Surely God is the guardian of success, and He is the All-Knowing Lord. Issue 13 Page 8 Page 9 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 13 Benefits of Honey Honey is abluent and an aperient. It contains detergent and tonic properties that cleanse the arteries and bowels of impurities. It opens obstructions of the liver, kidney and bladder. It is also a general preserva-tive, and it helps to preserve the potency of salves among other natural medicinal remedies. Honey also helps to break up excess moisture in the bowels, such as in diarrhea. Honey is superior to sugar in many respects, and it is less sweet but stronger, and if taken excessively, it can be harmful to the bile, unless it is mixed with vinegar. Honey is good for the aged; it is a cough suppressant and is used in medicine to treat corrupted phlegm in the stomach and to soften the general constitution of the body. Honey is also a curative for a depraved appetite, and when taken as a drink mixed with hot water and a pomace made from sweet roses, it helps the treatment of rabies, and is considered a safeguard from further infections. Honey is also used as detoxicant for drug users, and as an antitoxin to treat accidental eating of poisonous plants of the nightshade family (Hyoscymus niger), or wild fungus, among others. When taken as a drink mixed with hot water only, it helps as a remedy for dog bites. As a preservative, honey can be used to preserve meat for up to three months, and is used in pickling cucumbers, squash, eggplant, and various kinds of fruits for up to six months. Known as “the trustworthy preservative”, honey was also used as a principle ingredient in embalming the dead. Spreading natural raw honey over one’s hair as ointment will cure head lice and other parasites. It also can be used as hair softener, conditioner, and it promotes hair growth. Using it as an eye salve, honey brightens one’s vision, while brushing one’s teeth with honey whiten’s them. And when used as mouthwash, it strengthens the gums and eliminates gum diseases. Honey’s natural properties alsomake it an excellent replenisher and a solvent; it opens the pores of blood vessels and eases menstrual discharge, forces out phlegm, and opens obstruction of the liver, kidney and bladder. Honey indeed has great nutritional value and is the drink of drinks, a sweetener of sweeteners, an ointment of ointments, and there is no other food among what God Almighty has created for us that equals honey value, and nothing is close to its constitution. People knew honey from ancient times and long before they began to process refined sugar. In fact, ancient physicians spoke extensively of honey, and sugar was never mentioned in their writings. As a high-metabolic food, potent and a stimulant, sugar is not fully soluble, and it produces an attenuated healing energy in the body that also subsides rapidly. Such rapidly mounting energy leaves the body with the hard work of eliminating the balance of insolublemolecules, andof rebuilding the interior walls of the arteries affected by the abrasion caused by the passage of such molecules in the blood stream. However, sugar is more relaxing for the stomach, and is less sweet thanhoney and less vehement. Regulating Bowl Movement It is narrated by Abi Sai’d AI-Khidri in the traditions that a man came to the Prophet (pbuh) and reported that his brother was complaining of irregular bowel movement. The Prophet (pbuh) advised: “Make him drink honey.” The man came back the next day and said: “I made him drink honey and it did not help! The Prophet (pbuh) gave the same advice for two or three times, and the man kept coming back with the same answer. After the third or fourth time, The Prophet (pbuh) then said: “God spoke the truth, and your brother’s belly lies.” The same tradition was reported in Sahih Muslim wherein the man said: “My brother’s belly is squeamish.” - Meaning that he is nauseous, feels queasy, and that his digestive system is upset. (Reported in Sahih Bukhari) The Prophet (pbuh) used to sometimes drink an infusion of water sweetened with honey on an empty stomach, and such a custom holds ample benefits and subtle secrets. Ibn Maja noted a prophetic saying narrated by Abu Huraira (R.A.), that the Prophet (pbuh) said:”Who-soever eats honey (at least) three times per month will meet with no great affliction.” In another tradition, the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Make use of the two remedies: Honey and the Qur’an.” In this saying, he (pbuh) linked humanmedicine and divinemedicine; remedies for the body and those of the soul; the natural factor and the spiritual one; and, the earthly medicine and the heavenly one. Once this is understood, we go back to the case history