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Wholesome dates

 
 
 
 
 
The date palm, to the best of our knowledge, is said to have originated in the Middle East and has proven to be such a successful plant and source of nourishment that it has become a staple across the planet.

Many fruits and fruit-bearing plants have been mentioned in the Qur’an, but it is the date palm that finds maximum references. In Surat Al-Nahl, Allah Says: “With it He produces for you corn, olives, date palms, grapes, and every kind of fruit: Verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought” ( S XVI – Verse 11). The Qur’an also narrates the incidence when Holy Maryam was provided with fresh ripe dates when she was feeling pain during childbirth (Surat Maryam-Mary – XIX – Verse: 23). In Prophetic Traditions, many useful properties have attributed to Dates. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advised his followers to break fast with dates during Ramadan. He also advised: ‘‘Don’t miss evening meal, even if it happens to be constituted of few dates. Missing of evening meals hasten aging.” In another Traditions, taking dates in the morning is said to help in preventing poisoning.
The botanical name of the date palm is Phoenix dactylifera, which belongs to the family Palmae (Arecaceae). In Arabic, the date palm is called “Nakhl” whereas its fruit is known as “Tamar,” although in many Arab and African countries the Hindi word “Khajur” and Persian word “Khurma” have been of common usage for the date fruits.
It is assumed that the domestication and cultivation of date palm started 6,000 to 8,000 years back in Mesopotamia. Probably no other fruit plant was in cultivation at that time anywhere in the world and that may be the reason why the date palm is supposed to be the plant most associated with the development of human culture and civilization. According to an old saying in Arabic, the uses of date palm are as many as the number of days in a year.

Dates are not only sweet and delicious but they are one of the best-known nutritious diets for mankind. They contain more than 60 percent invert sugar along with a small amount of sucrose in addition to protein, pectin, tannin, cellulose, starch and fat in varying proportions. Vitamins A, B and C are also present in appreciable amounts. Furthermore, the mineral constituents present are iron, sodium, calcium, sulphur, chlorine and phosphorus. Wholesome dates are used for making confectionery, beverages, sugar and a sugary syrup — very much like honey.
Dates are reputed for their great medicinal value. They are demulcents, emollients, a heart stimulant and help in checking the loss of memory. They are also useful in respiratory disorders in general and asthma in particular. In addition, dates are laxatives, diuretics and aphrodisiacs. Thus, taking into account all of their constituents and qualities, they can be rated as a nutritious diet and a health tonic.

Because of their beauty and elegance, date palm gardens are an exquisite sight. In fact, most of the poets of Arabia, Africa and even Europe have described date palms in their well-known poems. Homer, in his epic, “Odyssey,” has used the word “Tamar” (date tree) to represent beauty. Similarly, Chaucer and Shakespeare have also mentioned date palms in their writings.

Phytogeographically, the area of cultivation of date palms extends from Western India to the East of Africa. However, the best producing regions are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt followed by Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Sudan, Oman and Morocco.
At present, the annual import of dates in India is about 10,000 tons, valued at more than $20 million.
 
• The above article is excerpted from “Plants of the Qur’an” by M.I. H. Farooqi
— M. Iqtedar Husain Farooqi, an Indian scientist and retired deputy director of the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) in Lucknow, India, was awarded a Royal Grant of $25,000 for his work on plants. He has received great recognition for his two books: “Plants of the Qur’an” and “Medicinal Plants in the Traditions of Prophet Mohammad” (pbuh). His immense research on Qur’anic and Prophetic plants prompted UNESCO to approve the multimillion dollar projects of the Qur’anic Botanical Gardens in Sharjah and Qatar.
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