The Prophet advised drinking camel urine: Is it True & Why

After knowing that the Hadith about drinking camel urine is a Sahih Hadith. Some people mock Sunna of the prophet and question why the prophet advised drinking something disgusting like camel’s. That’s what I’m going to fully discuss in this Article.

The questions that may come to your mind when you read this Hadith are:

• Did the prophet advise people to drink camel urine?
• Is camel urine harmful and that contradicts science
• Is it allowed to drink camel urine in Islam?
• Why the prophet would advise drinking something harmful to the human body?

By analyzing these questions you will find the appropriate understanding of this Hadith and I can tell you it’s not what you think.

Is camel urine Hadith a Sahih “authentic” Hadith

Yes, this Hadith is in Bukhari and it was concerning some people who came to Medina. It was narrated by Anas:

The climate of Medina did not suit some people, so the Prophet (ﷺ) 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. Then they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. When the news reached the Prophet (ﷺ) he sent some people in their pursuit. When they were brought, he cut their hands and feet and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron. Sahih al-Bukhari 5686

The Hadith was also narrated in Sunan an-Nasa’i 4030 with different narration:

‘Why don’t you go out to our camels and drink their milk?'” – (one of the narrators) Qatadah said: ‘And their urine.’

Another narration also has the phrase if you like so. In Sahih Muslim 1671 a: If you so like, you may go to the camels of Sadaqa and drink their milk and urine. 

After reading these narrations of the Hadith we can find that it’s a Sahih Hadith but there are different narrations in one of them ‘urine’ was not mentioned and in another, he says “if you like so” which proves that drinking urine was only something optional they can choose not to do it.

Camel urine Hadith in urdu

ہم سے موسیٰ بن اسماعیل نے بیان کیا، کہا ہم سے ہمام نے بیان کیا، ان سے قتادہ نے اور ان سے انس رضی اللہ عنہ نے کہ   ( عرینہ کے ) کچھ لوگوں کو مدینہ منورہ کی آب و ہوا موافق نہیں آئی تھی تو نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے ان سے فرمایا کہ وہ آپ ( نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) کے چرواہے کے ہاں چلے جائیں یعنی اونٹوں میں اور ان کا دودھ اور پیشاب پئیں۔ چنانچہ وہ لوگ نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے چرواہے کے پاس چلے گئے اور اونٹوں کا دودھ اور پیشاب پیا جب وہ تندرست ہو گئے تو انہوں نے چرواہے کو قتل کر دیا اور اونٹوں کو ہانک کر لے گئے۔ آپ کو جب اس کا علم ہوا تو آپ نے انہیں تلاش کرنے کے لیے لوگوں کو بھیجا جب انہیں لایا گیا تو نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے حکم سے ان کے بھی ہاتھ اور پاؤں کاٹ دیئے گئے اور ان کی آنکھوں میں سلائی پھیر دی گئی ( جیسا کہ انہوں نے چرواہے کے ساتھ کیا تھا ) ۔ قتادہ نے بیان کیا کہ مجھ سے محمد بن سیرین نے بیان کیا کہ یہ حدود کے نازل ہونے سے پہلے کا واقعہ ہے۔

Was the prophet’s advice for the whole Muslims or limited to this group only?

It’s clear from the Hadith that this advice was to those people only and not for every Muslim. However, this Hadith is concerned with the issue of the permissibility of eating or drinking impure materials which will be discussed in the following lines.

Is Medication with camel’s urine allowed in Islam

Medication with the urine of camels is one of the things about which the Fiqh scholars had different opinions, due to their disagreement about the urine of what is eaten, and whether its meat is pure or impure (Najis)? Whoever said its purity, and they are the Maliki, Hanbali, and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan of the Hanafi school had no problem in saying that it is permissible to take medication with camel urine, and their basis for this is the hadith mentioned previously about drinking camel urine.

