Laban (Milk)

Laban (Milk)

Allah said: “And verily, in the cattle, there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, from between excretions and blood, pure milk; palatable to the drinkers.” (16:66)

Also, Allah said, while describing Paradise: “In it are rivers of water the taste and smell of which are not changed, rivers of milk of which the taste never changes.” (47:15)

In the Sunan, it is also narrated: “Whoever Allah gives some type of food, let him supplicate, ‘O Allah! Bless it for us and grant us what is better.’ Whoever Allah grants some Laban, let him say, ‘O Allah! Bless it for us and grant us more of it,’ for I do not know of a more complete food or drink than milk.’”

Although milk is a simple type of food, it is very natural to the body as it contains three major substances: cheese, fat and water. Cheese is cold and wet and provides good nutrition. The fat contained in the milk regarding warmth and wetness, and it is very beneficial for healthy bodies. The water part contained in milk is hot and wet, and it softens the stomach and provides the body with beneficial moistures. Laban in general is mild regarding warmth and wetness, although there are other opinions in this regard.

Milk is best when it has just been milked, and its value decreases by the passage of time thereafter. When it is freshly milked, milk is less cold and, more humid. Sour milk is the opposite. Also, milk is better forty days after the animal has given birth. The best type of milk is the most white in color, as it has a good scent, delicious taste, mildly sweet, less fat and light consistency. It is also best when young healthy animals are milked, especially those that have less meat and which graze in healthy grazing lands. Milk is good and produces red blood, brings wetness to the body and is also a nutritious food. Also, milk helps relive depression, obsession and black bile ailments. When milk is drunk with honey, it will help cleanse the insides of septic materials. Drinking milk with sugar makes the color of the skin fairer. Milk is favorable for the chest, lungs and for those suffering from tuberculosis.

Furthermore milk is not favorable for the head, the stomach, the liver and the spleen. Also, drinking milk excessively is armful for the teeth and the gums, and this is why it is better to rinse the mouth after one drinks it. In the Sahihain, it is narrated that the Prophet, sallahu aleyhi wa sallam, once drank some milk and then asked for some water and rinsed his mouth, saying: “It has fat.”

Milk is not good for those suffering from fever and headaches and is not favorable for the weakness in the head and the brain. Excessive drinking of milk causes darkness in the sight, sight impairment, gout, kidney clogs and swelling in the stomach and the intestines. These side effects will be neutralized when mixing milk with honey, ginger, and so forth, for those who are not used to drinking it.

Sheep Milk

Sheep milk is the most watery, and it has more fat and bad odour than goat or cow milk. Sheep milk produces phlegm and causes white spots or stains on the skin if one drink it on a regular basis. This is why it is better that sheep milk is mixed with water so that its concentration becomes less. Sheep milk quenches the thirst quicker and cools the body faster than other milks.

Goat Milk

Goat milk is mild and light, works as a mild laxative, is wet for dry bodies, and helps cure mouth cankers, dry cough and epistaxis (nosebleeds) . Milk in general is the most beneficial drink for the body due to its nutritional value and closeness to the nature of the body and to the childhood of mankind.

In the Sahihain it is narrated: “The night of the Isra’ (the Prophet journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to heaven). The messenger of Allah, sallahu aleyhi wa sallam, was given two cups, one containing milk and the other wine. The Prophet, sallahu aleyhi wa sallam, looked at them and then took the cup of milk. Jibreel said: ‘If you had taken the wine, your followers would have gone astray.’”

Sour goat milk is not digested quickly and produces unfavorable moistures. The hot tempered stomach benefits from goat milk, though, and easily digests it.

Cow Milk

Cow milk provides nutrition for the body and is also a mild laxative. Cow milk is one of the best milks, between sheep milk and goat milk regarding thickness and fat. ‘Abduallah bin Masood narrated that the prophet, sallahu aleyhi wa sallam, once said: “Drink cow milk because it grazes on all types of trees.”

Taken from: "Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet," by Ibn ul-Qayyim