Prophetic Medicine: Paving the way to Holistic Health

Have you ever wondered if there was more out there than paracetamols, prescription drugs and pills?

Our health system has been repackaged and reproduced into something commodifiable. We’re being promised the too good-to-be-true ‘one pill fits all’ for our every ailment and illness. 

In the last few years, trends have carried society into a booming ‘health’ epidemic; people are scrambling to get their vitamin tablets, vegan meat substitutes, and we mustn’t forget the increase in demand for avocados, which went up by 33% in the USA in just one year. 

Whilst these food alternatives may seem to be a profitable solution to the health epidemic we’re facing, these answers are not holistic or individually orientated. 

We spoke to Aiman Attar, founder of NuraSunna Rediscover Wellness. After she suffered an allergic reaction to peppers, something she’d eaten her whole life, she turned to natural healing methods to see if they could help her, which led her to discover the true power of Prophetic medicine. 

The interview is as followed. 

What led you to create NuraSunna?

About eight years ago, I became anaphylactic to peppers, paprika, jalapeno, chillies; anything from the pepper family. One night in Ramadan, I had a full anaphylactic reaction and my throat closed up. 

I ended up in ER. It didn’t make any sense. I have eaten peppers and spicy foods all my life, so why all of a sudden, was I no longer to eat it anymore? 

For months after, every time I interacted with pepper it would make me really sick. The doctors gave me the standard protocol, take an epi-pen with you all the time, take Benadryl with every reaction and go to the ER when it happens. 

But when it’s happening three to four times a week, you can’t possibly take the epi-pen that often, or live in the ER. 

I had a book called ‘Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet’ that I began to read but I found it hard to understand because there were so many terminologies and concepts that were foreign. 

It wasn’t just about the herbs or the foods, there was just a whole system of body types that they were referring to. The medicine wasn’t from our time, so it wasn’t making sense. 

It was a little bit frustrating because there was no real advice, it was just a list of foods. Some of it was from prophetic Hadith, some were more medicine of their time. 

There was one Hadith in there that mentioned that black seed is a cure for everything, so I really held on to that. 

Abu Hurairah narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 

“In black seed there is healing for every disease, except the Sam.” “Sam means death. And black seed is Shuwniz.” 

I started to take black seeds for every allergic reaction and found that it reduced the symptoms of the allergy. I started to take black seed several times a day. 

 After about nine months of taking black seed, three to four times a day, my gallstone disappeared. I discovered the gallstone had gone when I was scheduled for surgery.

I also found out that my breast tumours were gone.

My chronic cough also disappeared.

So many things started resolving themselves in my body. The only thing I had changed was taking black seed every day. 

I began wondering what else is there that we could use that we’re not really paying attention to. 

I got interested in herbal medicine and began taking herbalism courses. I’m enrolled right now still in a three-year herbalism diploma. 

I started to learn that there were modern herbalism, traditional herbalism and Eastern herbalism versus Western herbalism. I began piecing things together – there’s not one book you can read that gives you everything. I started to have to do that for myself. 

It’s been eight years of research and I’ve finally come to a point where I have a good understanding of how the human body works. I’ve dedicated my life to wanting to teach people what is prophetic medicine, what is Islamic medicine and how are they different.  

To give guidance on when to use modern medicine, antibiotics and surgeries, and when to use natural methods. You can’t throw out modern medicine, that would be just as big of a flaw as what they did with traditional medicine. 

When you started learning more about herbalism and looking more towards Islamic medicines, did it open your eyes to how sinister the food industry and pharmaceutical industries can be?

I don’t trust anything sold in stores; I don’t use any makeup or use lotions. All my own deodorants and toothpaste is handmade.

I was driving and I used lotion because my hands were dry and cracked; I rubbed it on my hands and then I wiped my face and it got onto my lips. As I licked my lips, my throat started to react as I was driving. 

Because I developed breast tumours I stopped using deodorant. 

• Read about why she did this here 

I learned the hard way to be very careful as to what goes on my body. I lost trust in the medical system and the pharmaceutical system. 

So many people are big advocates for dairy-free milk alternatives. 

There is a hadith that states cow milk is written in a hadith as being medicine. cow milk is medicine, and its meat is a disease. 

Imam Suyuti in his al-Jāmi’ as-Saghīr narrates that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The milk of the bovine (cow) contains healing, its fat is a medicine, and its meat a cause for sickness.” Tabarani also narrates this Hadīth as authentic, and so did Bayhaqi in his Sunan and Hakim in his Mustadrak . 

I began researching and realised it was not the milk that was the problem. It’s what they’ve done to the cows. It’s not wheat, it’s what they’ve done to our wheat. It’s not the meat we eat that’s a problem, it’s what they’ve done to the animals. 

It did force me to open my eyes. 

However, I try to help coach others so that they don’t go as extreme as I did because I lost trust in everything. 

I am now at a healthy medium where I will take antibiotics, because I know they’re life-saving and they can prevent something from getting worse. But as soon as I’m done with the antibiotics, I know I have to rebuild my gut health to restore balance to my body. 

We can’t say everything man-made is bad. I take antihistamines. I’ve had C-sections which have been life-saving. But there has to be a healthy balance between taking from modern medicine and natural remedies. 

