Spiritual delights of Fasting ramadhan (12)

Today on the 12th day of the blessed month of Ramadhan, we start our daily programme titled “Spiritual Delights of Fasting Ramadhan” with the special supplication for the day:

“O Allah! Adorn me this day with modesty and chastity, and cover me in it with the garments of contentment and sufficiency! Urge me therein toward justice and fairness, and grant me security in it from all that I fear; with Your protection, O Preserver of the frightened!”

It is highly recommended to break the fast with a date, or even half-a-date. The rewards are with God, while the benefits for the body are also numerous, in view of the nutrients packed in this particular fruit. It is interesting to note that Iran’s juicy black dates, grown mostly in Bam near Kerman, where snow falls in winter, are prized around the world for their unique taste. Moreover, these black dates of Bam, unlike the brown dates produced in Khuzestan (southwestern Iran) and the Arab countries, do not cause stomach upset if eaten generously. Perhaps this is the reason the dates of Bam are in great demand in the Subcontinent and Southeastern Asia, as well as in the Persian Gulf Arab states to our south.

In Iran, dates are often filled with almonds, walnuts, pistachios, candied orange and cream cheese. They can also be chopped and used with fruit salad and used in a range of sweet and savory dishes. 

What nutrients are there in dates? A lot indeed! Here are sweet, delicious fruits from the tropical oasis, brimming with much-needed minerals and energy to help you stay fit and healthy.

Botanically; these are the fruits which grow on the palm tree. Scientifically named as “Phoenix Dactylifera”, the tree is believed to have originated in the lands on the banks of the River Euphrates in Mesopotamia or modern day Iraq and the banks of the River Nile in ancient Egypt. Date palm is now grown extensively for its edible fruits under warmer climates across all the continents. The date fruit is a "drupe" in which the outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. The fruit is oval to cylindrical in shape, averaging 3-to-7 cm long, and 2-to-3 cm diameter. When ripe, it ranges from bright red to depending on the variety.

Wonderfully delicious, dates are one of the most popular fruits packed with an impressive list of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are required for normal growth, development and overall well-being. Fresh dates compose of soft, easily digestible flesh and simple sugars like fructose and dextrose. When eaten, they replenish energy and revitalize the body instantly. For these qualities, they are used to break the fast during the blessed month of Ramadhan ever since the advent of Islam. A famous hadith from Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) says: “Keep yourself away from the fire of hell, though it may consist of only half a date or even some water if you have nothing else.” 

The purport of this hadith is obvious, since date fruit is rich in dietary fiber, which prevents LDL cholesterol absorption in the gut. Additionally, the fiber works as a bulk laxative. It, thus, helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time and as well as binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon. They contain health-benefiting flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants known as tannins. Tannins are known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic properties that act as prevention against easy bleeding tendons.

Dates contain moderate sources of vitamin-A, which is known to have antioxidant properties and essential for vision. Additionally, they help maintain healthy mucus membranes and skin. It is important to note that consumption of natural fruits rich in vitamin A is known to help to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers. The antioxidant flavonoids in dates have the ability to protect cells and other structures in the body from harmful effects of oxygen-free radicals. Thus, eating dates is a sort of protection from colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers. Dates also provide protection against age-related macular degeneration, especially in elderly populations.

Dates are an excellent source of iron, and iron being a component of hemoglobin inside the red blood cells, determines the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Further, they are very good in potassium. 100 g contains 696 mg or 16% of daily-recommended levels of this electrolyte. The potassium in dates is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Dates, thus offer protection against stroke and coronary heart diseases. They are also rich in minerals like calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. Calcium is an important mineral that is an essential constituent of bone and teeth, and required by the body for muscle contraction, blood clotting, and nerve impulse conduction. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, and is essential to bone growth, while copper is required for the production of red blood cells. Further, the date fruit has adequate levels of B-complex group of vitamins as well as vitamin K, in addition to containing very good amounts of vitamin B-6. These vitamins act as cofactors to help the body metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fats.

Let us now present the translation of a supplication that is highly recommended to be recited every night of blessed Ramadhan:

“O Allah, admit us with Your mercy into the fold of the righteous; exalt us in the highest heavens; give us to drink from the clear Fountain of Salsabeel; and, with Your mercy, wed as to the black-eyed Houries; have us waited upon by eternal youths as if they were hidden pearls; and give us to eat of the fruits of paradise, and the meat of its fowls; clothe us in the garments of silk and brocade! Enable us to witness the Night of Ordainment and to perform the Hajj of Your sacred House, and to attain martyrdom in Your path. Answer our upright supplications and requests (O our Creator! Hear us and answer our petitions), and have mercy upon us when You gather the former and later generations on the Day of Resurrection, and write us a writ sparing us from the Fire. Do not put us in chains in hell, and do not afflict on us Your punishment and humiliation, and do not make us eat from Zaqqum and Zareeh! Do not place us along with the satans and do not cast us into the hellfire, falling on our faces, and do not clothe us in the garments of fire and cloaks of pitch! Deliver us from every evil, O You, besides whom there is no God, for the sake of ‘There is no God except You’!

AS/SS