Islam exhorts the faithful to have recourse to all kinds of beneficial treatments that have been proven effective or are thought to be beneficial. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “O servants of Allah, take medications and receive proper treatments, for Allah has appointed a cure for every disease.” This hadith should be taken as encouragement to seek medical treatment so long as this treatment does not involve beliefs or practices inimical to Islam.

The eminent Muslim scholar and renowned Da`iyah, Sheikh `Abdel Khaliq Hasan Ash-Shareef, states:

“It was narrated that Jabir ibn `Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “If there is anything good in your medical treatments, it is in the incision of the cupper, drinking honey or in touching with fire when there is certainty that this will cure the disease, but I do not like to be cauterized.”

The above mentioned hadith means that there is a therapy with cauterization but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not like it for his Ummah as it may cause harm to one’s body if it was used mistakenly and this is a sign of his mercy with people. However, not loving it for people does not mean that it is prohibited. So, if there is certainty that cauterization is beneficial for a certain disease upon the consultation of a reliable Doctor, then there is nothing in the Shari`ah to prohibit it.”