Question:
Assalamualaikum
Q1-A person who has very severe asthma, at many times it is very difficult of him to breath, he has tried many different medication but its having no effect, someone suggested and experienced that worms should be crushed left over night and the powder of the worms should be taken early in the morning on an empty stomach with warm water are effective in treating such illness so is it permissible to take crushed worms orally when no other medication is working?
Jazakumullah
Wassalaam
Answer:
With regards to consuming worms for medical purposes, there are two permissible methods which can be adopted.
1) After killing the worms they should be burnt to ashes and transformed into a powder. This powder can then be used as a cure. Or after killing the worms they could be burnt with oil, thus causing a paste which could be consumed or applied to the body. Very often the effects of worms remain even when burnt.
2) One should feed the worms to a chicken to such an extent that the chicken gains extra weight. Thereafter the chicken should be slaughtered before its body lets out a stench (which normally happens when fed worms). The effect of the worms has now transferred to the meat. (Bahishti Zewar, Page 783)
By adopting the method explained in your question, the worms will still be Haraam. Pertaining to the usage of Haraam medicine the Fuqahaa have stated that if a well versed Muslim doctor informs the patient that the only cure to his/her sickness is the Haraam medication and there is no Halaal medication which will cure him/her, then only will it be permissible to use the Haraam medication as required. If the doctor says that by using the Haraam medication one will recover quickly, then there is a difference of opinion with regards to its permissibility.
And Allah Ta’ala knows best
Mufti Muhammad Ashraf
Darul Iftaa
Jameah Mahmoodiyah
Springs
25 December 2004
13 Thul Qa’dah 1425