From `Abdul`Aziz ibn `Abdullah Ibn Baz to our respectable Muslim brother, may Allah increase him in knowledge and faith! Amen!
May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon you. To proceed; I have received your letter, dated 14/1/1385 A.H., may Allah grant you His guidance. As a matter of fact, I am pleased with this letter and your comment on my legal opinion on AlMu`adid (something like bracelet) as well as your desire to examine the whole matter comprehensively.
I would like to tell you that there are many different methods of treatment, regardless of belief. Some methods of treatment are permissible, while others are Makruh (reprehensible) but permissible when necessary. Also, some methods of treatment are prohibited even if the person who does them believes that they are just methods of treatment and that the curer is Allah Alone.
The first type of permissible treatment methods include, for example, drugs, injections, bandages and creams prescribed by physicians to cure some diseases, as well as xray imaging. These are permissible methods of cure which have been tested by people and their benefit is known not to cause harm, provided the person having them has full belief that they are no more than methods of treatment and that cure is from Allah Alone. Also, there is cauterization which is regarded as a reprehensible means of cure. It was authentically reported that the Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: If there is any healing in your medicines, then it is in cupping, a gulp of honey or branding with fire (cauterization) that suits the ailment, but I don't like to be branded with fire (cauterized). In another wording: I forbid my nation to use cauterization. Thus, scholars have derived from this Prophetic Hadith that cauterization is reprehensible, but it can be used when necessary. Moreover, cauterization should be the last resort for medical treatment when it is difficult to find other means of treatment. The third type of cure methods are medications through forbidden means such as wine, flesh of wild animals and other forbidden kinds of food
and drinks. It is not permissible for a Muslim to have such forbidden things as medicines even some people claim that such things contain a benefit and even if the one having them has full belief that Allah is the Curer and they are no more than means of cure. This is because there are many pieces of evidence on the prohibition of treatment with ritually impure substances and unlawful medication even if they have some benefits, i.e. when harm is more evident than benefit. Moreover, not all that is useful is lawful. There are two prerequisites for anything to be lawful for use. First, there should be no legal evidence of prohibition. Second, harm resulting from it should not be more than its benefit. If its harm is more, it is not permissible for a person to use it even if there is no evidence of prohibition. This is because Shari`ah (Islamic Law) prohibits anything whose harm is more than its benefit, such as alcohol. It was authentically reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: O Allah's servants! Treat yourselves medically, but use nothing unlawful In another narration: Allah did not make the cure of you in what He prohibited for you. Also, it was authentically reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A man asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about wine being used as medicine. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "No it is a disease." It can be derived from what has been mentioned that the criterion of lawfulness or prohibition has nothing to do with a person's belief, but rather the legal evidence. It happens that someone believes that Allah is the Only Curer, but takes prohibited medications like disbelievers who worship gods other than Allah (Exalted be He) and claim that such gods bring them nearer to Allah and intercede with Him for them, even though they believe that such gods do not cure them, bring their absent people back, or defend them. Allah (Exalted be He) says: And they worship besides Allâh things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: "These are our intercessors with Allâh." Allah (Glorified be He) also says: So worship Allâh (Alone) by doing religious deeds sincerely for Allâh's sake only. Surely the religion (i.e. the worship and the obedience) is for Allâh only. And those who take Auliyâ' (protectors, helpers, lords, gods) besides Him (say): "We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allâh." Verily Allâh will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly, Allâh guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever. There are a lot of pieces of evidence on this point. Someone may have some lawful medications, such as Ruqyah (reciting Qur'an and saying supplications over the sick seeking healing), drugs, injections, etc.
but such medications become prohibited if the person, who uses them, believes that such medications are the cause of recovery, not Allah in Whose Hands is recovery from all diseases. Having known this, is AlMu`adid regarded as one of the permissible medications like injections and pills or is it one of the reprehensible medications, such as cauterization and other medicines? Is it to be regarded as one of the forbidden means, such as hanging amulets, bracelets, strings and sea shells on children's necks to protect them from envy, devils and some diseases? Is it considered like hanging cords on animal necks as was done by the preIslam people and the Prophet (peace be upon him) rebuked them and told them that such practices were acts of Shirk (associating others in worship with Allah), even though they believed that
Allah is the One Who brings benefits and causes harm; the One Who disposes people's affairs, the One Who removes harms, and the One Who brings benefits? The evidence of this point is Allah's Saying: Say (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ): "Who provides for you from the sky and the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? And who disposes the affairs?" They will say: "Allâh." Say: "Will you not then be afraid of Allâh's punishment (for setting up rivals in worship with Allâh)?"
