Eat Dates -They Are Good For You!

Allah SWT has blessed us humans with countless blessings in this world like food, water, shelter and many other enjoyable things. In foodstuff, we have abundant kinds of items that we consume daily like fruits, grains, vegetables, meat and dairy products etc. from which we further eat and drink many forms of delicious meals and juices. In the Holy Quran, the Almighty Lord has said:

“And We have made for you therein means of living and [for] those for whom you are not providers. And there is not a thing but that with Us are its depositories, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure.” [Quran, 15: 20-21]

The above mentioned Ayaats awaken our consciousness towards a lot of lucky things that we are blessed with by the Gracious God in this world. He is the Sole Producer of all of them and He distributes them in set quantity.

Talking about fruits specifically, they are found in numerous varieties offering different sets of nutrition to its consumers. Most of them are highly rich with vitamins and minerals. They are a great source of obtaining instant energy especially Dates which are said to be carrying the most balanced form of nourishment in them according to medical research. It is commonly believed that dates taken along with a glass of milk are enough to meet one`s fitness requirements for entire day. They are also discussed in Furqan e Hameed many times because of their tremendous health benefits:

“And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, ‘Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.’ But he called her from below her, ‘Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream. And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates.’” [Quran, 19: 23-25]

These Quranic lines indicate that Hazrat Maryam A.S (Marry), during extreme moments of physical pain of childbirth while carrying the Prophet Esa A.S (Jesus) in her womb, survived only because of the effectiveness of dates which she consumed. It also means that this fruit serves as a medicine for ill people. Nowadays, physicians and doctors recommend to pregnant females to take fruits containing high sugar after giving birth. It shows the great wisdom of teachings of Quran Kareem which discussed the great benefits of dates 1400 years ago. There is a special kind of Dates known as Ajwah, regarding which, the Apostle ﷺ said:

“He who eats seven ‘Ajwa dates every morning will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them.” (Bukhari)

Thus, Rasulullah ﷺ advised us to take Ajwah dates in order to be safe and sound from all kinds of evils.

Importance of Eating Dates in Ramadan

The consumption of dates highly increases among Muslim during the most favorable month of Ramadan. It is also known as “Fruit of Paradise”. We use to have them regularly in our diet especially for the purpose of Iftar (breaking of Fast) as it is proved from the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ of God. Narrated by Salam ibn Amir (R.A):

“When one of you is fasting, he should break his fast with dates; but if he cannot get any, then (he should break his fast) with water, for water is purifying.” (Abu Dawud)

On another occasion, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

“Break your fast by eating dates as it is purifying.” (Ahmed)

This clearly suggests that Dates are essential part of Ramadan particularly at the time of Iftar.

Benefits of Consuming Dates at Iftar

The reason behind taking this fruit first is because it contains high rich energy in terms of minerals and vitamins like fat and sugar providing its consumer with instantaneous vigor. It is one of a rare fruits which contains great amount of protein in it. They are also readily digested by the human body which makes it more suitable for use. Thus, the Holy Prophet ﷺ had the best kind of a knowledge due to which He (PBUH) knew the amazing positive effects of dates on one`s health. Some of the most prominent benefits of having dates as the moment of breaking fast during Ramadan are as follows:

1. Dates are easily absorbed in human stomach due to increased proportion of Potassium present in them. Therefore, they are great source of preventing exhaustion of stomach when suddenly a believer gets to eat food after a daylong break.
2. They are automatic means of controlling diet: at the time of breaking fast, when a Muslim is very hungry, by taking dates, it leads to decrease in overall level of hunger. Thus, they serve as holding one from eating excessively during Iftar which also help in proper digestion of food.
3. Dates activate the human stomach by stimulating inner secretions for taking in and assimilating a sudden supply of foodstuff during Iftar time. While a person starves the entire day, it is necessary to set its digestive tract in motion before it could be filled with a lot of cooked and raw form of food.
4. They contain a high amount of sugar in them which is an indispensible nutrient for human brain and nerves activity. Thus, when a believer consumes dates at the start of Iftar, it leads to activation of overall bodily functions.
5. Dates also make one able to avoid danger of having constipation due to abrupt changes in meal timings or having food containing more spices and less sugar.
6. They also help in maintaining weight of a human body because it is mostly seen that during Ramadan, people tend to get weaker as a result of loss of appetite.

These are some of the advantages of taking Dates at Iftar which prove the high degree of wisdom behind the Prophetic (PBUH) Instruction regarding consuming them.

In short, Dates are not just a form of fruit, rather they are a complete package of energy and balance for human diet whose significance and benefits exceed any other foodstuff that could be used in Ramadan.