Reviving Humoral Medicine
with Dr. Hani El Batal
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🌐 English version available — Click “English” | الموقع متوفر باللغة الإنجليزية
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The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said what it means
“Indeed, this black seed is a cure for every illness except death.”
Here, السَّام (al-sām) means death.
Did you know that the Prophet ﷺ prescribed remedies according to the condition he observed in the patient?
An Explanation of Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani's Commentary on the Hadith of the Black Seed, Demonstrating an Important Medical Principle
Imam Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani states in his book Fath al-Bari, his commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, while explaining the Prophet's ﷺ hadith in meaning:
"Indeed, this black seed is a cure for every disease except death."
He writes:
"It has been said that the meaning of the phrase 'every disease' is: every disease that is suitable to be treated with it. For it is beneficial for illnesses of a cold nature, but not for those of a hot nature. However, it may also be used indirectly in some hot, dry illnesses, where it serves to deliver the effects of cool, wet medicines to the affected area more rapidly."
He then quotes what physicians of the time said regarding black seed:
"The natural temperament of black seed is hot and dry. It relieves bloating, benefits quartan fever and phlegmatic conditions, opens obstructions and disperses trapped wind, and dries excessive wetness in the stomach.
When it is ground, mixed with honey, and taken with warm water, it helps dissolve stones and promotes urination and menstruation.
It also possesses cleansing and dispersing properties.
When it is ground, wrapped in a piece of linen or leather, and its aroma is inhaled, it benefits the common cold caused by coldness.
If seven seeds are soaked in a woman's breast milk and used as a nasal remedy for a person with jaundice, it is said to be beneficial.
Taking the weight of one mithqal of it with water is said to help relieve shortness of breath.
Applied as a poultice, it benefits headaches caused by coldness.
When it is boiled with vinegar and used as a mouth rinse, it is said to relieve toothache resulting from coldness."
Al-Khattabi said:
"The phrase 'a cure for every disease' is a general expression intended to convey a specific meaning. This is because no single plant, by its very nature, possesses all the properties required to treat every type of illness, since diseases are treated according to their opposing temperaments. Rather, the intended meaning is that it is a cure for every disease arising from excessive moisture."
This explanation clarifies that the Prophet's ﷺ statement is not understood as meaning that black seed is a universal cure for every illness without exception. Instead, as Al-Khattabi explains, it is understood in light of the nature of the remedy and the condition being treated, particularly within the framework of traditional humoral medicine.
Al-Khattabi explained that the hadith about black seed is a general statement intended to convey a specific meaning.
The Benefit of Black Seed Is Limited by Its Natural Temperament
Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani explains that the benefit of black seed is primarily for cold and wet conditions, because its natural temperament is hot and dry. He cites Al-Khattabi's explanation that the Prophet's ﷺ statement:
"A cure for every disease"
is a general expression intended with a specific meaning, rather than an absolute statement applying to every illness without distinction.
He further explains that a plant may contain parts that are hot, cold, wet, or dry. If these qualities are balanced, the plant is considered temperate in its nature. However, if one quality predominates, the plant's overall temperament is determined by that dominant quality. It is impossible for a single plant to be simultaneously hot and cold, wet and dry in the same respect, because these are opposing qualities that cannot coexist at the same time.
No Single Plant Combines Opposing Qualities Simultaneously
Therefore, no single plant possesses all opposing temperaments at once so as to treat every type of illness—whether hot, cold, wet, or dry.
This is the meaning of Al-Khattabi's statement:
"There is nothing in the nature of any single plant that possesses all the qualities needed to oppose every bodily temperament in the treatment of diseases."
Accordingly, he limits the benefit of black seed to illnesses associated with excessive moisture, in keeping with its hot and dry nature.
A Fundamental Principle in the Use of Medicines
From the statements of these scholars and physicians, we learn an important principle: every medicine has its own specific properties and natural qualities.
Therefore, when using any remedy, its particular qualities and mode of action must be taken into consideration. This principle applies whether the medicine is herbal, mineral, derived from stones, of animal origin, or chemically manufactured.
When this principle is properly observed, the treatment is more likely to bring about healing, by the permission of Allah.
Note: This passage presents the historical framework of traditional humoral medicine as discussed by Ibn Hajar and earlier physicians. It reflects their medical understanding and interpretive approach to the hadith, rather than modern evidence-based medical guidance.