Plants in Qur’an: Date Palm

Plants are regarded as one of the countless favors of Allah. As one reads in Surah Ar-Rahman, “So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?” (Surat Ar-Rahman 55:13).

If humankind attempted to count the blessings of this one favor of Allah, the plant kingdom, it would not be able to fathom the Greatness of the Creator.

“If we would count up the favors of Allah. Never would ye be able to number them. For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.” (Surat Al-Kahf 16:18).

In this three-part series, we will draw on the work of Dr. Iqtidar Faruqi’s Plants of the Qur’an to discuss three of the plants mentioned in the Qur’an and look at their characteristics, uses and benefits in our lives. The first of these is the date palm.

Date Palm: King of Oasis

The date palm, mentioned more than any other fruit-bearing plant in the Qur’an, is a symbol often associated with Islam and Muslims. Throughout the month of Ramadan, dates are a common ingredient in the Muslim diet.

The delectable fruit is sourced from the date palms of Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and even South Africa. Muslims begin and end their day of fasting with its sweet and nourishing flesh.

Phoenix dactylifera is the botanical name for the date palm. It is also referred to as nakhl in Arabic. Meanwhile, the fruit of the date palm is called tamr in many Arab and African countries.

The date palm is a tall evergreen and consists of both male and female trees (called dioecious). Only the female trees produce fruit, but one male tree can produce enough pollen to pollinate 40-50 female trees.

At Times of War

Prior to the advent of Islam, date palms, particularly the highly valued male trees, were often cut down and destroyed in battles between tribes. However, this practice was strongly discouraged by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and subsequent leaders and viewed as an act of “sacrilege on this earth” (Farooqi, 1997).

During military expeditions, soldiers were instructed not to harm innocent people, nor to cut down any vegetation. However, during the siege of the Banu Nadir tribe in Madinah, Muslims were forced to cut down date palms to “facilitate the movement of the army” (Farooqi, 1997).

The Banu Nadir were angry and wanted to know how the Prophet, “who always forbade corruption and injustice and castigated their perpetrators” (Haykal, 1990), could command the destruction of their orchards. This act greatly saddened the Muslims but was deemed necessary. A verse was revealed at this time that indicated the permissibility of their action in these circumstances.

“And what you (O Muslims) cut down of the palm-trees (of the enemy), or you left them standing on their stems, it was by leave of Allah, and in order that He might disgrace the Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah).” (Surat Al-Hashr 59:5).

Palm Basics