ألبان الإبل
A historical account of a group advised to recuperate at a camel herd, drinking the milk (and, in this specific narration, the urine) as treatment for an intestinal ailment.
انْطَلِقُوا إِلَى إِبِلِ الصَّدَقَةِ فَاشْرَبُوا مِنْ أَلْبَانِهَا وَأَبْوَالِهَا
“Go to the herd [of charity camels] and drink from their milk and their urine.” (meaning, not a literal translation)
The fuller narration describes the group as visitors unwell with the climate of Madinah, who recovered at the herd but then killed the shepherd and stole the camels — for which they were punished. This context matters for how the hadith is generally read: it describes a specific medical directive given to a specific group with a specific ailment in a specific desert setting, immediately followed by an account of their subsequent crime and its punishment, rather than functioning as a general dietary recommendation detached from that story.
Scholars discuss this narration primarily as a specific historical medical directive tied to that group's condition and era, rather than a general standing recommendation; contemporary fatwa councils differ on whether it establishes a general permissibility for camel urine as treatment today, and it is included here for completeness of the source text rather than as practical guidance.
Camel milk itself is a widely and safely consumed dairy product in many cultures today, studied in modern nutrition for its protein and mineral content. This note applies specifically to camel milk as an ordinary food — it does not extend to the urine referenced in the historical account above, which carries documented health risks noted in the caution below.