The Relevance of al-Kay’s Treatment According to the Perspective of Prophetic Hadith

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the healing method with al-kay, which refers to the hadith perspective in two different contexts: prohibition and conditional permission. By applying a qualitative research method, this article finds that one popular al-kay product today is laser-based circumcision. This circumcision is one of the modern ways in which the skin of the foreskin is cut using a unique cutting tool, i.e., a cautery or diathermy, which replaces knives and scissors to cut the skin. The device’s tip is heated up to 1000 degrees Celsius with electrical power, and cuts are made by burning the skin while closing the blood vessels. While from the point of view of Muslim scholars, the treatment of al-kay is a must if in an emergency, and there is no other option provided a specialist doctor recommends it. The status of this law changes to ḥarām (prohibited) when the patient is convinced that with the hot iron, there is a healing sacred as the sacredness of spells (superstition). This is what the Prophet (PBUH) meant that did not like it and called it contrary to tawakkul (trust in God).