wementioned earlier, of the man who inquired about a cure for his brother’s bowel problems, and the remedy prescribed by The Prophet (pbuh). In this particular case, the cause of the brother’s constipation and sufferingwas due to excess food consumption and excess appetite that produced a dyspeptic condition or acute indigestion. The Prophet (pbuh) asked him to give his brother a drink of honey to loosen and aid the excretion of waste. As this constipation was caused by overeating for an extended period of time, his stomach lining was coated with a mucus or asebiferous substance that caused slackness of the stomach tissues and obstructed the secretion of nutrients, for the stomach has a velvet lining, with short dense, and upright hair, just like those of a towel. When such viscous substance clings to the lining, it obstructs the normal cycle of digestion and spoils the food. Thus, taking in a natural abulent and an aperient, such as honey, is the best of remedies, and particularly when mixed with warm water. The medicinal purpose behind repeating the treatment has an important therapeutic value, whereby the ‘right medicine’ must have the correct quantity and concentration to be effective.When themedicine falls short of satisfying such conditions, it will fail, and when it exceeds the required potency, it will weaken the coyd and cause the other harm. Hence, when the Prophet (PBUH) prescribed a second and then a third application of the treatment, he implies that the condition was acute and needed further treatment, and eventually the condition passed. When the Prophet (PBUH) said to the man: “God Spoke the truth, and your brother’s belly lies”, he reiterated his position that honey was the right medicine for his brother’s condition, and that his ‘stomach mind’ kept on denying it until the medicine eventually took effect. In fact, the medicine of the Prophet (PBUH) is most credible and candid, and it is based on the divine inspiration (wahi), the prophetic focus (Mishkatu - Nubuwwa), and a brilliant reasoning (‘aql), whilemost doctors’ diagnoses are based on intuition, conjecture, and experiment, and they cannot refute the proven effectiveness of the prophetic medicine. However, in general, one who accepts it, believes in its healing nature adheres to it with faith, and voluntarily and happily submits to its curing effects, will recover from his illness by God’s leave. The same principle guides the believers when God Almighty says of the holy Qur’an: “A cure for the diseases of the hearts.” (Qur’an 10:57) Thus, when its admonition is not received with that kind of faith, it will not cure such diseases. Rather, it will increase the profanity of the impious ones, broaden the hypocrisy of the ostentatious ones and compound their illnesses - even if they make use of the prescribed prophetic medicine, for unfailingly, the prophetic medicine will agree most with the obedient body of a true worshiper who is blessed with faith; and similarly, themedicine of theHolyQur’anwill cure the illness of blessed souls and living hearts. Hence, those who take exception to the prophetic medicine will not benefit from it, just as those who argue against the remedies of the holy Qur’an cannot benefit from them. This is no fault of the medicine, but rather their spiritless character, their defilement of the sacred abode of the heart, and contempt against God’s Message. God Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an: “From its belly comes forth a drink of varying colors, wherein is a cure for people. Surely there is a sign for those who would give thought.” (Qur’an 16:69) Ramlah Bint Abu Sufyan Abu Sufyan ibn Harb could not conceive of anyone among the Quraysh who would dare challenge his authority or go against his orders. He was after all, the sayyid or chieftain of Makkah who had to be obeyed and followed. His daughter, Ramlah, known as Umm Habibah, however dared to challenge his authority when she reflected the deities of the Quraysh and their idolatrous ways. Together with her husband, Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh, she put her faith in Allah alone and accepted the message of His prophet, Muhammad ibn Abdullah. Abu Sufyan tried with all the power and force at his disposal to bring back his daughter and her husband to his religion and the religion of their forefathers. But he did not succeed. The faith which was embedded in the heart of Ramlah was to strong to be uprooted by the hurricanes of Abu Sufyan’s fury. Abu Sufyan remained deeply worried and concerned by his daughter’s acceptance of Islam. He did not know how to face the Quraysh after she had gone against his will and he was clearly powerless to prevent her from following Muhammad (PBUH). When the