Medicine and Spells - Mishkat al-Masabih 4514

"God has not sent down a disease without sending down remedy for it." Bukhari transmitted it.

Commentary on the Hadith

This noble hadith establishes a fundamental principle in Islamic medicine: for every ailment that Allah decrees, He has also created its cure. This demonstrates Allah's infinite mercy and wisdom, as He does not leave His servants without means of relief from suffering.

The comprehensive nature of this statement encompasses both physical and spiritual diseases. The remedies may be discovered through empirical research, divine revelation, or traditional knowledge. Scholars note that the failure to find a cure for a particular disease does not contradict this hadith, but rather indicates human limitation in discovering what Allah has already provided.

This teaching encourages Muslims to seek treatment while maintaining tawakkul (reliance on Allah). The pursuit of cures becomes an act of worship when accompanied by the proper intention to preserve health as a divine trust.

Juridical Implications

This hadith forms the basis for the Islamic legal principle that seeking treatment is recommended (mustahabb), and in some cases obligatory when neglecting treatment would lead to harm. It also validates the profession of medicine as a noble pursuit in Islam.

The comprehensive nature of "remedy" includes conventional medicines, prophetic medicines (al-tibb al-nabawi), permissible spiritual remedies such as ruqya (Quranic healing), and all other lawful means of treatment that do not involve shirk or prohibited substances.