The Milk Products

لَمْ يَكُنْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص يَأْكُلُ طَعَاماً وَ لَا يَشْرَبُ شَرَاباً إِلَّا قَالَ- اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَ أَبْدِلْنَا بِهِ خَيْراً مِنْهُ إِلَّا اللَّبَنَ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَ زِدْنَا مِنْهُ.

‘Whenever the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, ate food or drank a drink, he said, “O Lord, grant us blessing in it and better to replace it.” However when drinking milk he (the Messenger of Allah) would say, ‘O Lord, grant us blessing in

لَبَنُ الشَّاةِ السَّوْدَاءِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ لَبَنِ حَمْرَاوَيْنِ وَ لَبَنُ الْبَقَرِ الْحَمْرَاءِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ لَبَنِ سَوْدَاوَيْنِ.

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘The milk of black sheep is better than that of the red ones; and the milk of red cows is better than that of the black ones.”’

كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ص إِذَا شَرِبَ اللَّبَنَ قَالَ- اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَ زِدْنَا مِنْهُ.

when drinking milk would say, ‘O Lord, make it a blessing for us and increase it for us.’”

قَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ إِنِّي أَكَلْتُ لَبَناً فَضَرَّنِي قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع لَا وَ اللَّهِ مَا يَضُرُّ لَبَنٌ قَطُّ وَ لَكِنَّكَ أَكَلْتَهُ مَعَ غَيْرِهِ فَضَرَّكَ الَّذِي أَكَلْتَهُ فَظَنَنْتَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنَ اللَّبَنِ.

“Once, a man said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘I eat milk products and they harm me.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said to him, ‘No, by Allah, milk never harms; but you may have eaten something else with it which has harmed you, but you thought it is milk.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ يَغَصُ‌[1] بِشُرْبِ اللَّبَنِ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَقُولُ- لَبَناً خالِصاً سائِغاً لِلشَّارِبِينَ‌.

‘There is no one who is choked when drinking milk; Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, says, ‘ . . .pure milk which is suitable for those who drink.’”*

اللَّبَنُ طَعَامُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Milk is the food of the Messengers.”’

كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ‌ وَ أَنَا أَسْمَعُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي أَجِدُ الضَّعْفَ فِي بَدَنِي فَقَالَ لَهُ عَلَيْكَ بِاللَّبَنِ فَإِنَّهُ يُنْبِتُ اللَّحْمَ وَ يَشُدُّ الْعَظْمَ.

“I once was with abu ‘Abd Allah ‘Alayhi al-Salam, and a man said to him (the Imam), when I was hearing, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I feel weakness in my body.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must drink milk, it grows flesh and strengthens the bones.’”

مَنْ تَغَيَّرَ عَلَيْهِ مَاءُ الظَّهْرِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْفَعُ لَهُ اللَّبَنُ الْحَلِيبُ وَ الْعَسَلُ.

“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), has said, ’For one on whom water of the back (sexual desire) has changed milk and honey are beneficial.”’

أَكَلْنَا مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَأُتِينَا بِلَحْمِ جَزُورٍ فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ فَأَكَلْنَا ثُمَّ أُتِينَا بِعُسٍّ مِنْ لَبَنٍ‌[1] فَشَرِبَ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي اشْرَبْ يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ فَذُقْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ لَبَنٌ فَقَالَ إِنَّهَا الْفِطْرَةُ ثُمَّ أُتِينَا بِتَمْرٍ فَأَكَلْنَاهُ.

“We ate with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.). There was meat of camel (or sheep) and I thought it was from his house. We ate, and then bowls of milk were brought. He (the Imam) drank from it and said to me, ‘O abu Muhammad drink.’ I tasted it and asked, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, is it milk?’ He