View of HADITH PROHIBITING EXHALING INTO A DRINK AND ITS HEALTH REPERCUSSIONS

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International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR) eISSN: 2710-6276 [Vol. 2 No. 4 December 2020]

Journal website: http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijssr

HADITH PROHIBITING EXHALING INTO A DRINK AND ITS HEALTH REPERCUSSIONS

Mohd Nor Adli Osman^1*

1 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim, MALAYSIA

*Corresponding author: adliosman7726@yahoo.com Article Information:

Article history:

Received date : 5 October 2020 Revised date : 8 October 2020 Accepted date : 17 November 2020 Published date : 24 December 2020

To cite this document:

Osman, M. (2020). HADITH

PROHIBITING EXHALING INTO A DRINK AND ITS HEALTH

REPERCUSSIONS. International Journal Of Social Science Research, 2(4), 91-96.

Abstract: The hadiths of Prophet (pbuh) that which reached the modern people, do not revolve around worship and rituals alone, but extend to other issues including matters pertaining to health. As such whichever that has been forbidden or recommended by the Prophet (pbuh), tacitly have other benefits when studied from various angles. Thus, this research was conducted to examine specifically the prohibition by the Prophet (pbuh) against breathing;

particularly exhaling and blowing into one’s drinking vessel.

In order to achieve the objective, this research applied qualitative research method by way of analysing relevant documents and thereafter analysing the data based on inductive and deductive methods. The study finds that the prohibition by the Prophet (pbuh) against the above two conducts/deeds closely relate to health factor. Therefore, this research is of substance as it describes to the society of the appropriate conducts recommended by the Prophet (pbuh) as well as enlightening the rationale behind each prohibition decreed by the Prophet (pbuh).

Keywords: Hadith, Prohibition, Exhaling, Blowing, Health.

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1. Introduction

It is common knowledge that hadith is second only to al-Quran as the source of law. Therefore, the obligation to understand the hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) is similar to that of al-Quran. When going through the Quranic texts, the researchers would often encounter certain prevention and prohibition;

similar is the case in understanding the hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh). As such, in comprehending the textual scriptures particularly in light of prohibitions, the latter do have a big impact on the lives of human beings. There are various prohibitions decreed by the Prophet (pbuh) through several hadiths, among which is the prohibition from breathing and blowing into drinking container.

From the point of hadith narration, the researchers often discover the same prohibitions being recorded in several hadith compilation books. They were narrated by the Prophet’s companions among others

Àbd Allah bin Àbbas, Abu Hurairah, Abu Qatadah al-Ansari, Abu Saìd al-Khudri and others. These companions’ narrations were separately recorded in several hadith books such as al-Sunan al-Kubra (al-Baihaqi; 1994), Sunan Ibn Majah (Ibn Majah; 2009), Sunan al-Darimi (al-Darimi; 1987), Sahih Ibn Khuzaimah (Ibn Khuzaimah; 1970), Sahih al-Bukhari (al-Bukhari; 2004), Sahih Muslim (Muslim;

2001), Musnad Ahmad (Ahmad; 1999), al-Mustadrak `Ala al-Sahihain (al-Hakim; 1990), al-Mu`jam al-Kabir (al-Tabarani; 1983) and so many more.

Given the various narrations, the researcher found a total of 50 hadiths that were recorded in different hadith compilation works with a variety of different narrators all speaking about the prohibition of breathing and blowing into drinking vessel. Among which that stands out is as follows taken from Sunan Abi Daud:

From Ibn ‘Abbas, who says: “the Mesenger (pbuh) forbids breathing into the drinking vessel and blowing into it”

Basically, the above hadith is one of the many narrations which speaks about the prohibition from breathing and blowing into beverages or water in a container. Although undeniably there are narrations that mention only one of the two i.e. the action of either breathing or blowing; that does not pose an issue because the crux of the hadith is that the prohibition comes from the Prophet (pbuh).

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2. Description of Hadith

In understanding the prohibition, the context needs to be observed regarding drinking from a vessel as described by the Prophet (pbuh). However, on the same note, the prohibition needs to be viewed in a wider perspective to enable a conclusive decision on a particular issue raised in a hadith can be achieved (Mustafa Ya’qub, 2016).

For the above purpose, it is a pre-requisite that prior to determining a ruling deduced from a hadith, the asbab al- wurud i.e. the reasons for the emergence of such hadith needs to be deliberated. Not all hadith uttered by the Prophet (pbuh) however have asbab al-wurud, as is the case with all quranic verses, i.e not all verses were preceded by asbab al-nuzul.

In this regard, if reviewed from the narration in Sunan Abi Dawud above, the word “breathe” was recorded by the word “yutanaffas”. The same is with the word “yunfakhu” which means to blow.

Despite the fact that the two words are literally different, nevertheless both actions originate from the mouth which could affect one’s health.

