Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

DRINKING OF BEER AS MEDICINE FOR KIDNEY STONE

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Alcohol medicine

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 4.6

The majority of scholars are of the opinion that the use of intoxicants and other prohibited things as medicine, is unlawful. They base their arguments on the following guidance:

Wa'il ibn Hujr al-Hadrami reported that, "Tariq ibn Suwaid asked the Prophet (saws) if he could use alcohol as medicine. The Prophet (saws) replied: 'It is not a cure, but a disease'.'' (Related by Muslim, Abu Daw'ud, and Tirmidhi.)

Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet (saws) reports that he (saws) once said: "Allah has not placed a cure for your diseases in things that He has forbidden for you.'' (Related by Baihaqi and Ibn Hibban. Bukhari has also related the same hadith on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud.)

Abu ad-Darda reported that the Prophet (saws) said: "Allah has sent down both the malady and its remedy. For every disease He has created a cure. So seek medical treatment, but never with something the use of which Allah has prohibited.'' (Related by Abu Daw'ud.)

In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), it would not be permissible for a believer who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day to consume any type of ‘khamr’ or intoxicant, even under the guise or excuse of medicine.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 3672 Narrated by Abdullah Ibn Abbas

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “Every intoxicant is khamr (alcohol, wine, etc.), and every intoxicant is haraam.”

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 3679 Narrated by Aisha

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: “Every intoxicant is haraam; if a quantity of anything causes intoxication, a handful of it is (also) haraam.”

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan