Benefits of Dates
Muslims generally break their fast by eating dates. Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) is reported to have said: "if anyone of you is fasting, let him break his fast with dates. In case he does not have them, then with water. Verily water is a purifier."

The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) used to break his fast by eating some dates before offering Maghrib prayer, and if ripe dates were not available, he used to substitute them with some dried grapes. When they too were not available, he used to have a few sips of water, according to some reports. Modern science has proved that dates are part of a healthy diet. They contain sugar, fat and proteins, as well as important vitamins. Hence the great importance attached to them by the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam).

Dates are also rich in natural fibres. Modern medicine has shown that they are effective in preventing abdominal cancer. They also surpass other fruits in the sheer variety of their constituents. They contain oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium. In other words, one date is a minimum of a balanced and healthy diet. Arabs usually combine dates with milk and yogurt or bread, butter and fish. This combination indeed makes a self-sufficient and tasty diet for both mind and body. Dates and date palms have been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an 20 times, thus showing their importance. The Prophet likened a good Muslim to the date palm, saying, "Among trees, there is a tree like a Muslim. Its leaves do not fall."

Sayyidah Mariam (alaiyhas salaam) mother of Isa (alaiyhis salaam) had dates as her food when she felt labour pains and during confinement. They are definitely the "crown of sweets," and ideal food which is easy to digest, and within half an hour of taking it, the tired body regains a renewed vigour. The reason for this is that a shortage of sugar in the blood is the main factor that makes people feel hungry and not an empty stomach as is often assumed. When the body absorbs the nutritional essence of a few dates, the feeling of hunger becomes appeased. When one breaking the fast with dates and takes some other food afterwards, he cannot eat much. It would seem that breaking the fast with dates then helps one avoid excessive eating.

Experiments have also shown that dates contain some stimulants that strengthen the muscles of the uterus in the last months of pregnancy. This helps the dilation of the uterus at the time of delivery on one hand and reduces the bleeding after delivery on the other. Dieticians consider dates as the best food for women in confinement and those who are breast-feeding. This is because dates contain elements that assist in alleviating depression in mothers and enriching the breast-milk with all the elements needed to make the child healthy and resistant to disease. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) has emphasized the importance of dates and their effectiveness in the growth of the fetus. He has also recommended they be given to women. Modern dietary institute now recommend dates to be given to children suffering from a nervous nature or hyperactivity. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) has also recommended dates as a medicine for heart troubles, according to some reports. Modern science has also proved the effectiveness of date, in preventing diseases of the respiratory system.

Sayyidah Ayisha, (R.A.) wife of Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam), used to prescribe dates for those suffering from giddiness. It is now well known that a fall in the level of the sugar in the blood and low blood pressure are among the causes of giddiness. She was also reported to have used dates combined with cucumber to treat her over-slim condition! She said, "they've tried to fatten me giving me everything. But I did not become fat. Then they fattened me with cucumber and ripe dates and I gained!" Ayisha was quite correct, as we now know that one-kilogram of dates contains nearly 3,000 calories, which alone are sufficient to supply the minimum daily requirements of an active man for one full day.

Dates are rich in several vitamins and minerals. When the level of trace elements falls in the body, the health of the blood vessels is affected leading to an increased heart rate and a consequent inability to perform its function with normal efficiency. As dates are also rich in calcium, they help strengthen the bones. When the calcium content in the body decreases, children are affected with rickets and the bones of adults become brittle and weak.

Dates are also important in keeping up the health of eyes. It is quite effective in guarding against night-blindness. In the early years of Islam, dates served as food for Muslim warriors. They used to carry them in special bags hung at their sides. They are the best stimulant for muscles and so the best food for a warrior about to engage in battle.

The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) used to combine dates with bread sometimes. At other times he mixed ripe dates with cucumber, or dates combined with ghee. He used to take all varieties of dates, but he preferred the variety called Ajwah.