In this Qur'anic Ayah, Allah (Exalted be He) enjoins the Prophet (peace be upon him) to ask the polytheists about such things. Allah (Glorified be He) told His Prophet (peace be upon him) that they would say that they were done by Allah Alone; hence the conclusion of the Ayah: Say: "Will you not then be afraid of Allâh's punishment (for setting up rivals in worship with Allâh)?"
And verily, if you ask them: "Who created the heavens and the earth?" Surely they will say: "Allâh (has created them)." Say: "Tell me then, the things that you invoke besides Allâh if Allâh intended some harm for me, could they remove His harm? Or if He (Allâh) intended some mercy for me, could they withhold His Mercy?" Say: "Sufficient for me is Allâh; in Him those who trust (i.e. believers) must put their trust."
There are many Qur'anic Ayahs to this effect. They prove that the polytheists fully believe that Allah (Exalted be He) is the One Who brings benefits and causes harms, the One Who removes harms and grants benefits, the One Who causes people to live or to die, and the One Who disposes all affairs, but they worship other gods of idols, trees, prophets, righteous people and angels just to intercede with Him for them. The same applies to the practice of hanging amulets,
cords, bracelets and threads around the necks of children and riding animals as a means of medication, not because they themselves bring recovery. However, since such methods of medication are prohibited, but people cling to such means and become heedless that Allah is the Only Curer, the Prophet (may peace be upon him) forbade people to use such means, which may lead to associating other partners in worship along with Allah (Exalted be He). Also, the use of such medications may result in grave corruption. That is why there have been different opinions by scholars on the question of AlMu`adid; is it regarded as a prohibited means of medication?
I showed in the reply of which I sent you a copy that AlMu`adid is better to be enlisted among the prohibited means of medication as it is like bracelets, amulets and cords that Islam forbids. This is because those who used such things, in the preIslamic period of ignorance and those who followed them, thought there was a benefit which Allah (Exalted be He) has put in such things even He is the One Who brings benefits and causes harms.
Allah (Glorified be He) has created different benefits and harms in His creation and has made each have a particular portion of benefit and harm. That is why people may resort to both permissible and forbidden methods of cure. It is through the purified Shari`ah a person can distinguish between what is lawful and what is unlawful. Consequently, what is known to have the characteristics of a prohibited means of cure, is regarded as prohibited even it has some benefits. Similarly, what is known to have the characteristics of permissible means of cure, is considered permissible even it has some harm if its benefits are more than its harms.
If something is known to be forbidden by Shari`ah, such as alcohol and the flesh of wild animals, it is obligatory for a Muslim to abandon it forever. It is wellknown that wearing AlMu`adid remains for days and years like wearing amulets, unlike pills and injections that are used for sometime. AlMu`adid is not like pills and injections, but rather like the wearing of bracelets about which there is a Prophetic Hadith reported by `Imran Ibn Husayn, which I mentioned in the reply you reviewed. Wearing AlMu`adid is like wearing amulets, sea shells and cords. Therefore, you can guess my opinion and other Shaykhs' opinions who say that wearing AlMu`adid is not permissible. Allah knows best!
Also, wearing AlMu`adid may lead people to wear all that is imported from the West and thought to have some benefits, a matter that may lead to a catastrophe and cause people to neglect the purified Shari`ah, which warns people against all that Allah has forbidden. I ask Allah (Exalted be He) to guide you, us and all Muslims to what pleases Him! I ask Him to grant us insight into His religion and to make us steadfast adherents of the faith of Islam. I ask Allah to protect all Muslims and us from the evil of trials, as He is Able to do all things. May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon you!