How should we understand the ahadith related to plagues and medicines? We are often deluged with cures for a host of ailments and some argue conventional pharmaceuticals have little value in the face of these solutions from sunnah.
This week on the Thinking Muslim Podcast I have invited an imam and author Iyad Hilal from California, America to explain what is the prophetic sunnah and how should we evaluate what it has to say about plagues and medicines.
Iyad Hilal has authored one of the best books I have read explaining Usul al-fiqh, in a digestible way to the non-specialist reader and runs the Al-Arqam institute. His lectures, Jumma khutbahs and discussions can be found  on Youtube and I would say it’s a treasure trove of wisdom and depth.
I ask him about the sunnah and its scope, the ahadeeth related to plagues and quarantines, the prophetic medicines and other such narrations and how scholars of the past view these aspects of the sunnah. We also discuss the value of conventional medicine and the current public health advice that runs contrary to our religious instincts and ceremonies, most notably the cessation of Salaatul Jummah and regular prayers in the masjids.
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