Dates, one of the earliest cultivated crops, an ancient icon of the Middle East, and its thick-trunked palm is a symbol of hospitality, rest, and peace.
Dates are a popular food item around the world, especially in the Middle East where they often referred to as the “fruit of paradise”. According to Abu Hurairah (R.A.), the Prophet (PBUH) said:
“Al-‘Ajwah date is from Paradise and it contains a cure for poison.” (Tirmidhi: 2066)
While many people are familiar with the proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, the Muslim equivalent is “seven dates a day keeps the doctor away.” Seven dates in the morning, according to the Prophet, protects one from poison and witchcraft. This gives the date a mysterious, almost supernatural quality.
A unifying staple in Ramadan:
The Arab World is familiar with eating dates all year long, but its popularity reaches the peak during Ramadan when Muslims all over the world buy kilos of dates for their houses, making sure that their kitchen cabinets are stocked with this wonderful fruit.
The reasons behind this popularity are tremendous, as dates are the most preferred food item for people to break their fast. It’s a tradition that’s culturally and religiously tied to the Muslim identity, for more than any other religion, Islam has emphasized the holiness of the date and the date palm.
Even in modern communities, when restaurants offer iftar specials and buffets, dates are always available, both to honour the tradition and to provide a fast boost of energy before the meal.
Dates, the sacred fruit:
Be it Tamr (Arabic), khajoor (Urdu), hurmah (Turkish), or buah kurma (Indonesian), this fruit is part of Muslim upbringing; it is mentioned in the Quran more than 20 times, more than any other fruit. According to the Qur’an, Mary was told to eat dates while in labour to make childbirth easier and to strengthen her body, which was experimentally proven thousands of years later that dates contain stimulants that strengthen the muscles of the uterus in the last months of pregnancy.
In the hadith, it is recorded that the date was one of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) favourite and most desired food items, who is quoted as saying: “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. “
Following the Prophet’s tradition is one way for Muslims to communicate with and remember him spiritually. Therefore, Muslims around the world follow the tradition of serving dates at their Ramadan iftar table, because they consider the fruit to be part of the blessed prophetic diet and adopting the last prophet’s (pbuh) habits and practices, or Sunnah, is considered as praiseworthy and blessed.
Healthy aspects of dates:
Among the many other reasons people buy dates is because they have incredible nutritional value and can keep you energetic for hours only with a few dates, as they are high in vitamins and minerals, as well as being fat-free, cholesterol-free, and sodium-free. Dates also contain vitamin A and a variety of B-complex vitamins, which are essential for the development of healthy body tissue and muscle.
Stressing these health benefits, the Prophet once said, “People in a house without dates are in a state of hunger.”
Date-inspired recipes:
While most Muslims eat dry or soft dates straight out of the palm of their hands, they are also prepared in a variety of ways across the Islamic world and incorporated into local cuisine.
Either stuffed or baked, pastry shops selling various types of dates can be found in almost every Middle Eastern or North African country, making it one of the best Ramadan gifts ideas to send to family and friends. Check out Premium Dates Gifts on Joi Gifts for an assortment of delicious dates stuffed with yummy treats like walnuts, pistachios, almonds, coconut, chocolate, vermicelli, toffee, etc.