Allah SWT established the balance. There’s a balance for everything. You have to constantly strive to be in the centre of balance.  

I had a patient who had cancer and only wanted to be treated with prophetic medicine. You can’t just take black seed and say you’re going to cure cancer.  

When people get stuck in one method, it’s very dangerous. 

What are some good starting points for people who are interested in becoming acquainted with herbalism, prophetic medicine and Islamic medicine?

The most important thing I think people need to know is how their bodies work. 

If you know what your body type is, then you understand how your body responds to food. Food gives instructions. But the instructions for food in my body might be different from yours. 

I’ll give you an example. Most runway models and many Hollywood actresses are melancholic body types because they want them to be bone skinny. 

A melancholic body type is cold and dry. Our body type is determined genetically; just like we have brown hair or blue eyes, this isn’t something we can change. When one’s metabolism is cold and dry, they are going to be more prone to constipation, dry skin and anxiety. 

When you understand that, your body type will create the playing field for you, and you have a much better time understanding what foods work well for you. 

When you understand the body, you can understand the temperaments of foods, herbs and how they affect you. you’ll start to build a relationship with every food you eat and know what fits your body and what doesn’t. 

You won’t be relying on someone else to tell you what you should eat. Ginger is not good for everyone. Honey is not great for everyone in the same dosage. 

For someone who’s choleric, it will be very aggravating because they’re already hot and dry and honey increases heat. They’re going to feel a surge of heat, and they might get itchier. 

Whereas someone who’s phlegmatic, who’s more cold and wet, will benefit tremendously from honey. 

I’m the first to develop a body-type quiz according to modern science and Islamic medicine. 

• Take the quiz here 

In the Western understanding of health, these are comprised of metabolic body types. Ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. 

However, in many traditional medicines, there are four body types. 

They say that these body types determine your bone structure, how your body builds muscle, how your body processes fat, and whether your metabolism is fast or slow. 

We know that modern science actually agrees with this. But it’s not something that pharmaceutical companies put attention to because they want to promote one size fits all. 

Did you find that using these natural methods affected your mental health?

Oh, absolutely. 

When you go down the path of prophetic medicine and Islamic medicine, your perspective on disease completely shifts. 

You start to realise that getting sick is the Sunnah of life.

You are designed to get sick. Even the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had migraines. 

I think a lot of the modern stuff that we’re faced with is this illusion that if you’re dairy-free and gluten-free and inflammation free, then you’re going to be healthy, you’re never going to get sick. 

That’s the biggest lie. Allah SWT tests us with disease, even if we’re doing everything right. 

Modern medicine is an atheistic approach to medicine. There is no God in modern medicine, whereas prophetic medicine has God in the centre. 

It isn’t just about using herbs and foods because we’re not flat and shallow. 

What are the things that you’re supposed to say when you get sick? What duaas can we read when we’re unwell? 

We have so much depth and our sickness is actually a means of spiritual growth. It isn’t a punishment.

Sometimes the healthiest of people will get sick. And it’s because Allah SWT chooses to test their faith. 

I had one student in my class, who was actually in his 70s. may Allah preserve him, what he learned in my class was he was overdoing the natural stuff. 

He was on so many herbs and supplements that all his friends had told him to take. He was also on medical prescriptions for health issues that he had, which had started to damage his kidneys. 

I told him, ‘you can’t take the pills and think they’re going to fix things; sometimes supplements can harm you. 

If you study the nutraceuticals, the natural herbs and supplements that people sell as pills, it’s a bigger industry. 

It’s just as big of an industry as the pharmaceutical industry. It’s ridiculous. People are rushing for a pill, whether it’s prescription or natural. They’re always rushing for a pill to solve their problems. 

The answer isn’t a pill, but it is how we look, reflect and learn from our imbalances, and how we bring our bodies back to balance. 

Is ignorance bliss?

We’ve been disempowered. We’ve been taught to believe that we can’t take care of our cold from home and that everything needs something from science. 

If you look at countries like Turkey, they have Islamic medicine in their culture and they still preserve herbs. I was at a doctor’s office for my son and we were sitting in the waiting room. 

They brought out cups of herbal tea for those waiting because they knew herbal tea would reduce fever and help with cold and flu. 

What are some radical changes you made since being on this journey?

I think the scariest one that I did was I started to drink raw milk. 

When I finally did buy it and bring it home, I was scared to use it because I was so brainwashed that I was going to get sick. 

It was a lot to undo all of that. Because these are prophetic remedies, I push myself to surrender to know this works. 

I know it’s the truth. Otherwise, it’s I find it very hard to trust myself and trust the Hadith to do it. 

The mental block is the biggest thing because you’re so inclined to believe the majority around you. 

We live in a society with systems in place. Do I really go against everything that I’ve ever known and trust myself with the research that I’ve done? 

Insha’Allah, with what I’m building now, there are a lot of people who are hijama specialists, doctors, and nurses that are taking my course. 

Slowly, we’re going to start creating that community where more people will be educated in natural remedies. 

If you’re interested in learning more about natural remedies and are looking to browse Aiman’s courses and programmes, click here.