Healing by Laban - Milk

Healing Through Prophetic Medicine in Islam

Tibb-e-Nabawi

Healing by Food

بلــبــن / Laban / Milk

Allah Said in Quran :

وَإنَّ لَكُمْ فِى الأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً، نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِى بُطُونِهِ مِن بيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَّبَناً خَالِصاً سَائِغاً لِّلشَّارِبينَ [النحل: 66].

And verily, in the cattle, there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, from between excretions and blood, pure milk; palatable to the drinkers. (16:66)



Also, Allah Said, while describing Paradise:

فِيهَا أنْهَارٌ مِّن مَّاءٍ غَيْرِ آسِنٍ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّن لَّبَنٍ لَّمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُ [محمد: 15]

In it are rivers of water, the taste and smell of which are not changed, and rivers of milk of which the taste never changes. (47:15)



In the Sunan, it is also narrated that Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam said :

وفى "السنن" مرفوعاً: "مَن أطْعَمَهُ اللهُ طَعاماً فَلْيَقُلْ: اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لنا فيه، وارزُقْنا خَيراً منه، وَمَن سقاه اللهُ لبناً، فَلْيَقُلْ: اللُّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لنا فيه، وزِدْنا منه، فإنى لا أعلم ما يُجْزِئ من الطعام والشرابِ إلا اللَّبَن"

"To whomever Allah Gives some type of food; let him supplicate "O Allah! Bless it for us and Grant us what is better". And to whomever Allah Grants some Laban (milk); let him say, "O Allah! Bless it for us and Grant us more of it, for I do not know of a more complete food or drink than milk".



Although milk is a simple type of food, it is very natural to the body as it contains three major substances: cheese, fat and water. Cheese is cold and wet and provides good nutrition. The fat contained in the milk is mild regarding warmth and wetness, and it is very beneficial for healthy bodies.



The water part contained in milk is hot and wet, and it softens the stomach and provides the body with beneficial moistures. Laban in general is mild regarding warmth and wetness, although there are other opinions in this regard.



Milk is best when it has just been milked, and its value decreases by the passage of time thereafter. When it is freshly milked, it is less cold and more humid. Sour milk is the opposite. Also, milking is better after forty days (when) the animal has given birth. The best type of milk is the most white in color, as it has a good scent, delicious taste, mildly sweet, less fat and light consistency. It is also best when young healthy animals are milked, especially those that have less meat and which graze in healthy grazing lands. Milk is good and produces red blood, brings wetness to the body and is also a nutritious food. Also, milk helps relieve depression, obsession and black bile ailments. When milk is drunk with honey, it will help cleanse the insides of septic materials. Drinking milk with sugar makes the color of the skin fairer. Milk helps the body regain its strength after sexual intercourse arid is also favorable for the chest, the lungs and for those suffering from tuberculosis.



Further, milk is not favorable for the head, the stomach, the liver and the spleen. Also, drinking milk excessively is harmful for the teeth and the gums, and this is why it is better to rinse the mouth after one drinks it.

وفى "الصحيحين": أنَّ النبىَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم شرب لبناً، ثم دعا بماء فتمضمض وقال: "إنَّ لَهُ دَسَماً"

In the Sahihain, it is narrated that Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam once drank some milk and then asked for some water and rinsed his mouth, saying: "It has fat".



Milk is not good for those suffering from fever and headaches and is not favorable for the weakness in the head and brain. Excessive drinking of milk causes darkness in the sight (sight impairment), gout, kidney clogs and swelling in the stomach and the intestines. These side effects will be neutralized when mixing milk with honey, ginger, and so forth, for those who are not used to drinking it.



Sheep's Milk



Sheep's milk is the most watery, and it has more fat and bad odor than goat or cow milk. Sheep's milk produces phlegm and causes white spots or stains on the skin if one drinks it on a regular basis. This is why it is better that sheep milk is mixed with water so that its concentration becomes less. Sheep milk quenches the thirst quicker and cools the body faster than other milks.



Goat's Milk


Goat's milk is mild and light, works as a mild laxative, is wet for dry bodies and helps cure mouth cankers, dry cough and Epistaxis (nosebleeds). Milk in general is the most beneficial drink for the body due to its nutritional value and closeness to the nature of the body and to the childhood of mankind.

وفى "الصحيحين": "أنَّ رسولَ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أُتىَ ليلةَ أُسْرِىَ به بقَدَحٍ من خَمْرٍ، وقَدَحٍ من لَبَنٍ، فنظر إليهما، ثم أخذ اللَّبنَ، فقال جبريل: الحمدُ للهِ الذى هَدَاك لِلفِطْرَةِ، لو أخَذْتَ الخَمْرَ، غَوَتْ أُمَّتُكَ"

In the Sahihain, it is narrated:

"On the night of the Isra'a (our beloved Prophet’s journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to heaven), the Messenger of Allah (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) was given two cups; one containing milk and the other wine. Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam looked at them and then took the cup of milk. Gabriel said, "You have accepted what is natural. (True Religion i.e. Islam) and if you had taken the wine, your followers would have gone astray".

Sour goat milk is not digested quickly and produces unfavorable mixtures. The hot tempered stomach benefits from goat milk, though, and easily digests it.



Cow's Milk


Cow's milk provides nutrition for the body and is also a mild laxative. Cow milk is one of the best milks, between sheep milk and goat milk regarding thickness and fat.

وفى "السنن": من حديث عبد الله بن مسعود يرفعه: "عليكم بألبانِ البَقَرِ، فإنها تَرُمُّ من كُلِّ الشَّجَرِ"

Abdullah bin Masud Radi Allaho Anh narrated that Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam once said: “Drink cow's milk because it grazes on all types of trees / fodder".

Camel's Milk


Dropsy is a physical disease that occurs when a harmful cold substance penetrates the external organs of the body and the body organs, other than those that are used in digestion, causing them to swell. There are three types of dropsy, in body tissue (fleshy), which is the most serious of the three, in a body cavity, and in an organ (drum). The remedy required for this disease includes mild laxatives and diuretic medicines that help rid the body of fluids. These diuretic qualities exist in the milk of camels.



Camel's milk is a mild laxative, diuretic, cleanses and opens that which is closed and removes the obstructions and soothes the body. This is especially the case when the camels graze on beneficial herbs, such as worm wood, lavender, chamomile, daisy and lemongrass. These herbs help against dropsy.



Dropsy is usually symptomatic of an ailment in the liver, especially due to congestion in the liver. The milk of the Arabian camels helps in this case, because of its many benefits as mentioned and which help open the clogged passages and the obstructions. 

Al-Razi said, "The she-camel's milk soothes the liver and the effects of a spoiled constitution". Al-Israili in addition said, "The she­-camel's milk is the softest, least concentrated and lightest milk. It is the best choice for moving the bowels, as a laxative and for opening the clogged passages and obstructions". 

What makes this evident is the fact that this type of milk is mildly salty, as a result of the animal's instinctively hot nature. Therefore, the she-camel’s milk is the best remedy for the liver as it soothes it, opens its pores and veins and softens the hardness of fresh food.



The author of Al-Qanoon commented, "Do not listen to those who claim that milk does not provide cure from dropsy. Rather, know that camel's milk is an effective cure, because it cleanses gently and easily, due to its other qualities. This type of milk is so beneficial that if a person substituted water and food with camel's milk, he would be cured from dropsy and other ailments" Some people tried this remedy and were soon cured.

Source

to be continued .....