Misconceptions about the Health Procuring Properties of Alcohol

Abstract

The health procuring properiies of alcohol have been claimed since antiquity. The pre-Islamic Arabs of Jahiliyyah were among the staunch believers of the medical powers of liquor. When Islam proscribed alcohol, many of the Arabs newly converted to Islam tried to convince the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ that they used liquor only for its medicinal powers and health procuring properties. The Prophet told them that it is no medicine, it is a cause of disease and ailment. Nevertheless, the misconceptions  continued long after Islam was established. Many renowned physicians, such as Abū Bakr al-Rāzī and Ibn Sīnā, believed in the benefits of moderate drinking and considered it an asset for health. Laymen still believe in these properties. These misconceptions are discussed and shown to be lingering myths from bygone days.