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MAKE A DATE WITH DATES

Dates are ancient fruit enjoyed by people for thousands of years. The date palm and dates are mentioned in the Quran a number of times. Perhaps the most notable is the mention in connection with Maryam (the Virgin Mary), alaihas salaam (peace be upon her). When her labor pains began and she was about to deliver 'Issa (Jesus), alaihis salaam, she felt bad and wished she had never been born. She rested at a date palm tree and ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, informs us of what happened in Surat Maryam:
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree: she cried (in her anguish) "Ah! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!" But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm tree): "Grieve not! For thy Lord has provided a rivulet beneath you; And shake towards you the trunk of the palm tree; it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon you. So eat and drink and cool (your) eye. And if you see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (ALLAH) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being'". (Maryam: 23-26)

This gives a glimpse into the benefits of the date palm. It gave a resting place to Maryam, alaihas salaam, a woman experiencing the pain of childbirth and in anguish over delivering a baby out of wedlock. It also provided her food for nourishment and sustenance during childbirth. ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, could have provided her with any choice of food and yet, HE chose the date as the proper food for a woman in labor.

Even the Pharaohs recognized the value of dates and they etched drawings of dates on the walls of their temples.

There are over 4000 varieties of dates in the world. Dates require a warm, moist climate to grow and the hotter, the better. They grow in many regions of the world, from Malaysia to India, to the Middle East and North Africa and the warm regions of North America.

There are male and female date palms and fertilization must occur for dates to be formed. Female flowers produce the fruit and male flowers produce the pollen. A healthy male palm tree can pollinate fifty female palm trees.

Whenever a date seed is being planted, a new kind of date is originated. For the same variety of dates, an offshoot must be planted. The offshoots develop produces near the base of the palm. It usually takes 5 to 10 years for an offshoot to develop a root system. When it takes root, it is safe to remove it and plant it elsewhere. After relocation, it takes another 10 or so to mature and fully bear fruits.

Each variety of dates has a distinctive taste and texture. Some dates are soft and contain lots of moisture while others are dry with little moisture. Most contain a large amount of sugar, which is 100% soluble. Dates also contain fiber, vitamins, hormones, minerals and enzymes. Dates are a complete food and one can sustain themselves on dates alone. In fact, many civilizations have done just that. We know that the main staple of the Muslims in the early days was a diet of dates. To this day, there are farmers and other Arabs whose main source of nutrition and sustenance are dates.

Modern science has confirmed a number of facts about dates:

They are rich in nutrients, they are easy to digest, and are good for childbearing women and for the fetuses they bear.
They contain hormones that help strengthen the uterus to prepare for childbirth and to return the uterus to the pre-pregnancy state after childbirth.
They contain hormones that help produce milk in for nursing mothers.
They contain a hormone that reduces bleeding. This is especially useful during childbirth.
They contain a high concentration of easy to digest sugars, which give quick energy. This is good for everyone, and especially for women in labor and those breaking their fast at the end of the day.
They contain fiber, which is useful in digestion and helps reduce cholesterol and a small amount of protein and amino acids, the essential building blocks of man.
They also contain lipids, vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, a number of B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B-6), pantothenic acid and phosphorus.
Dates are believed to increase virility, to help people suffering from bronchitis and respiratory ailments, and to protect from infectious diseases such as malaria. And they are cholesterol free.
Dates can be eaten raw, used in cooking, or in various products, including confectionery, bakery, cereals, and sauces. While alcohol can be produced from dates, this is against Islamic guidance and most medical advice.

In fact, there are at least three stages when dates can be eaten. The first stage is when they are still yellow and somewhat raw. At that stage they are form a perhaps a little tart. The next stage is when they begin to ripen and become softer with dark spots. This is the stage when Maryam, alaihas salaam, ate the dates during childbirth. The final stage is when they have ripened and are their final color. They have dried out some and become shriveled up. This is the most familiar stage of dates.

There are a may Ahadith about dates. To quote a few:

Ibn Umar, radiya ALLAHu anhuma, (may ALLAH be pleased with them) narrates that the Prophet, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, asked: There is a tree whose leaves do not shed and it is similar to a Muslim, so tell me about it. We were silent and I thought it was the date palm but I was to shy too speak, so we said, Tell us what it is. He, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, said: It is the date palm. (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

Sa'd, radiya ALLAHu anhu, narrates that the Prophet, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, said: Whoever awakens to eat 7 dates of the 'Ajwa variety, will not be harmed by poison or black magic. (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

'Aisha, radiya ALLAHu anha, narrated that the Prophet, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, said: A household with dates will never go hungry. (Reported by Ad-Darimi)

In other Ahadith we learn that the Prophet, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, recommended those who are fasting to break their fast, at sunset, by eating an uneven number of dates. If they have none, they should drink water and in some narrations milk.

It seems you cannot go wrong with dates, so start your day with 1, 3, 5 or 7 pieces of dates and see what a difference it will make