷺ), but some people have allowed to use it, i.e. antidote.
Chapter 11: Regarding the disliked remedies - كتاب الطب
حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ سِمَاكٍ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ بْنِ وَائِلٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، ذَكَرَ طَارِقَ بْنَ سُوَيْدٍ أَوْ سُوَيْدَ بْنَ طَارِقٍ سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ الْخَمْرِ فَنَهَاهُ ثُمَّ سَأَلَهُ فَنَهَاهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ إِنَّهَا دَوَاءٌ . قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم
" لاَ وَلَكِنَّهَا دَاءٌ " .
Narrated Tariq ibn Suwayd or Suwayd ibn Tariq:
Wa'il said: Tariq ibn Suwayd or Suwayd ibn Tariq asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about wine, but he forbade it. He again asked him, but he forbade him. He said to him: Prophet of Allah, it is a medicine. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: No it is a disease.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah 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.
I suffered from an illness. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to pay a visit to me. He put his hands between my nipples and I felt its coolness at my heart. He said: You are a man suffering from heart sickness. Go to al-Harith ibn Kaladah, brother of Thaqif. He is a man who gives medical treatment. He should take seven ajwah dates of Medina and grind them with their kernels, and then put them into your mouth.
I brought my son to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while I had compressed his uvula for its swelling. He said : Why do you afflict your children by squeezing for a swelling in the Uvula ? Apply this Indian aloes wood, for it contain seven types of remedies, among them being a remedy for pleurisy. It is applied through the nose for a swelling of the uvula poured into the side of the mouth for pleurisy.
Abu Dawud said : By aloes wood he meant costus.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Wear your white garments, for they are among your best garments, and shroud your dead in them. Among the best types of collyrium you use is antimony (ithmid): it clears the vision and makes the hair sprout.