There are certain beliefs we hear repeatedly in our communities. Sometimes, because we have heard them from our parents, elders, friends or neighbours for many years, we gradually accept them as facts.

One such claim is:

«“Eating lizards causes epilepsy.”»

But is this true?

Is it something taught by Islam? Is there a Hadith about it? And what does medical science say?

Rather than simply accepting or rejecting the claim, let us examine it from three angles the Qur’an, the Sunnah and medical evidence.

What Does the Qur’an Teach Us About Such Claims?

The Qur’an gives us an important principle concerning information that reaches us.

Allah says:

“O ye who believe! If an unrighteous person brings you any news, ascertain the correctness of the report fully, lest you harm a people in ignorance, and then become repentant for what you have done.”

The Holy Qur’an, Surah al-Hujurat, 49:7

This does not mean that our forefathers, parents, elders or members of our communities are unrighteous. Rather, the verse gives us a wide principle: information should be verified before it is accepted and passed on to others.

Allah also says:

“And follow not that of which thou hast no knowledge. Verily, t

he ear and the eye and the heart all these shall be called to account.”

— The Holy Qur’an, Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:37

This verse is particularly balanced to a claim such as this.

If someone tells us that eating a particular animal causes a particular disease, it is reasonable or good enough to ask:

What is the evidence?

Is there a reliable religious source? Is there scientific evidence? Is the claim based on an established observation, or is it simply something that has been repeated for generations?

What Does the Sunnah Say About the Lizard?

This is where the discussion becomes at least interesting.

There are authentic narrations concerning الضَّبّ (al-ḍabb), commonly translated as the mastigure or desert spiny-tailed lizard.

In Sahih Muslim, Ibn ‘Umar reports that a man asked the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa about eating the ḍabb. The Prophetsa replied:

“I neither eat it nor do I prohibit it.”

Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book 34. The Book of Hunting, Slaughter, and What May Be Eaten. Hadith 1943.

Another authentic narration gives us more detail.

Khalid ibn al-Walid (ra) was present with the Holy Prophetsa when a roasted ḍabb was brought to him. When the Prophetsa was informed that it was ḍabb, he withdrew his hand.

Khalid asked whether it was forbidden. The Prophetsa replied that it was not forbidden, explaining that it was not found in the land of his people and that he personally did not like it.

Khalid then ate it while the Prophet sa looked on, and the Prophetsa did not forbid him.

Reference: Sahih Muslim 1946, The Book of Hunting, Slaughter, and What May Be Eaten, Chapter: The Permissibility of Eating the Ḍabb (Mastigure), Book 34, Hadith 64.

This narration is important because it distinguishes between personal dislike and religious prohibition.

The Prophetsa did not eat the ḍabb, but his personal decision not to eat it did not make it unlawful for others.

A similar narration is reported by Ibn ‘Abbas (ra):

“Umm Hufaid bint Al-Harith bin Hazn presented the Prophetsa with some butter, dried yoghurt (curd milk) and mastigures as a gift. The Prophetsa then asked for a meal (mastigures etc. to be put) and it was eaten over his table cloth, but the Prophet sa did not eat of it, as he had aversion to it. But if it had been illegal, it would not have been eaten over his table cloth nor would he have ordered that (mastigured meat) to be eaten.”

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 7358, Book 96, Hadith 85.

But What Exactly Is the Al-Ḍabb?

This distinction is important.

The word ḍabb (ضبّ) in these narrations does not simply refer to every animal that modern English speakers call a “lizard.”

It refers to the mastigure or desert spiny-tailed lizard, generally associated with the genus Uromastyx.

This matters because “lizard” is a broad biological category containing thousands of different species. YES!

Therefore, when a Hadith discusses ḍabb, we should not automatically assume that it is referring to every species that modern biology classifies as a lizard.

That would be an unnecessary assumption.

Does the Hadith Say That Eating Lizards Causes Epilepsy?

No.

Nothing in the authentic narrations concerning ḍabb cited above states that eating it causes epilepsy.

The narrations discuss whether ḍabb may be eaten and explain that although the Prophetsa personally did not eat it, he did not declare it unlawful.

They do not say that eating ḍabb causes epilepsy.

They also do not say that eating lizards prevents epilepsy.

The subject of these narrations is permissibility and personal want, not epilepsy.

This distinction is crucial.

