Is drinking milk against the sunna?
Question:
Salam alaikum wa rahmatullah,
If a friend is against the use of milk saying is not healthy what is the ruling? Does drinking milk go against the sunna?
Answer:
Wa alaykum as-Salaam
Thank you for writing to us.
You are correct to advise your friend not to speak out against an action of the Messenger (peace be upon him). It is from the core beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah that all practices and decisions made by the Messenger (peace be upon him) are loved and preferred by Allah. This would include matters beyond worship, such as dress and cuisine. Anas (Allah be pleased with him) made himself love dubba’ (pumpkin) after he observed the Messenger enjoying it [Shamail al-Tirmidhi].
Nonetheless, one could argue in favor of your friend that foodstuff, in general, was much more wholesome and organic in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Also, the Prophet’s diet is not considered obligatory to follow, and therefore not adhering or favoring certain aspects does not render one a heretic. Vegetarians by way of example, do not have to consume meat and will not be seen as people who have abandoned the way of the Messenger (peace be upon him).
Yes, Muslims must be cautious not to criticize the Prophet (peace be upon him), or to question his decisions, or to mock any of his practices as this may lead to disbelief.
And Allah knows best.
Abdurragmaan Khan
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdurragmaan received ijazah ’ammah from various luminaries, including but not restricted to: Habib Umar ibn Hafiz—a personality who affected him greatly and who has changed his relationship with Allah, Maulana Yusuf Karaan—the former Mufti of Cape Town; Habib ‘Ali al-Mashhur—the current Mufti of Tarim; Habib ‘Umar al-Jaylani—the Shafi‘i Mufti of Makkah; Sayyid Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Hibshi; Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf; Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh; Maulana Abdul Hafiz al-Makki; Shaykh Ala ad-Din al-Afghani; Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Azami and Shaykh Yahya al-Gawthani amongst others.
