Hadith on a Fly Falling into a Drink
Narrated by Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه), the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:"If a fly falls into the drink of any one of you, he should dip it completely and then remove it, for one of its wings carries disease and the other carries the cure."
[Sahih Bukhari]
Verification and Referencing: Bukhari: 5782, 3320 (In some narrations, the word لينزعه is replaced with لبطرحه).
Key Points Derived from the Hadith
✔ A drink in which a fly falls does not become impure, whether the fly dies in it or remains alive.✔ Impurity is generally caused by blood. Creatures that do not have flowing blood—such as honeybees, spiders, wasps, or ants—do not render food or drink impure if they fall into it.
✔ Scientific wisdom behind the hadith: One wing of the fly carries disease, and when it falls into a drink, it lands with this wing first. However, the other wing carries the antidote, so when the fly is fully submerged, the cure neutralizes the disease.
✔ The drink remains pure and consumable after removing the fly. However, if someone feels discomfort and chooses not to drink it, it does not contradict the hadith, as this is a matter of personal preference.
[This content is taken from the book Diya' Al-Islam Fi Sharh Al-Imam Bi Ahadith Al-Ahkam by Sheikh Taqi Al-Din Abu Al-Fath, translated by Maulana Mahmood Ahmad Ghaznfar.]