The Descriptions of Date Palms and an Ethnomedicinal Importance of Dates Mentioned in the Quran

Abstract

The present work is a part of list of the total twenty seven references to date palm contained in the 114 chapters of the Qur’an and their interpretations also a special focus on an ethnomedicinal importance of dates highlighted by the Qur’an which is to facilitate the childbirth. The main objective of this study is to establish how the different parts of date palm had been described by Allah and understood by the interpreters as well as the benefit of dates; to ease the labor pain. In view of the significance of this study, comprehensive and detailed data was systematically collected from the Qur’an, significant books of commentary, references written on the Islamic medicine and scientific findings. The study found that the parts of date palm which have been described by the Qur’an are: its spadix, trunk, nucleus and tree. The date palm spadix is described as soft, producing clusters of dates hanging low and near and being arranged and layered one above another. The trunk is said to be very uneven and rough; most suitable for crucifixion and to be attached to during childbirth. The dead trunks are illustrated by the features of hollow and uprooted. The date palms are featured by grown from water; resembling other types of plants, some of them come from a single stem root and some are not, produce sheathed fruit-stalks; enclosing dates and yield fruits of different taste which regarded as superior food and fruits. They are also described as good and produce fruits annually. Strong drink i.e. liquor could be also derived from dates i.e. before its prohibition. The nucleus of dates are characterized by the three small parts hidden known as al-fatil; something which is in the long slit of a date-stone, al-naqir; speck on the back of a date-stone and al-qitmir; the thin membrane over the date-stone. The use of dates before delivery; reduces the need for induction and augmentation of labour and after delivery; decreases bleeding.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n2p405