As for those who see the impurity of camel urine like all other urine and droppings, such as the Shafi’is and Hanafis in general, they answer this hadith that this is a necessity, and when necessary, it is permissible to treat with impurity if there is no other.

Therefore, none of the scholars stated that it’s permissible to drink camel’s urine. The exception was only for the course of medication. And, some scholars limited this to the case of necessity which means if there was another allowed medicine to use one can’t use camel urine instead.

Why did the prophet advise to drink camel urine

That incident in which the prophet advised a group of ill people to drink camel’s urine happened 1400 years ago when medicine hasn’t developed to the degree that it’s now. It is clear that the extraction of the active substance from any material was not known at that time. From studying the hadith, we find that they were suffering from ascites, and since the camel’s urine contains a substance that helps treat this disease, the Prophet advised them to drink camel urine to treat it and gave them the option to act on his advice.

Did camel’s urine cure their disease?

As the Hadith stated, they became healthy after the prophet advised them to drink camel’s milk and urine. Perhaps the ailment for which the prophet Muhammad prescribe drinking camel’s urine is ascites. The reason they became healthy by drinking camel’s milk and urine is that when we compare camel urine with the urine of cows, goats, and humans, we will find that the magnesium in camel urine is higher than in human urine and that the concentration of other components varies greatly between all types. The content of urea and albuminous proteins was very high when compared to humans; Urinary acid is less, and this is what plays a key role in improving the electrolyte balance for patients with ascites, and perhaps this explains the exchange that takes place in camel urine between fluids of different density from each other until homogeneity occurs in the composition and may also explain the diuretic effect of those who drink camel urine, as well as the increase frequent bowel movements that make them feel better and more energetic.

Camel urine medical benefits

Many studies from researchers around the world proved that camel urine has medical benefits. Those are some of these studies.

There is a study that was presented at an international conference in Ireland in 2011.On the following link: https://bmcproc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1753-6561-6-S4-P42

Conclusion

The study shows that camel urine may contain bioactive agents capable of preventing CCL4-induced hepatic and pancreatic islet lesions.

Also, some studies have shown that camel urine may have an effect on eliminating cancer cells

As in the following study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22922085/

Conclusion

CU has specific and efficient anti-cancer and potent immune-modulator properties in vitro.

Is camel’s urine unhealthy?

Some websites alleged that the international world health organization warned against drinking camel’s urine because it is unhealthy. This is not the whole fact but just a part of it. It’s true that WHO warned against drinking camel’s urine but this was just because of a virus (MERS) that can transmit through camels and infect humans. And this virus emergen in 2012. So, this virus wasn’t at the time of the prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him. WHO said this about the virus: “Individuals at greater risk of developing severe disease should avoid contact with dromedary camels, drinking raw camel milk or camel urine, or eating meat that has not been properly cooked.” https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/middle-east-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-(mers-cov)

Is it allowed in Islam to drink camel’s urine?

It’s not recommended to drink camel urine because it was recommended in the time of the prophet as it was the only available treatment. But now it is not. Nowadays dextrose solutions and electrolytes, especially magnesium are available in all hospitals.

Rejecting Sunna of the prophet

Some Muslims deny the Hadith about camel urine and some claim that it’s a reason to reject Sunna of the prophet which I have answered why you shouldn’t reject Sunna of the prophet. Following Quran only and rejecting Sunna

Conclusion

If you are sick and the only available medicine you know is drinking the urine of an animal along with milk then this is a fair reason why you would drink urine. That’s simply what we can find out after analyzing camel’s urine Hadith. Also, it’s not recommended in Islam to drink camel’s urine if there was another available medicine. Furthermore, if you think it’s unhealthy. I can tell you that it can just transmit MERS virus and this virus can transmit through urine, milk, and meat of the camel too.

If you still think the prophet has mistaken in prescribing this medicine. That means we shouldn’t take any medicine extracted from animal urine or excrement which is found in many medicines we use!!

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