Quraysh realized though that Abu Sufyan himself was enraged by Ramlah and her husband, they were emboldened to treat them harshly. They unleashed the full fury of their persecution against them to such a degree that life in Makkah became unbearable. In the 5th year of his mission, the Prophet (SAW) gave permission to the Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia. Ramlah, her little daughter Habibah, and her husband were among those who left. Abu Sufyan and the Quraysh leaders found it difficult to accept that a group of Muslims had slipped out of their net of persecution and was enjoying the freedom to hold their beliefs and practice their religion in the land of the Negus. They therefore send messengers to the Negus to seek their extradition. The messengers tried to poison the mind of the Negus against the Muslims but after examining the Muslims’ beliefs and listening to the Qur’an being recited, the Negus concluded. “What has been revealed to your Prophet Muhammad, and what Jesus the son of Mary preached came from the same source.” The Negus himself announced his faith in the one true God and his acceptance of the Prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH). He also announced his determination to protect the Muslim muhajjrin. The long journey on the road of hardship and tribulation had finally led to the oasis of serenity. So Umm Habibah felt, but she did not know that the newfound freedom and sense of peace were later to be shattered. She was to be put through a test of the most severe and harrowing kind. One night, it is related, as Umm Habibah was asleep she had a vision in which she saw her husband in the midst of a fathomless ocean covered by wave upon wave of darkness. He was in a most perilous situation. She woke up, frightened, but she did not wish to tell her husband or anyone else what she had seen. The day after that ominous night was not yet through when Ubaydallah ibn Jahsh announced his rejection of Islam and his acceptance of Christianity. What a terrible blow! Ramlah’s sense of peace was shattered. She did not expect this of her husband who presented forthwith with the choice of a divorce or of accepting Christianity. Umm Habibah had three options before her. She could either remain with her husband and accept his call to become a Christian in which case she also would commit apostasy and -God forbid- deserve ignominy in this world and punishment in the hereafter. This was something she resolved she would never do even if she were subjected to the most horrible torture. Or, she could return to her father’s house in Makkah - but she knew he remained a citadel of shirk and she would be forced to live under him subdued and suppressing her faith. Or, she could stay alone in the land of the Negus as a displaced fugitive without country, without family and without a supporter. She made the choice that she considered was the most pleasing to God. She made up her mind to stay in Abyssinia until such time as God granted her relief. She divorced her husband who lived only shortly after becoming a Christian. He had given himself over to frequenting wine merchants and consuming alcohol, the ‘mother of evils’. This undoubtedly helped to destroy him. Umm Habibah stayed in Abyssinia for about ten years. Towards the end of this time, relief and happiness came. It came from an unexpected quarter. One morning bright and early, there was a loud knocking on her door. It was Abrahah, the special maid servant of the Negus. Abrahah was beaming with joy as she greeted Umm Habibah and said: “The Negus sends his greetings and says to you that Muhammad, the Messenger of God (PBUH), wants you to marry him and that he has sent a letter in which he has appointed him as his wakil to contract the marriage between you and him. If you agree you are to appoint a wakil to act on your behalf.” Umm Habibah was in the clouds with happiness. She shouted to herself: “God had given you glad tidings.” She took off her jewelry - her necklace and bracelets - and gave them to Abrahah. She took off her rings too and gave them to her. And indeed if she had possessed all the treasures of the world she would have given them to Abrahah at that moment of sheer joy. Finally she said to Abrahah: “I appoint Khalid ibn al-Aas to act as wakil on my behalf for his is the closest person to me.” In the palace of the Negus, set in the midst of beautiful gardens and luxuriant vegetation and in one of the lavishly decorated, sumptuously furnished and brightly lit halls, the group of Muslims living in Abyssinia gathered. They included Ja’far ibn Abi Talib, Khalid ibn Sa’id, Abdullah ibn Hudhafah as Sahmi and others. Islamic Dietary Laws
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