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A narration regarding the date palm

What is status of following narration?

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أكرموا عمتكم النخلة فإنها خلقت من الطين الذي خلق منه آدم وليس من الشجر يلقح غيرها، وقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أطعموا نساءكم الولد الرطب فإن لم يكن رطب فالتمر وليس من الشجر أكرم على الله من شجرة نزلت تحتها مريم بنت عمران

Answer

Imam Abu Ya’la (rahimahullah) and other Muhaddithun have recorded this Hadith on the authority of Sayyiduna ‘Ali (radiyallahu ‘anhu).

(Musnad Abi Ya’la, Hadith: 455)

Gist of the narration:

Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) advised to honour the date palm by taking care of it since it has been created from soil which Adam (‘alayhis salam) had been created from. Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) also advised to feed pregnant women who are due to give birth, fresh dates. If these are unavailable then they should eat dry dates. Maryam (‘alayhas salam) also took refuge under a date palm when giving birth to ‘Isa (‘alayhis salam) [and consumed dates].

(Refer: Faydul Qadir, Hadith: 1432)

Authenticity:

Some Muhaddithun have sufficed on declaring the Hadith weak due to a problematic narrator and have further mentioned that there is an omission in the chain.

However other Muhaddithun have declared the Hadith extremely weak and some have also declared it a fabrication. Imam Ibn ‘Adiy (rahimahullah) has declared the text unreliable (munkar). ‘Allamah Dhahabi (rahimahullah) has declared this problematic narrator extremely weak (wahin). Shaykh Ahmad Siddiq Al Ghumari (rahimahullah) has declared the Hadith a fabrication and the text unreliable (nakaratu lafzihi wa ma’nahu).

(Kitabul Majruhin Minal Muhaddithin of Imam Ibn Hibban, vol. 2 pg. 386, Al Kamil, vol. 10 pg. 38, Talkhisu Kitabil Mawdu’at of ‘Allamah Dhahabi, Hadith: 83, Lisanul Mizan, vol. 8 pg. 38, number: 7677, Al Mudawi, Hadith: 733 and Fathul Bari, Hadith: 61, vol. 1 pg. 147. Also see: Fathul Bari, before Hadith: 5442, Al Maqasidul Hasanah, Hadith: 156, Majma’uz Zawaid, vol. 5 pg. 39 and pg. 89, Tanzihush Sharia’h, vol. 1 pg. 209 and Al Matalibul ‘Aliyah with footnotes, Hadith: 2419)

Note:

Certain parts of the Hadith in question do have substantiation from other texts like eating dates after childbirth and can be practiced upon. See here.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.

Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala

Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar

This answer was collected from HadithAnswers.com. The answers were either answered or checked by Moulana Haroon Abasoomar (rahimahullah) who was a Shaykhul Hadith in South Africa, or by his son, Moulana Muhammad Abasoomer (hafizahullah), who is a Hadith specialist. 

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