Source: Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani – Ahkām wa Masā’il: In the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to use homeopathic medicines in Islam?
❖ Answer:
It is clearly evident that alcohol is used in homeopathic medicines, and alcohol is wine (khamr). Therefore, its use is not permissible.
◈ Evidence from the Sunnah:
❖ Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about wine—whether it could be turned into vinegar.
He replied: “No.”
❖ Wāʾil al-Ḥaḍramī رضي الله عنه narrated:
Ṭāriq ibn Suwayd رضي الله عنه asked the Prophet ﷺ about wine, and he forbade it.
He said: “I only prepare it for medicinal purposes.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Indeed, it is not a medicine; rather, it is a disease.”
❖ Sayyidunā Jābir رضي الله عنه narrated:
A man came from Madinah and asked the Prophet ﷺ about a drink they used to make from corn, called mizr.
The Prophet ﷺ asked: “Is it intoxicating?”
He replied: “Yes.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Every intoxicant is ḥarām. Indeed, Allah has taken a covenant that whoever drinks intoxicants, He will give him to drink from Ṭīnat al-Khabāl.”
The Companions asked: “O Messenger of Allah! What is Ṭīnat al-Khabāl?”
He ﷺ replied:
“It is the sweat and discharge of the people of Hell.”
◈ Principle Derived from These Aḥādīth:
There are numerous authentic aḥādīth conveying this meaning, all of which establish that:
✔ Alcohol (khamr) is ḥarām
✔ Using alcohol as medicine is prohibited
✔ Alcohol is not a cure, but a disease
✅ Final Ruling:
- Any medicine that contains alcohol—
whether homeopathic, allopathic, or any other form—
is ḥarām to use. - Some people argue that alcohol is no longer present at the time of consumption.
The response to this is:➤ The buying and selling of alcohol itself is forbidden.
➤ At the time of purchase, alcohol is present in the medicine.
➤ Therefore, both purchasing and consuming such medicine are unlawful.
