Muhammad's Medical Prescription
In one of Islam's most bizarre and disturbing teachings, Muhammad prescribed camel urine as a medical treatment. This prescription appears in multiple authentic hadith collections, including Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and has led some Muslims even today to drink camel urine despite health risks.
"The climate of Medina did not suit some people, so the Prophet ordered them to follow his shepherd, i.e. his camels, and drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they followed the shepherd that is the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy." — Sahih Bukhari 8:82:794
The Full Context
The complete narration tells a disturbing story. Some people came to Medina, became sick, and Muhammad advised them to drink camel milk and urine. They did so and recovered. However, they then killed the shepherd and stole the camels. When Muhammad heard this, he had them hunted down, and as punishment had their hands and feet cut off, their eyes branded with hot iron, and left them in the desert to die of thirst.
While the brutal punishment is troubling, our focus here is the medical claim: Muhammad prescribed camel urine as a cure for illness.
What the Hadith Claims
- Camel urine has medicinal properties
- It can cure unspecified illnesses
- It's appropriate to prescribe as medicine
- Combined with camel milk, it restores health
The Scientific and Medical Reality
Modern medicine and science tell a very different story:
- No medicinal value: Urine is waste—it contains urea, creatinine, uric acid, and toxins the body is expelling
- Health risks: Camel urine can contain harmful bacteria and pathogens, including those causing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
- MERS coronavirus: The MERS virus, which has a 35% fatality rate, has been linked to camel products, including urine
- Bacterial infections: Brucella bacteria found in camels can cause brucellosis in humans
- No controlled studies: Despite claims by some Muslim researchers, no peer-reviewed scientific studies have demonstrated therapeutic benefits of camel urine
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against consuming camel urine due to MERS coronavirus risks.
Modern Islamic Defense and Practice
Despite the health risks, some Muslims continue to defend and practice this teaching:
- Saudi "researchers": Some Islamic universities have published papers claiming health benefits, but these lack scientific rigor and haven't been replicated by independent researchers
- Commercial sales: Camel urine is sold in some Muslim-majority countries as medicine
- Religious obligation: Some Muslims view following Muhammad's prescription as a religious duty
- "Scientific miracle" claims: Some Muslims claim this proves Muhammad's prophetic knowledge, despite no evidence
The Apologetic Responses
Defense 1: "It was specific to those people"
Some claim this prescription was specific to those particular individuals with their particular illness.
Problem: The hadith doesn't indicate it was a one-time prescription. It's recorded as a teaching of Muhammad. If it was specific, why didn't Muhammad or the narrators clarify this? Why do some Muslims still practice it today?
Defense 2: "Desert Arab medicine"
Some argue this was just the medicine available in 7th-century Arabia.
Problem: If Muhammad was receiving divine revelation from an all-knowing God, why didn't he receive better medical advice? Why prescribe something harmful when other options existed?
Defense 3: "It really does work"
Some Muslims insist camel urine has genuine medicinal properties modern science hasn't fully recognized.
Problem: There's no credible scientific evidence for this. The WHO warns against it. Belief isn't a substitute for evidence.
The MERS Outbreak
In 2012, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) emerged, with a case fatality rate around 35%. Research has linked MERS transmission to contact with camels and their products:
- The virus has been found in camels throughout the Middle East
- Human infections correlate with camel contact
- The WHO has issued warnings about consuming camel products, especially urine
- Despite warnings, some Muslims continue the practice based on Muhammad's teaching
This creates a tragic situation where religious devotion to Muhammad's teachings endangers health.
Why This Matters
This teaching raises several critical questions about Muhammad's prophethood:
- If Muhammad received revelation from God, why would God prescribe harmful medicine?
- Why didn't Allah inform Muhammad of the health risks?
- Does this suggest Muhammad was simply a man of his time, sharing the medical misconceptions of 7th-century Arabia?
- Should people risk their health following 7th-century medical advice?
The Broader Pattern
This isn't the only medically questionable hadith:
- Fly wing cure: Muhammad taught that if a fly falls in your drink, dip it completely because one wing has disease and the other has the cure (Sahih Bukhari 4:54:537)
- Black seed: Claimed to cure everything except death (Sahih Bukhari 7:71:591)
- Fever from hell's heat: Fever comes from the heat of hell and should be cooled with water (Sahih Bukhari 7:71:619)
- Seven dates protection: Eating seven Ajwa dates protects from poison and magic (Sahih Bukhari 7:71:663)
These teachings reflect folk medicine and superstition, not divine medical knowledge.
Biblical Contrast
While the Bible doesn't claim to be a medical textbook, it doesn't contain medically harmful prescriptions. Biblical health laws about sanitation, quarantine, and clean water were actually ahead of their time and promoted public health.
The Bible also teaches wisdom in seeking help:
"Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord." — James 5:14
While emphasizing prayer and faith, the Bible doesn't prescribe consuming waste products as medicine. The use of olive oil (a genuine health product with antimicrobial properties) contrasts sharply with Muhammad's prescription of urine.
Questions to Consider
- If Muhammad received revelation from an all-knowing God, why did he prescribe potentially harmful medicine?
- Why didn't Allah warn Muhammad about the health risks of camel urine?
- Does this teaching suggest Muhammad was limited by 7th-century Arabian medical knowledge?
- Should Muslims follow this teaching today despite WHO warnings?
- If we can ignore this clear teaching due to modern medical knowledge, what other teachings can be ignored?
Conclusion
Muhammad's prescription of camel urine as medicine appears in Islam's most authentic hadith collections and cannot be easily dismissed. However, it's medically unsound and potentially dangerous, as demonstrated by links to MERS coronavirus transmission.
This teaching, along with other questionable medical advice in the hadith, suggests that Muhammad was a man of his time, sharing the limited medical understanding of 7th-century Arabia, rather than a prophet receiving divine revelation from an all-knowing God.
Related articles: Fly Wing Cure, Black Seed Cures Everything