رَبَّنَا أَنزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاء تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيداً لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَآخِرِنَا وَآيَةً مِّنكَ وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ

Prophet's Guidance on treating diseases of heart

روى أبو داود فى سننه من حديث مُجاهدٍ، عن سعد، قال: مَرضتُ مرضاً، فأتَانِى رسولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يَعُودنى، فَوَضَعَ يَدَه بين ثَديَىَّ حَتَّى وَجَدتُ بَرْدَها على فؤادى، وقال لى: إنَّكَ رجُلٌ مَفْؤُودٌ فأْتِ الحارَثَ بن كَلَدَةَ من ثَقِيفٍ، فإنَّه رجلٌ يتطبَّبُ، فلْيأْخُذْ سبعَ تَمَراتٍ من عَجْوَةِ المدينةِ، فلْيَجأْهُنَّ بِنَواهُنَّ، ثم لِيَلُدَّكَ بِهِنَّ

Abu Dawood narrated that Sad Radi Allaho Anh said, "Once I became ill and the Messenger of Allah Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam came to visit me and placed his hand on the center of my chest, until I felt its coldness on my heart. He then said: "You ore complaining from your heart. Go to ­Harith bin Kaladah, (from the tribe) of Thaqhif for he knows about medicine. Let him take seven dates from ­Madinah's Ajwah; grind them with their seeds and then give them to you".

Dates in general and dried dates in particular, especially from Madinah Munawwarah, possess tremendous qualities and are especially effective in treating heart ailments. Using seven dates is another quality that can only be known through the revelation. In the Sahihain, it is narrated that Sad bin Abi Waqqas Radi Allaho Anh reported that The Messenger of Allah said:

مَنْ تَصَبَّحَ بسبعِ تَمَرَاتٍ من تَمْرِ العَالِيَة لم يَضُرَّهُ ذلك اليومَ سَمٌ ولا سِحْرٌ

"Whoever eats seven dates from the area of Al­-Aaliah when he gets up in the morning then no poison or magic would harm him that day". In another narration, Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam said:

مَن أكل سَبْعَ تمراتٍ ممَّا بَيْن لاَبَتَيْها حينَ يُصبحُ، لم يَضُرَّهُ سَمٌ حتى يُمْسِى

"Whoever eats seven dotes produced between the two areas in Madinah (that are covered with burned black stones) in the morning, will not be harmed by poison until he reaches the night".

Dates are warm in the second degree and dry in the first degree. Dates constitute a good type of nutrition, especially for those whose regular diet contains dates, such as the people of Madinah. Dates are the best type of food for the residents of hot and mildly warm countries, more so than for the residents of cold areas who have an elevated inner temperature, whereas those in warm areas have a colder inner temperature. This is why the people in Hijaz, Yemen and Taif, and similar areas eat hot foods such as dates and honey. They use pepper and ginger in their food more than other areas; sometimes ten fold as much. Some of them even eat Zanjabeel (Ginger) just as other people eat sweets. They even transport these types of foods with them when traveling. As we have stated, these types of food are suitable for the residents of warm areas and do not harm them because of the lower inner temperature of their bodies. On a similar note, we should mention that well water becomes colder during summer and warmer during winter. Furthermore, the stomach digests thick (or complex) foods in winter more than during summer. For the people of Madinah, dried dates are their staple like wheat is to other people. In addition, dried dates from the area of Al-Aaliyah in Madinah are one of the best kinds of dates because they are firm, delicious and sweet. Dates are a type of fruit that is used for its nutritional and medicinal value, being favorable for most bodies and for their role in strengthening the natural heat. In addition, dates do not produce harmful wastes or excrements such as the other types of foods and fruits. Rather, dates preserve the bodily wastes from being spoiled and from rotting, especially for those used to eating dried dates.

The Hadith we mentioned about dried dates (in the beginning of the chapter) is specifically for the people of Madinah and surrounding areas. It is a fact that the medicinal value of the herbs and plants that grow in certain areas is closely related to the quality of the air and the type of soil in those areas. A certain medicinal herb might be useful in its natural habitat but not if it is grown elsewhere. The various lands differ in their nature and characteristics, just as people differ from each other. Sometimes, a certain type of plant might be a regular staple in the diet in a certain area, while it is poisonous in other areas. Sometimes, certain remedies that people use in a certain land might be a regular staple for other people in another area. Some types of medicine might provide a cure for some illnesses for some people; while curing other kinds of diseases for other people. Using seven dates has a spiritual and material significance. Allah Has Created seven heavens, seven earths, seven days in the week and Made the creation of mankind pass through seven stages. In addition, Allah Made the Tawaaf seven circumambulations; and the Sa'ee as seven trips between Safa and Marwah. In addition, the Jamraat are stoned with seven pebbles each. Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam said about young children,

"Command him to pray upon reaching the age of seven".

In addition, when the child reaches the age of seven, he is given the choice between his father and mother, according to some opinions. When our beloved Prophet was ill, he ordered that water be poured on him from seven different water skins. Allah Has Sent the destructive wind on the people of Aad for seven consecutive nights. Furthermore, when Allah Gave the example of charity, He compared it to a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. In addition, the ears of corn that the king saw during the time of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) were seven and the number of the years during which the king’s people would farm the land was seven. Charity is multiplied seven hundred times to much more. Further, there are seventy thousand members of the Muslim Ummah (Nation) who will enter Jannah (Paradise) without questioning. The number seven has a special significance more than other numbers and only Allah Has full knowledge of the wisdom behind choosing this number above other numbers.

The Hadith mentioned that eating seven dates from a certain area in Madinah prevents poisoning and magic, indicating the special qualities of this type of date. Had it been Hippocrates or Galinus who issued this statement rather than the Prophet, the doctors would quickly accept the statement without question, even though they would be issuing it based on guessing and not on fact. The statements that come from our beloved Prophet, whose words are certainly true and divinely revealed, deserve to be believed in more and submitted to, without any hesitation or denial.

The dried dates mentioned in Hadith are being useful against certain poisons. Furthermore; we should state here that it is a condition that the sick person should believe that the medicine will help him, so that his body accepts it and benefits from it. It is a fact that sometimes (merely believing), the medicine will help cure some ailments, as many people have witnessed in this regard. When the heart accepts that a certain medicine carries the cure, the body will feel an elevation in its strength and in the instinctive heat that will help the body get rid of and extract out the harmful substances. On the other hand, sometimes an effective medicine fails to work because the patient does not believe that it will cure him, and consequently, his body neither accepts it, nor benefits from it. Even the Quran, which is the best, most beneficial remedy ever, both in this life and in the Hereafter, and which is a cure for every disease, will not benefit the heart that does not believe in its value as a cure and a remedy. Rather, the Quran only adds more disease to such evil hearts.

There is not a more effective cure for the diseases of the heart than the Quran, for it completely eradicates the ills of the heart, preserves the heart’s health and wellbeing and defends it against all that might bring harm to it. Yet, most of the hearts ignore the Quran and do not believe in it, and thus refrain from using it. Instead, such people refer to other types of medicine that were prepared by their like from among mankind, thus preventing their hearts from benefiting from the Quran. Consequently, the symptoms that attacked their hearts will persist and will expose their hearts to even more ailments. By the passage of time, both the doctors and the patients will get used to the medicines produced and prescribed by their like, leaders, or those whom they respect. In this case, disasters will accumulate and the diseases will become harder to cure. And the more they (those who ignore the Quran) use these medicines, the more strength they will add to the ailment.