#21. CURING MEASLES USING ALCOHOL
” What about people using ferment alcohol to rub children body to cure measles”
ANSWER
Alhamdulillaah!
This questions returns to the Scholarly debate as to whether alcohol is a form of Najis (impurity) in the Din or not.
The majority of the Fuqahaa, among them the four Imams posit that anything khamr is najis (impurity) and they used as evidence the verse in which Allaah said:
ﺇِﻧَّﻤَﺎ ﺍﻟْﺨَﻤْﺮُ ﻭَﺍﻟْﻤَﻴْﺴِﺮُ ﻭَﺍﻟْﺄَﻧْﺼَﺎﺏُ ﻭَﺍﻟْﺄَﺯْﻻﻡُ ﺭِﺟْﺲٌ ﻣِﻦْ ﻋَﻤَﻞِ ﺍﻟﺸَّﻴْﻄَﺎﻥِ ﻓَﺎﺟْﺘَﻨِﺒُﻮﻩُ ﻟَﻌَﻠَّﻜُﻢْ ﺗُﻔْﻠِﺤُﻮﻥَ ( ﺍﻟﻤﺎﺋﺪﺓ : ﻣﻦ ﺍﻵﻳﺔ 90 ) ،
“Indeed Khamr, game of chance and gambling are a Rijis from the deeds of Shaytaan, so disdain from them that you may prosper.”
Al-Maa’idah: 90
Whereas some of the Muhaddithin, the Dhaahiris and the Muhaqqiqun held that it cannot be so referred and that the verse quoted does not in anyway hold a solid ground to infer that intoxicants are physical impurities. Of them are Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Al-Qayyim, Ash-Shawkaani and Ibn Hazm.
In this era, Shaykh Bin Bazz, Al-Uthaymin and Al-Albaani also hold this position.
That said, if you have an alternative means to cure your children’s measles aside that, then use it. If otherwise, there is no harm – inshaaAllaah – in using that.
Allaah knows best
Baarakallaahu feekum
Jazaakumullaahu khayran.
