There were some common methods of treatment in the time of the Prophet (r).  In  an  application  of the principle of taking up therapy, he (r) used these methods in cases of his illness, as  most people do.  Hence, some writers and historians began using the term “Prophetic Medicine”.  With

the passage of time, a trend of emulating all the Prophet’s practices of food, drink and treatment has come into existence in some Islamic communities, as by way of blessing and adherence to his Sunnah (tradition).  Their reasoning is that the Prophet (r)  is infallible with regard to life affairs.  But most religious scholars see that the Prophet’s message was mainly directed towards public guidance and establishing divine rules and fundamentals, and giving the human mind an ample opportunity to discover all useful things within the framework of abiding by Islamic values and rules. The Prophet’s (r) daily routine work that relates to life affairs of food, drinks and treatment are not legislations or revelation.  The Holy Qur’an stresses that the Prophet (r) is but a human being and that he does not know the Unknown;

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“Say: ‘I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me, that Your God is one God.'” (18:110)  And;

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“Say: ‘Glory to my Lord! I am aught but a man,- a Messenger.'” (17:93)  This is also emphasised in the Hadith of Ibn Abbas, in the account of Palm pollination in which he says; “The Prophet (r) said; ‘I am but a human being.  Whatever I reveal to you from Allah is an unquestionable right, and whatever I relate to you from myself, I am but a human being.'”  It is noticeable that whatever the Prophet (r) used of treatment methods was not of  his own, but rather of what other doctors contrived.  On the authority of Orwa Bin Al Zubair that he once said to Lady Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her; “I wonder who taught you medicine, and where he is from.”  She said; “When the Messenger of Allah (r)  was getting sick at the end of his life, the delegates of Arab tribes used to approach him from every distance and prescribe treatment to him. I used to offer him these methods of treatment.”   Of these methods of treatment, Sahl Bin Saad narrated that when the Prophet (r)  got injured, Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, used to bring water in his shield, while Fatima, may Allah be pleased with her, was washing off his blood.  When she saw that bleeding increased, she took a mat (of palm leaves), burnt it, and stuck its ash on the wound, whereupon the bleeding stopped.

On the other hand, the Prophet (r) refused to eat some foodstuff but he did not make it unlawful.   On the authority of Ibn Abbas that the Prophet (r) was asked if the meat of Dhab (Lizard) was unlawful, which the Prophet (r) refrained from eating when served to him.   The Prophet (r)  said; “No, but that meat was not available in the land of my folk, so I found it distasteful to myself.”   In the narration of Ibn Omar,  the Prophet (r)  said; “I do not say it is lawful or unlawful.”

If the prophetic act was in compliance with the qur’anic instructions with regard to any life affairs, it is an unquestionable fact, as it is revealed by Allah from whom nothing is hidden.   An instance of this is the Prophet’s drinking of honey as a therapy, in application of Allah’s saying;

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“…from within their bodies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for men.” (16:69)

The Prophet (r) liked mercifulness in all affairs, particularly in the field of  treatment.   He (r) forbade killing a frog for treatment.  Othman Bin Abdulrahman  said; “A doctor mentioned a frog as a treatment for the Prophet (r)  who forbade him to kill it.”  Further to this, the Prophet (r)  disliked to use hot treatment, as long as a cold alternative was available.   He (r)   was  reported  to  have  inquired from Asma’a Bint Omais as to how she relaxed her bowels.  She said that she used Shubrum(14).  He (r)  said that Shubrum is a hot and strong laxative.  Then when she used Senna(15) as laxative, the Prophet (r) said; “Had there been something where therein there was healing from death, it would have been Sana.”