Our blessed dates palm

We all like to eat dates, we see it as an regular thing, but we might don't knw the importance they have in to our lives. I like so much dates, especially my favorite cake named "ma'3mool" it's a kind of biscuit filled with dates and some flavours.

In Ramadan we , muslims break our fast with dates and water , but also they are consummed in the regular days.

The history of dates in the lives of the Arabian Peninsula is very ancient. Dates are produced from the Palm tree which is a part of the Saudi emblem.The Kingdom is considered as one of the world's major producer of dates, with its annual production reaching 800,000 tons.

One ancient Muslim tale describes the date palm as the chief food created by God to nourish Adam in the guardian of Eden. The palm was also said to have been the building material for Mohammed's (saw) home. Dates were Mohammed's(saw) favorite fruit and there are some 26 references to them in the Qur'an.

Dates are rich in many different kinds of minerals and vitamins. They contain fat, sugar, proteins, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, copper, manganese and magnesium. Combining dates and milk results in a self-sufficient food.

In Ramadan, Muslims break their fasting with dates. Thus, they cannot eat much food directly after eating dates. This is because dates contain sugar in which its absence is the main reason of the hunger feeling. When the body absorbs the sugar of the dates, the feeling of hunger disappears. Eating dates before the main meal can help in avoiding excessive eating.

Recent experiments approves that dates contain some stimulants that strengthen the uterus muscles in the final months of pregnancy. This fact is already known by Muslims when they read Quran.

The Quran mentions the story of Mariam or Mary (The mother of Jesus) when she felt labor pains and she was told to eat dates.

Allah says: " And shake the trunk of the date-palm towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe-dates upon you. " (19:25)