Dates-The most sacred fruit for Muslims

Finding out for a date to be a fruit and not some sweet-savory dessert is always one of the most pleasing discoveries during the early years because that just makes it more abundant. The date has been known around the world for its distinctive sweetness, but it has been native to Islam since its early days. The significance of it can either be related to one of the only abundant fruits to the area or its many hidden health benefits. The breaking of fast with a date and a sip of water at sundown is one of the holiest traditions followed by tens and thousands of Muslims around the world, but what is it that makes it such a significant part of the faith? 

Starting from the fact that the Holy book of Islam has mentioned the date and date palm for 22 times under different conditions, which is more than any other fruit or plant. It is also said to be the favorite food item of Mohammed who always had it in-store at his house. It can be seen how much he liked the dates from his quoted reference,” a house that does not have dates in the store is in starvation”. When the Muslims were in disparity and on the verge of creating one of the greatest empires in Medinah while on the run from Meccaites, they found refuge in the first mosque of Islam to unite them, Mosque Qubba, which had the trunks of the date palm as the pillars and its branches to cover the ceiling to provide shade.  

In the religion of Islam, everything that has been revealed and stressed upon is widely understood to have a deep and significant meaning behind it, and dates stand no different. Other than being the ideal food for travelers on the scorching desert sands, it has been found to have numerous health benefits as well. It was the most ideal food for travelers because of its high natural sugar content, fructose, and long lastingness because of the rather dry nature of it. Nearly two millennia before modern science can approve of its benefits of strengthening nerves during pregnancy, it had been referenced to be included in the diet of Mary when giving birth to Christ in Islam. While the world is busy eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away, eating seven dates a day has been the eternal remedy of Muslims for 14 hundred years. 

The date palm has been associated with the picture of a pious and just man since the early Muslims. Other than the savory fruit produced by the resilient plant, the bark and leaves have also had an impact on the beliefs of Muslims because of the versatile utility it offers in everyday life. The seeds left after eating the date are useful to feed for cattle, and it can be crushed to make healthy pastes for young children and the old. The roots of the date palm run so deep into the sands of Islam, which gets rather hard to pinpoint the exact reason for its importance, but most of it can be attributed to the lifestyle of Mohammed, which stands as nothing but perfection in the mind of every Muslim.