Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69)
Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69) & The Prophetic Treatment of Fever (Al-Humma)
In Tibb an-Nabawi (Medicine of the Prophet), Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69) holds a profound spiritual and therapeutic connection to the relief of high fevers (Al-Humma).
قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
“We said: O fire, be coolness and safety upon Ibrahim.” — Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69)
Classical Medical Commentaries (Ibn Qayyim in Zad al-Ma’ad)
In Zad al-Ma’ad, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya explains the profound link between Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69) and the physical treatment of fevers:
Why “Coolness AND Safety” (Bardan wa Salaman): Classical scholars note that when Allah commanded the fire to become Bardan (coolness), had He not added Salaman (and safety/peace), the extreme intense cold would have harmed Prophet Ibrahim (AS) just as excessive heat would have burned him. Therefore, in treating fevers, the goal is gradual, safe cooling (using ambient or cold water sponges) rather than shock-freezing the body.
Hydrotherapy for Fevers: The Sunnah prescription of applying cool water to lower body temperature represents the foundational physical principle of external cooling (hydrotherapy), which rapidly dissipates core metabolic heat.
Spiritual Ruqyah with Verse 21:69: Classical practitioners of Tibb an-Nabawi frequently recited Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69) over water or directly over a person suffering from an intense fever, invoking Allah’s miraculous command to turn the burning heat into a soothing, safe coolness.
📖 Hadith Reference
The Direct Hadith Connection: Fever is from the Heat of Hell
In multiple authentic (Sahih) narrations, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) explicitly likened the burning heat of a fever to the heat of fire/Hell, instructing that it be cooled down with water— echoing the divine command of coolness and safety (Bardan wa Salaman):
A. Narration from Ibn 'Umar & 'Aishah (RA)
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'إِنَّ الشِّدَّةَ مِنَ الْحُمَّى مِنْ فَيْحِ جَهَنَّمَ فَأَبْرِدُوهَا بِالْمَاءِ' "Fever (or severe fever) is from the raging heat of Hell, so cool it down with water."
Primary Sources: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith #3263 & #5723) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith #2209).
Grading: Muttafaq 'Alayh (Highest authenticity).
B. Narration from Asma' bint Abi Bakr (RA)
When a woman suffering from a high fever was brought to Asma' bint Abi Bakr (RA), she would sprinkle water on her chest and head, saying: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to order us to cool it down with water."
Primary Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith #5724).
2.
🤲 Dua / Ruqyah
- Detailed Quranic Ayah Reference
The spiritual connection between Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69) and the treatment of fever in Tibb an-Nabawi stems directly from the miracle performed for Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
text{Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69)}
قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
"We said: 'O fire, be coolness and safety upon Ibrahim.'" — Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69)
- Detailed Exegesis (Tafsir) Insights
Classical scholars of Tafsir—including Ibn Kathir, Al-Qurtubi, Al-Tabari, and Ibn Ashur—provide profound insights into the precise linguistic structure of this divine command:
A. The Precision of "Coolness AND Safety" (Bardan wa Salaman)
The Necessity of Salaman: Commentators like Ibn Abbas (RA) and Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) noted that if Allah had only commanded: "O fire, be coolness (Bardan)", the extreme intensity of the cold would have killed Ibrahim (AS) just as the heat would have burned him.
The Divine Balance: By adding وَسَلَامًا (wa Salaman — "and safety/peace"), the cold was tempered so that it became pleasant, soothing, and entirely harmless. It did not merely stop burning him; it turned the environment into a place of complete physical comfort and tranquility.
B. The Immediate Nullification of Heat
Al-Qurtubi notes in his Tafsir that the moment this command was issued, every fire on Earth momentarily lost its burning capability and became cool, honoring the divine decree issued for Ibrahim (AS).
Ibn Kathir records that Abu al-'Aliyah said: "Had Allah not added 'and safety', Ibrahim would have suffered from its cold."
- Spiritual & Physical Application in Tibb an-Nabawi
In classical Prophetic Medicine (most notably detailed by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya in Zad al-Ma'ad), this ayah serves as the foundational Quranic framework for treating fevers (Al-Humma):
A. The Analogy of Heat & Fire
The Prophet (ﷺ) explicitly described fever as an intense heat originating from the thermal radiation of Hell (Faih Jahannam):
"Fever is from the heat of Hell, so cool it down with water." — Sahih al-Bukhari (#3263) & Sahih Muslim (#2209)
Classical physicians observed that just as Allah neutralized the extreme heat of the fire for Ibrahim (AS) with a soothing coolness, human fevers must be countered by applying cool water—bringing down the elevated core body temperature without causing a sudden thermal shock to the system.
B. Use in Ruqyah (Spiritual Healing)
Scholars of Prophetic medicine and classical practitioners routinely recited Surah Al-Anbiya (21:69) during Ruqyah over water or directly over an individual suffering from a burning fever. The recitation is an invocation asking Allah to transform the destructive internal heat of the fever into a state of coolness and safety (Bardan wa Salaman) for the body, combining physical hydrotherapy with spiritual supplication.