Short answer
Prophetic medicine (al-tibb al-nabawi) is what the Prophet ﷺ said or did about health: honey, black seed, cupping, Ajwa dates, talbinah and ruqyah, along with his instruction to seek treatment. Using these remedies is good and blessed, but they do not replace a qualified doctor. Hanafi scholars hold that treatment is permitted, and that every effective lawful means is welcome.
Seeking treatment is permitted and encouraged. The remedies named in authentic hadith are blessed and may be used with hope, but they do not make modern medicine unnecessary, and stopping prescribed treatment in their favour risks harm, which is forbidden.
Other madhhabs
- Hanbali
- Treatment is permitted, but many Hanbali scholars hold that leaving it out of reliance on Allah can be better.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah has not sent down a disease without sending down its cure, and told people, 'Seek treatment, servants of Allah.' He also named particular remedies:
- Black seed (habbat al-sawda): a cure for every disease except death.
- Honey: when a man's brother had stomach trouble, he told him to give honey again and again, saying Allah had spoken the truth and the brother's stomach had lied, until it worked. The Quran says of honey that in it there is healing for people (16:69).
- Cupping (hijama): see hijama dates and the hadith.
- Talbinah, a barley broth, which soothes the heart of the sick person.
- Ajwa dates and ruqyah.
Scholars treat these as real blessings and use them with hope. They also note that 'every disease' is understood in its context: black seed is a remedy for many illnesses, not a replacement for insulin or chemotherapy. The Prophet ﷺ himself sent a doctor to Ubayy ibn Ka'b who cut a vein and cauterised it, which shows he used the medicine of his time, and he said that whoever practises medicine without knowledge is liable for the harm.
In practice: use honey, black seed and the like alongside your doctor's treatment, tell your doctor about any supplements (some interact with medicines), buy from reliable sources, and be wary of sellers who claim these cure cancer or replace prescriptions. Hijama should be done by a trained, licensed practitioner. See also is taking medicine against tawakkul.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nahl 16:69
ثُمَّ كُلِى مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ فَٱسْلُكِى سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًۭا ۚ يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌۭ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَٰنُهُۥ فِيهِ شِفَآءٌۭ لِّلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿٦٩﴾
Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you]." There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought.
Honey is named in the Quran as a source of healing.
Quran, Surah Ash-Shu'araa 26:80
وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ ﴿٨٠﴾
And when I am ill, it is He who cures me
The cure comes from Allah, whatever the means.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3855
Graded sahih... تداووا فإن الله لم يضع داء إلا وضع له دواء ...
"Seek treatment, for Allah has not created a disease without creating a remedy for it."
Treatment is encouraged in general.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5688
Sahih... في الحبة السوداء شفاء من كل داء إلا السام ...
"In black seed there is a cure for every disease except death."
Black seed is a blessed remedy.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5684
Sahih... صدق الله وكذب بطن أخيك ...
"Allah has spoken the truth, and your brother's stomach has lied."
Honey as a remedy, given with patience.
Sahih Muslim 2207
Sahih... بعث رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى أبى بن كعب طبيبا ...
"The Messenger of Allah sent a doctor to Ubayy ibn Ka'b."
He used the doctors and medicine of his time.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on treatment and remedies (al-tadawi wa al-mu'alajat). Treatment is permitted, and the means of treatment are not limited to those named in the hadith.
- Zad al-Ma'ad (Ibn al-Qayyim), Section on prophetic medicine. The classic collection of the Prophet's guidance on health and remedies.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.