Poisoning

Abdul Razzaq narrated, “A Jewish woman brought to the Prophet صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ a roasted sheep that she had poisoned, while he was in Khaybar. The Prophet صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ asked, “What is this,’ She said, A gift,’ being careful not to say that it was from the charity so that he would not eat it.

The Prophet صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ and his Companions ate from the sheep, then the Prophet صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ* said, ‘Stop eating.’ He said to the woman, ‘Did you poison this sheep? ’ She said, ‘Who told you that? ’ He said, ‘This bone,’ meaning the ewe’s leg that he had in his hand. She said, ‘Yes.’ He said, “Why?’ She said, ‘I thought that if you were a liar, the people would be relieved from you. However, if you were a true Prophet ate, it would not harm you.’ The Prophet صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ then used cupping thrice on the upper part of his back and commanded that his Companions do the same. Yet, several of them died.”

In another narration narrated by Musa bin ‘Uqbah,

“The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ used cupping on his back because of what he ate of the poisoned sheep. Abu Hind, a servant for Bani Bayadhah, used a knife to cup him. Three years later, when the Prophet was suffering from the illness that he died from, he said:

Poisons are treated by extracting the poison and by using the proper antidotes to neutralize their effect.

Whoever does not have access to the medicine, or the antidote should use complete disgorging, the best method of which is cupping especially in warm areas and during hot weather. The poison passes through the veins and the blood vessels to the heart and then to the rest of the body, bringing certain death. Since the blood is the means that transports the poison to the heart and -the organs, when the infected blood is extracted by cupping, the body will get rid of the poison. When one resorts to complete disgorging, the poison does not cause any further harm, the body gets enough strength to fight it and then weakens or even completely dissipates the poison.

When the Prophet صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ used cupping, he did it in the upper part of the back, which is the most direct route to the heart, and so the poison was extracted with the blood, in this case only partially. A part of the poison remained in the Prophet’s صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ system, in order to fulfill what Allah had decided for His Prophet so he would acquire every type of good and righteous reward there is. Allah knows best.