A Story and a Miracle
A Bunch of Dates
Arshad Aslam ‘Attari Madani
Suhayb opened the fridge to find a huge bunch of dates inside. “Look how many there are!” Beaming with happiness, he put a date in his mouth and took another in his hand. “Who brought this many dates?”
“Granddad asked for them,” his sister, Umm Habiba replied.
“It’s not even the month of Ramadan,” Suhayb asked, “why has Granddad ordered so many dates?”
Hearing this, Khubayb said, “Only Granddad himself can tell us this.”
When Suhayb and Khubayb returned from tuition in the evening, Umm Habiba said, “Granddad is here. I was waiting for you, quickly put your bags away so we can go to him!”
Khubayb put down his bag and said, “One minute, let me just drink some water and I’ll come.”
In the other room, Granddad was eating dates. Seeing all three of them approaching, he asked, “Will you eat some dates first or ask your question?” Umm Habiba exclaimed, “How did you know, Granddad?”
Granddad replied smilingly, “When you all come together, I know that you have come to ask something. So, tell me, what have you come to ask about?”
Khubayb asked, “Why did you order so many dates?”
Granddad replied, “I should have ordered more dates actually.”
Umm Habiba inquired, “Why is that?”
“Dates have many benefits. When you hear how good they are, you will eat all of them in one day,” exclaimed Granddad.
“Really?” Umm Habiba asked. “Please tell us quickly.” All three quickly picked up a date each.
Granddad began to explain:
Our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم loved dates.
* Dates cure many illnesses, such as coughing, as well as liver and heart disease.
* Eating dates causes wounds to heal quickly.
* Dates are an excellent medicine for jaundice.
* Dates are beneficial for the one who has become weak due to not eating.
* Boiling dates in milk and eating them gives a person a lot of energy.
These were some benefits of eating dates, but there are also many benefits of burning a date seed and grinding it into powder. Let me tell you about them too!
* Cleaning teeth with this powder makes them white and sparkly.
* Applying this powder to a cut or wound can stem the bleeding.
After saying all of this, Granddad was silent for a moment. After a moment, he then said “I will now tell you about a miracle of the final Prophet of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. A man came to our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and said, ‘How can I believe that you are a Prophet of Allah Almighty?’”
“Why did the man say this?” snapped Umm Habiba.
Granddad replied, “Some disbelievers would ask our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم questions like this, and some people would even ask for signs. They would say, ‘Show us a sign if you are really a Prophet of Allah Almighty.’ So, he would show them a miracle, and many fortunate people became Muslim like this.”
“Did our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم show him a miracle?” asked Khubayb.
Granddad beamed:
Yes, he did show him. There was a palm tree nearby which had many dates hanging from it. Our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said to the man, “If I call this bunch of dates and it comes to me, will you accept me as the Messenger of Allah?” “Yes,” the man cried. So, our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم called the bunch of dates, and it removed itself from the tree and came to him. Then he commanded it again, so it returned to its place on the tree. Seeing this miracle of his, the man immediately became a Muslim.[1]
Overcome with delight, they all exclaimed, “سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه!”
Umm Habiba then asked, “Granddad, shall I bring some more dates for you?”
“I forgot to mention one thing,” Granddad interjected, “do not eat too many dates, or you may fall ill.”
“How many should we eat then?” asked Suhayb
“I think 3 each are enough,” he said smilingly.
Suhayb said, “We will only eat this many dates from now, Granddad.”
Saying this, the children went to eat the dates together.
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