THE FIG AND THE OLIVE

When Allah Swears By Something, It Is No Little Thing … AND ALLAH SWORE BY THE FIG AND THE OLIVE IN THE QUR’AN

A sister narrates thus:

“After I gave birth to my son, I was very ill and very weak for quite some time. So my mother in law prepared for me a jar of dried figs soaked in olive oil.

My mother in law is from Algeria and she doesn’t speak English so we get by using a mix of Derja and broken Arabic. She started telling me about the health benefits of dried figs and olive oil, and she recited وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ and said: “When Allah عز و جل swears by something, it is no little thing!”

She told me that in Algeria they put the figs in a glass container and pour olive oil over the top until they are completely covered. The figs should be split open first before adding the oil. Ideally, the jar should then be left in a cool place for 40 days to allow the figs to properly absorb the oil. When the figs are ready, they should be eaten first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Just before Ramadhan we had got in the habit of preparing jars of figs and we would eat them before anything else in the morning, and they were very beneficial as part of Suhoor since that have similar properties to dates, they release energy slowly and are high in fibre, which helps keep you full for longer.”

Note:

Figs are naturally high in calcium and are a perfect substitute for those who cannot tolerate dairy. They also contain antioxidants and are high in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats which help prevent coronary heart attacks.

They also contain high levels of iron and can help combat anaemia.

Figs also help regulate and lower blood pressure and when mixed with olive oil, can help resolve all manner of stomach troubles. It is also proven to cleanse the kidneys and bladder of stones.

Figs can also be consumed as an infusion (40g of dried fruit per litre of water) to help cure respiratory infections, throat infections and coughs.

Scientists have also experimented with the distilled juice of figs to treat cancer patients with inoperable tumours. They found that in those treated with figs, the cancer cells were halted and some cells even reverted to their normal state causing the tumours to shrink.

[Source: Islamic Medicine by Yusuf Al-Hajj Ahmad, pg. 178-181]