We should not take a Hadith concerning the permissibility of eating ḍabb and turn it into a general medical statement about all lizards.

Likewise, we should not take a cultural claim about lizards and present it as a teaching of the Prophetsa, when no such statement appears in the authentic narrations being discussed.

What Does Medical Science Say About Epilepsy?

Now we come to the heart question:

Does eating lizards cause epilepsy?

The World Health Organization defines epilepsy as a chronic non-communicable disease of the brain characterised by recurrent seizures.

According to WHO, epilepsy can have several underlying causes, including structural, genetic, infectious, metabolic and immune causes. In approximately half of cases globally, the exact cause remains unknown.

WHO's current information on epilepsy does not identify eating lizards as an established cause of epilepsy.

This is an important distinction.

There may be health risks associated with consuming wild animals, particularly when they are improperly handled or prepared. But such risks should not automatically be described as causes of epilepsy.

To say:

“Eating a wild reptile may expose a person to certain health risks”

is very different from saying:

“Eating lizards causes epilepsy.”

The latter is a specific medical claim and therefore requires specific medical evidence.

Based on the medical evidence examined here, eating lizards has not been established as a cause of epilepsy.

So, Myth or Fact?

Based on the Qur’anic principles of verification, the authentic Hadith concerning ḍabb, and the medical evidence examined above, the statement:

“Eating lizards causes epilepsy.”

should not be presented as an established fact.

There is no Qur’anic verse cited here that says eating lizards causes epilepsy.

There is no authentic Hadith cited here that says eating lizards causes epilepsy.

And the medical evidence examined here does not establish eating lizards as a recognised cause of epilepsy.

Therefore, the claim remains unsupported by the evidence examined in this article.

The Bigger Lesson

For me, this question is actually bigger than lizards.

It makes us ask ourselves:

How many things do we believe simply because “that is what we have always been told”?

A belief does not become revelation merely because it is old.

A statement does not become science merely because it is popular.

And a claim does not become a fact merely because it has been repeated for generations.

Islam does not teach us to mock our elders or disrespect our traditions. But it does teach us to seek knowledge, verify information and avoid claiming something without knowledge.

So when we hear a statement like:

“Eating lizards causes epilepsy.”

perhaps the first response should not be:

“Who told you that?”

but:

“What is the evidence?”

If it is a Qur’anic teaching, show us the verse.

If it is attributed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa, show us the authentic Hadith.

If it is a medical claim, show us the medical evidence.

And if we simply do not know, there is nothing shameful about saying:

“I don't know.”

Sometimes, admitting that we do not know is far better than confidently spreading something that we have never verified.

Allah says:

“And follow not that of which thou hast no knowledge. Verily, the ear and the eye and the heart all these shall be called to account.”

The Holy Qur’an, Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:37

Perhaps that is the real lesson behind this seemingly simple question about lizards:

Before we repeat a claim, investigate it.

Before we attribute something to Islam, verify it.

Before we call something science, look for the evidence.

And before we say something is true, make sure we actually know.

N:B:- I try my possible best to thoroughly read through books and conduct extensive research from different perspectives to put together this my little Myth vs Fact reason. I believe and pray you enjoy it.

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

Assalāmu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullāhi wa Barakātuh, dear substack publishers,brothers and sister.

As Muslims, have we truly reached the point where our greatest concern is responding to traditionalists, pastors, or others who say offensive things about Islam and our beloved Prophets (peace be upon them), while we ourselves have a deep wound within our own Ummah that continues to bleed?

Two Muslim nations are fighting one another. Muslims are divided, some Muslims speak badly about other Muslims, and the unity of the Ummah continues to suffer.

So, honestly, is our most urgent responsibility now simply to keep responding to these people, or should we also turn our attention to the problems within our own community and begin working seriously to heal them?

At the same time, I understand the other side of the argument: if we remain completely silent when Islam or our Prophets are misrepresented, could that not also cause some people—especially those who are searching for answers—to become confused or even leave the faith?

Perhaps, therefore, the solution is balance.

We should defend the truth when necessary, but we must not become so occupied with answering our opponents that we neglect the weaknesses among ourselves.

Let us correct falsehood when it appears, but let us also correct ourselves. Let us defend Islam with wisdom, while strengthening the Muslims from within.

Because a strong Ummah is not built merely by winning arguments against others; it is built by faith, knowledge, unity, righteousness, and sincere reform within ourselves.

Thanks 👍