The Holy Qur’an – Fruits and their Medicinal Benefits

 

“‘Then eat of every kind of fruit, and follow the ways of thy Lord that have been made easy for thee.’… Therein is a cure for men. Surely, that is a Sign for a people who reflect.” [Holy Quran 16:70]1

 Allah the Almighty – Creator of all the worlds. He has created this earth, and everything therein, but not in vain. All creations, including animals and plants, therefore have been created for a purpose. Allah the Almighty Himself has stated the purpose of some of these in the Holy Quran. For example, the above verse indicates the vast benefits of fruits for medicinal purposes as “therein is a cure for men” [Holy Quran 16:70]1. The Holy Prophet (saw) mentioned that 

“There is no disease that Allah the Almighty has created, except that He also has created its treatment.” (Bukhari).2 

We know that fruits are healthy for us, however, according to the Holy Quran, they also contain cures for us!

 Now, there are 6 fruits mentioned in the Holy Quran, which are as follows:

                                                                       OLIVES

• Olives

                                                                      DATES

• Dates

                                                                    BANANAS

• Bananas

                                                                  GRAPES

• Grapes

                                                          POMEGRANTE

• Pomegranate

                                                                           FIG

• Fig

Modern science is revealing the medical benefits of all of these fruits mentioned in the Holy Quran. Olives, for example, contain Oleic acid, which is a type of monounsaturated fatty acid, also known as ‘good fats’.3 These are good because they reduce “Low Density of Lipoproteins”, or “bad cholesterol”, and increase “High-Density Lipoproteins”, or “good cholesterol. As a result, olives can be beneficial in reducing the risk of heart disease.

heart diseases.

The Mediterranean diet is now recommended by many nutritionists and dieticians as they contain olive oil, instead of other fats, and many other fruits like dates.

Dates have been mentioned in the Holy Quran more than 20 times! Similar to olives, dates have numerous medicinal benefits that prevent certain health problems. For example, dates contain an element called “Selenium” which can reduce the risk of developing thyroid diseases as well as various types of cancers, including lung and skin cancers4-7.   According to Imam Rabbani, eating dates provides benefits physically on earth as well as spiritually, as dates were a substantial part of the Holy Prophet (saw)’s diet.8

Dates contain many minerals including potassium, sodium, chloride, and magnesium. These are all vital for the correct functioning of the nervous system.9 Not only is this, therefore, helpful for our brain function, but it also can help prevent tooth decay! Did you know that fluoride is added to our toothpaste to prevent tooth decay as well?10 With its high content of fluoride minerals, your teeth are protected for longer against nasty attacks against your teeth.

Allah has promised in the Holy Quran that, “And when I am ill, it is He who restores me to health.” [Quran, 26: 81].11 That is, every illness can ultimately only be cured by Allah, the Almighty. That is why He is also called “As-Shafi” – The Curer. Allah has given us a great hint that a healthy lifestyle, prevents and even helps to cure diseases. It is our role, therefore, to act upon this and eat healthy so that we may avoid many illnesses!

 So, why not try to include these beneficial fruits into your diet? Here are some ways in which you can include them:

1.  Make a Banana and date smoothie.
2. Date and milk smoothie
3. Add figs and pomegranate to your salads
4. Add figs on some natural yogurt, then sprinkle with honey and pine nuts
5. Prepare a delicious fresh fig jam
6. Swap regular vegetable or sunflower oil with Extra Virgin Olive Oil