Licking honey at the beginning of every Islamic month
Question:-
Regarding having honey on the first three days of the Islamic month, is it a sunnah? If a person forgets on the first three days, is it a Sunnah to have honey for any three days consecutively thereafter, in the month?
Answer:-
Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam is reported to have said, “Whoever licks honey three mornings every month, will not suffer a major calamity.” [Ibn Majah – Hadith no. 3450]
It is recorded in the commentary of Jaa’mi-us-Sagheer that Allama Teebi Rahimahullah states that, honey should be licked every month in the morning. It does not matter whether the act is carried out consecutively or not. However, it apparently seems that it should be done when the month enters.
It is recorded in Mirqaat that it refers to the initial three days of every month.
However, the narration merely states that that act of licking honey, should be carried out on three mornings. Although the commentators have stated that it should be carried out on the first three days of the month, it can be carried out on any other three mornings, if one happens to miss out the first three mornings of the month. Also, it cannot be proven from any narration that this was the practice of Rasulullah Salallah Alaihi Wasallam and therefore cannot be considered a Sunnah. In fact, the narration has been classified as a weak narration.
وعنه، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: من لعق العسل ثلاث غدوات في كل شهر لم يصبه عظيم من البلاء (شرح المشكاة – كتاب الطب والرقي)
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ – قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ لَعِقَ : بِكَسْرِ الْعَيْنِ أَيْ لَحَسَ (الْعَسَلَ ثَلَاثَ غَدَوَاتٍ) : بِفَتَحَاتٍ أَيْ أَوَائِلُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ : وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِابْنِ مَاجَهْ: كُلُّ شَهْرٍ بِالنَّصْبِ عَلَى الظَّرْفِيَّةِ لَمْ يُصِبْهُ عَظِيمٌ مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ (المرقاة – كتاب الطب والرقي)
من لعق العسل ثلاث غدوات كل شهر قال الطيبي: صفة لغدوات أي كائنة في كل شهر سواء توالت أو لا وظاهره أن يكون أول ما يدخل بطنه لذكر الغدوات (التنوير شرح الجامع الصغير ص392 ج10)
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Maulana Ebrahim Ahmed
Date: 04 Shawwal 1444 / 25 April 2023
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai