اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أعُوذُ بِكَ مِن فِتْــنَةِ النِّسَاءِ، وأعُوذُ بِكَ مِن عَذَابِ القَبْرِ

Breakfast # 1 ~ TALBINAH

Almost 100 % Muslims make Talbinah with milk, because they were told & trained to do so.

But you will be surprised that this method is not correct.

Furthermore, we have seen that some people prepare Talbinah with pearl barley or hulled barley, those white barley grains are coarsely crushed & commercially sold at mills & shops, this method is totally wrong. Some even prepare Talbinah with oats, again it is absolutely wrong. Only the whole barley flour with its bran (husk) is valid for Talbinah.

And when we carefully checked the book زاد المعادwritten by Ibn Al-Qayyam, we found that milk, Honey or dates are never necessary for making Talbinah (can be an option only), Ibn Al Qayyam explained it before hundreds of years but unfortunately, the readers could not understand method of its preparation. Read the article (pdf) below:

Talbinah, as explained by Ibn Al-Qayyam

We shall keep aside the popular Talbinah made with milk, honey, dates & nuts, hundreds of such false recipes are available everywhere. Milk & Honey can be an option for Talbinah, but they are never compulsory.

Probably the oldest book having references from Tibb-e-Nabawi was written by Abdul Malik Bin Habib (died 238^th year of Hijrah).

الكتاب: (مختصر في الطب) العلاج بالأغذية والأعشاب في بلاد المغرب
المؤلف: عبد الملك بن حَبِيب بن حبيب بن سليمان بن هارون السلمي الإلبيري القرطبي، أبو مروان (ت ٢٣٨هـ)

For Talbinah, he wrote :

التلبين وهو أرق من الحريرة يعجن الدقيق، ثم يحلل بالماء، ثم يطبخ فإذا طبخ صفه فذلك التلبين

Talbeen is lighter than Harirah*, it is prepared in the following way:

1. Kneading the flour: Flour is mixed with water to form dough.
2. Dissolving in water: More water is added to the dough until it completely dissolves and becomes liquid.
3. Cooking: The mixture is cooked until it is perfectly done (taste of raw flour goes away)
4. Straining: After cooking, the mixture is strained to remove any lumps, and thus Talbinah is ready.

* Harirah was a traditional soup that originated in Andalusia, typically made with barley or wheat, mutton, lentils, and other ingredients.

This explains that milk is never necessary to make Talbinah & Allah Knows the best, making Talbinah with milk can be an option, but milk is never compulsory.

TALBINAH is simply whole barley flour & water, & to enhance the taste, we make Talbinah with SAWEEQ/Sattu (roasted barley flour).

See below our recipes below for water based Talbinah, made with raw Barley flour & roasted whole Barley flour (Sattu in Urdu / Saweeq in Arabic)

Water based Talbinah with raw (whole) Barley flour

Water based Talbinah, made with roasted (whole) Barley flour (Sattu/Saweeq)

Milk & Honey are an option for Talbinah, see the recipe as under :

Talbinah with Sattu & milk

Also read the article below :

Treating sick with Talbinah

TALBINAH is a cure for (1) Heart patients, and (2) Depression / sadness... And TALBINAH is the food for which Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam has SWORE by Allah, such a vital food should not be ignored.

فى الصحيحين من حديث عروة عن عائشة رضى الله عنها انها كانت اذا مات الميت من أهلها ، واجتمع لدلك النساء ثم تفرقن أمرت ببرمه من (تلبينة ) فطبخت ، وصنعت ثريدا ، ثم صبت التلبينة عليه ، ثم قالت كلوا منها فاءنى سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول.. التلبينة مجمة لفؤاد المريض ، تذهب ببعض الحزن. أخرجه البخارى ومسلم ، وعن عائشة رضى الله عنها ايضا كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم اذا قيل له ان فلانا وجع لا يطعم الطعام ،قال عليكم بالتلبينة فحسوه اياها ، ويقول والذى نفسى بيده ، انها تغسل بطن أحدكم كما تغسل أحداكن وجهها من الوسخ

Following are 5 authentic narrations about Talbinah:

Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to recommend Talbinah for the sick and for the one grieving over a dead person. She (may Allah be pleased with her)  used to say, "I heard the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) saying, 'The Talbinah gives rest to the heart of the patient and makes it active and relieves some of his sorrow and grief.' " [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5325)].

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that whenever one of her relatives died, the women assembled and then dispersed (returned to their houses) except her relatives and close friends. She (may Allah be pleased with her) would order that a pot of Talbinah be cooked. Then Tharid (a dish prepared from meat and bread) would be prepared and the Talbinah would be poured over it. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) would say (to the women),"Eat from it, for I heard the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) saying 'The talbina soothes the heart of the patient and relieves him from some of his sadness.' " [Saheeh al-Bukhari (5058)].

Hisham's father (may Allah be pleased with them) said, "Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to recommend Talbinah and used to say,' It is disliked (by the patient) although it is beneficial.'' [Sahih al-Bukhari (5326)].

The Messenger (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) said, "I encourage you to use that which is disliked but beneficial (Talbinah) for by the One whose hand Muhammad's soul is in, it cleans the stomach of one of you just as dirt is cleaned from the face with water." [Mustadrak of Haakim  (7455), Sahih as Dhahabi mentioned in 'Talkhees' taken from Maktaba Shaamilah, See also Mustadrak (8245) whose chain is upon the condition of Bukhari as Dhahabi mentioned].

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated, "If any of the Messenger's (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) family became ill, the Messenger (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) would say, 'It soothes the grieving heart and cleanses the ailing heart just as one of you cleans dirt off his face with water.' " [Sahih Sunan Ibn Maajah (3445), hadeeth Hasan].

Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) said, "You should eat the beneficial thing that is unpleasant to eat (Talbinah), meaning broth. If any member of the Messenger of Allah’s family was sick, the cooking pot would remain on the fire until one of two things happened, either the person recovered or died." [Sahih Sunan Ibn Maajah (3446) hadeeth Hasan]