Dates: A Source of Goodness In All Stages of Life

Hayaa Azmi – The American Muslim Society for Science, Engineering, and Medicine

Dates are one of the most common fruits mentioned in Islam, and for good reason. From the sunnah of eating dates to break the fast to Allah (SWT) guiding Maryam (May Allah be pleased with her) to eat dates to help ease her labor pains, and also the practice of Tahneek in newborn babies, dates have a wide range of benefits. 

Dates contain high natural sugars, but their glycemic index (GI) is low compared to other fruits (Awan et al. 2025). The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a specific food can raise the body’s blood sugar; the lower the GI, the slower blood sugar rises; the higher the GI, the faster it rises, also known as a spike (MedlinePlus, 2022). 

The low GI nature of dates makes them a beneficial fruit to break fasts with, especially during Ramadan, when Muslims go without food and water for 12 to 20 hours, because it allows for a more gradual rise in blood sugar rather than a harsh, temporary spike. Eating dates to break fast is a documented sunnah in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 696, where “Anas bin Malik narrated: “The Messenger of Allah would break the fast with fresh dates before performing Salat. If there were no fresh dates, then (he would break the fast) with dried dates, and if there were no dried dates, then he would take a few sips of water” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 696 - The Book on Fasting,- Sunnah.com).

In addition to helping stabilize blood sugar, dates are also shown to benefit women throughout their pregnancy. In a 2025 study conducted by researchers and clinicians at the Institute for Women’s and Maternity Health Protection Sarajevo, it was found that women who consumed dates during pregnancy had a much shorter labor duration than those who did not (El-Ardat et al., 2025). It was also found that consuming dates increased energy storage and strengthened uterine muscles, making birth easier (El-Ardat et al., 2025). 

Furthermore, the consumption of dates also significantly reduces postpartum hemorrhage, which is a dangerous, but unfortunately common result of childbirth (‌Harun et al., 2021). Eating dates to ease the burden of pregnancy isn’t new; it was a medicine prescribed by Allah (Glory be to Him) to Maryam (May Allah be pleased with her) when she was giving birth to Prophet ‘Isa (peace be upon him): “And shake the trunk of this palm tree towards you, it will drop fresh, ripe dates upon you.” Quran 19:25 (Tafsir Surah Maryam - 25 - Quran.com). 

Just as dates are beneficial to a mother’s health during  pregnancy, they are also beneficial to the newborn baby. In the very early days of the baby’s life, doctors perform various diagnostic tests to rule out any serious health conditions. One such test is the heel prick test, which, as it sounds, involves the doctor pricking the heel to collect a small blood sample. 

As it so happens, the baby’s body is very sensitive and will cry out in pain. To avoid giving the baby a painkiller drug so early on, researchers found that providing them with sucrose instead has pain-relieving effects and allows the baby’s body to calm down and regulate itself again (Harun et al., 2021;‌ Bueno et al., 2013; ‌Valeri et al., 2018). This is a common practice in Islam called Tahneek, which is the practice of chewing a date to soften it and then rubbing the softened date on the palate (roof of the mouth) of the baby (‌What Are Islamic Procedures & Protocols for Receiving a Newborn Baby? - Islamic Association of Raleigh, 2023). Hadiths recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari document that Tahneek was performed by the Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings be upon him) 1400 years ago (Sahih Al-Bukhari 1502 - Obligatory Charity Tax (Zakat) - كتاب الزكاة - Sunnah.com). 

Dates and date recipes are gaining more traction as further research on their health benefits is published. The nutritional value of dates covers all stages of life: from alleviating pain in newborns, helping women through pregnancy, and even managing blood sugar in the fasting person. However, the knowledge in all the above research was already shared 1400 years ago through the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings be upon him) and the Quran; Western science confirms what Islam already teaches. 

References

1. Awan, K. A., Yaqoob, S., Ul-Haq, I., Naveed, H., Imtiaz, A., Shaukat, A., Sultan, W., Qian, J.-Y., Alum, E. U., & Shen, Q. (2025). Therapeutic Power of Date Fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.): A Nutrient-Rich Superfood for Holistic Health and Disease Prevention. Food Science & Nutrition, 13(9), e70896. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.70896
2. MedlinePlus. (2022, November 3). Glycemic index and diabetes: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Medlineplus.gov. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000941.htm
3. Jami` at-Tirmidhi 696 - The Book on Fasting - كتاب الصوم عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم). (2026). Sunnah.com. https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:696
4. El-Ardat, M. A., Obradovic, Z., Saldo, D., Minela Velagic, Omeragic, A., & Nedim Galijasevic. (2025). The Effects of Date Consumption on Labor and Vaginal Birth. Medical Archives, 79(1), 56–56. https://doi.org/10.5455/medarh.2025.79.56-60
5. Harun, M. A. W., Abdullah, A., Mohamad, A. M., & Baharuddin, A. S. (2021). Honey-borne infant botulism in tahnik practice: an explanation of the risk and its solutions. Food Research, 5(3), 431–437. https://doi.org/10.26656/fr.2017.5(3).751
6. Tafsir Surah Maryam - 25 - Quran.com. (2026). Quran.com. https://quran.com/19:25/tafsirs/en-tafisr-ibn-kathir
7. Bueno, M., Yamada, J., Harrison, D., Khan, S., Ohlsson, A., Adams-Webber, T., Beyene, J., & Stevens, B. (2013). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Nonsucrose Sweet Solutions for Pain Relief in Neonates. Pain Research and Management, 18(3), 153–161. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/956549
8. Valeri, B. O., Gaspardo, C. M., Martinez, F. E., & Linhares, M. B. M. (2018). Effectiveness of Sucrose Used Routinely for Pain Relief and Neonatal Clinical Risk in Preterm Infants. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 1. https://doi.org/10.1097/ajp.0000000000000584
9. What are Islamic procedures & protocols for receiving a newborn baby? - Islamic Association of Raleigh. (2023, March 7). Islamic Association of Raleigh. https://raleighmasjid.org/fiqh/manners-ethics/what-are-islamic-procedures-protocols-for-receiving-a-newborn-baby/
10. Sahih al-Bukhari 1502 - Obligatory Charity Tax (Zakat) - كتاب الزكاة - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم). (2026). Sunnah.com. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1502