When Marwan bin al-Hakim asks Abu Said al-Khudri about the Prophet’s prohibition on blowing into one’s drinking vessel and Abu Said confirms the prohibition by narrating that there was a man who disobeyed the Prophet’s prohibition by breathing into his drink container and because of that prohibition, he only breathed once into his drinking container. Thus the Prophet (pbuh) commands him to drink and at the same time breathe into the container. The man informs that there is dirt in his water whereas there was none before he drank it. The dirt matters in his drinking water are insects, leaves and feces. (Ahmad, 2016) The Prophet then instructs the man to isolate the dirt in it by not blowing it.

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Al-Shan’ani views that if there is dirt in drinking water, what needed to be done is to remove the dirt by hand and to not blow the dirt out of the drinking vessel. In the event of the dirt is in liquid form, then the whole water should be discarded (al-Shan’ani, 1979). From this incident, it can be inferred that the Prophet (pbuh) taught the man decorum and sanitary practices when consuming water from a drinking vessel. In similar context in another narration, the Prophet (pbuh) teaches us the guidelines to drink water using the right method i.e. by breathing three times prior. This method was practised by the Prophet (pbuh) because according to him, by doing so, it is more relieving, clean and in addition, will be more beneficial. Muslim, 2001).

From the recommendation by the Prophet (pbuh), Ibn Qayim describes that through the said method, it indirectly prevents one from bodily harm. (Ibn al-Qayyim, 2002).

3. The Ruling on The Prohibition to Breathe into Drinking Container

Based on several hadiths, it was evident that the Prophet (pbuh) recommends to his followers to breathe three times outside of the drinking vessel before drinking the content. However, a question arises in the event one only breathes once contrary to the three times as per recommendation. Al-Shawkani notes in this regard that the scholars are of differing views; some of whom are the likes of Ibn al-Musayyib and ‘Ata bin Abi Rabah permit it. However, their views are not shared by several other scholars such as ‘Abbas, Tawus and ‘Ikrimah whom discouraged against it; to the extent, Ibn ‘Abbas opines that the method is like drinking the devil. (‘Ali al-Syuhud, 2007)

Examining each hadith pertaining to the two prohibitions in this discussion, apparently the Prophet (pbuh) had literally expressed in words a prohibition injunction concerning breathing into drinking vessel as well as blowing into the water contained therein (‘Ali al-Shuhud, 2007). Therefore, Imam al- Nawawi is of the view that this prohibition is due to when one breathes and blows into water, indirectly it taints the contained water into unpleasant smell.

From the viewpoint of appropriateness, these two prohibitions are meant to preserve one’s decorum, thus the Prophet teaches good hygiene practice in dealing with drinking water. As such, according to Abu al-Walid al-Baji, when one blows into water in a drinking vessel, indirectly it would make his saliva contaminate the water hence compromising its purity. (‘Ali al-Shuhud, 2007) The same observation applies to breathing into water in a drinking vessel. (al-Nawawi, 2001).

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4. Impact on Health

From the discussions above, it is obvious that the practice of blowing and breathing into drinking water in a drinking vessel is detrimental to individual’s health. As such, the majority of scholars prohibit such conducts. Although the scholars previously mentioned insist on the effect of one breathing and blowing that which would cause the entire water in it to be impure, the health issue undeniably influences the prohibition as well.

Thus, in line with health issues, the present scholar, Dr, Yusuf al-Qardhawi (1998) explains that there are two atoms that make up water, namely two hydrogen atoms to one oxygen atom all three bound together. Hence water molecule is chemically known by the term H20 representing two hydrogen atoms and a single oxygen atom. As such when one breathes or blows into water, which by-product is carbon dioxide with chemical composition of two carbon atoms referred to as CO2, it indirectly causes carbon to mess with water.

In addition, the water would turn into acid by the excessive amount of carbon trapped in the drinking vessel. From the combination of all chemical elements the effect could be seen in the instability of blood due to excessive carbon content in the water. From there, the respiratory, the heart and even the lungs systems would be disturbed. (Norhisham, 2019). This is particularly so given the fact that the oral cavity is the main growth and breeding site for microorganism of over 20 million depending on one’s oral hygiene.

From the 20 million thriving in the mouth, they are of different types of bacteria; among them are phorphyromonas, pevotella, treponema, Fusobacterium, Neisseria and many more (Rudystina; 2019).

These are dangerous types of bacteria and can harm human if not controlled with good oral hygiene practices. Therefore, when a person blows and breathes into beverage or water, indirectly he is transferring the bacteria from the mouth to the water in the vessel.

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5. Conclusion

Based on the elaborate discussions above, it is distinctive that the prohibition by the Prophet (pbuh) regarding breathing and blowing into drinks vessel has its own significance in one’s health. The prohibition is not only recognized by religious scholars as having negative side-effects, but it also has an impact on the internal systems of individuals such as the heart, the blood and the lungs.

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