Watermelons are mostly water — about 92 percent — but this refreshing fruit is soaked with nutrients. Each juicy bite has significant levels of vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids. There’s even a modest amount of potassium.

Watermelon has everything you need to beat the scorching summer heat. Wonderfully delicious, juicy melons are the great source of much-needed water, and electrolytes to tame the tropical summer temperatures.

Botanically, the fruit belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae, in the genus: citrullus, and is related to the other same family members such as cantaloupe, squash, and pumpkin that grow as vines on the ground surface. It is widely grown across many tropical countries where it is one of the major commercial fruit crops.

Blessings of Melon

As for Melon (battikh)– “Whenever you eat fruit, eat melon, because it is the fruit of Paradise and contains a 1000 blessings and a 1000 mercies. The eating of it cures every disease. Hadith

Generally, the sweeter a melon, the greater its heat. Green varieties tend to be cold; the yellow, hot. The Prophet (saw) took melons with fresh dates. Melon purifies the bladder and the stomach, and improves the spinal fluid and eyesight. Melons should not be eaten first in a meal.

“None of your women who are pregnant and eat of watermelon will fail to produce offspring who are good in countenance and good in character.” hadith

The Arabic word for Watermelon as mentioned in the Hadith is ‘Batikh’ or ‘Bittik’

Among the fruits that the Prophet(sallallahu aliyhi wassallam) liked were grapes and watermelons. (Abu Dawood)

I saw the Prophet(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) of Allah eating watermelon with dates. ( Narrated Anas bin Malik(radhi yallah anhu) – Tirmizi)

Prophet Muhammad(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) liked grapes and watermelon. ( Abu Dawood)
Prophet Muhammad(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) used to eat watermelon with fresh dates. (narrated Ayesha(radhiyallahu anha) – Tirmizi)

The Messenger(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) of Allah said, ‘Eating watermelon before meals washes the stomach and removes its diseases (Ibn Asakir)
 
Here are the top 10 health benefits of watermelon.

The Best Way to Pick a Watermelon

Watermelons are just starting to come into season in the warmer parts of the country. This means that farmers markets will soon resound with the drumbeat of shoppers thumping watermelons to find the most perfect picnic-worthy specimens. Do you know how to pick the best watermelon?

There’s a definite art to picking the very best watermelons. It involves weighing the watermelon between your hands, turning it over, and giving it a firm thwap! on the underside. A heavy watermelon with a splotch on its belly and a hollow sound means it is brimming with juice and at the peak of its ripeness.

Buying watermelons at a farmers market takes out much of the guesswork. Farmers know their business and will only harvest watermelons for sale when they’re truly ripe. When in doubt, ask the farmer to pick a melon for you. At a farmers market, you can also taste a sample and feel confident that the watermelon you take home will taste the same.

Do you have any other tips for picking the ripest watermelon from the bunch?

How to Pick a Watermelon

1. Pick It Up: Big or small, the watermelon should feel heavy for its size.
2. Look for the Yellow Spot: Watermelons develop a splotch where they rest on the ground. When this splotch is creamy yellow, it’s ripe.

3. Give It a Thump: Tap the underbelly of the watermelon. A ripe one will have a deep hollow sound. Under-ripe or over-ripe melons will sound dull