If a treatment method brings more harm than benefit, it is considered “haram” (illegal) from the Islamic perspective, its Medical Fiqh Committee head Dr Ahmad Faidhi Mohd Zaini said.
He was responding to an article in Harakah Daily, quoting family physician Dr Suhazeli Abdullah as advising people against drinking or consuming camel urine, milk or any product from camels.
This is to prevent pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia from catching the acute respiratory illness Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
The health ministry, in its leaflet on the infectious disease, also advises pilgrims against having any contact with camels, drinking raw camel milk or urine and eating undercooked camel meat.
It is believed some pilgrims do so because of purported medicinal benefits.
A 55-year-old Malaysian man was confirmed positive for MERS-CoV after returning home from his umrah pilgrimage on Dec 23.
The man, from Selangor, had symptoms of fever, cough, lethargy and aching feet as soon as he arrived home.
Faidhi said previously, the virus did not exist and therefore drinking camel urine did no harm at that time.
“Now that we know it is possible to get MERS-CoV from camels, any contact should be avoided,” he said.
He said Muslims must comply with new evidence and seek medical treatment if sick.
He said the situation is similar to the mad cow disease where all beef in the UK was not allowed to be eaten for a while in the 1980s whereas now the situation has improved.
Faidhi said drinking camel urine is a practice based on traditional Arabic medicine where it is not considered as-Sunnah Tasri’yyah but just a practice by the ancient Arab community.