🌿 ** SUNNAH FOODS **
**Foods Mentioned in the Qur’an & Sunnah**
🍽️ Simple Blessings • Prophetic Guidance • Gratitude • Moderation
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🌿 ** AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS ** 🌿
*“Learn the Sunnah. Live the Sunnah. Be grateful for the blessings.”*
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🍃 INTRODUCTION — FOOD AS A BLESSING
Food is one of the everyday blessings of Allah ﷻ.
We eat every day, yet it is easy to forget how much mercy is contained in something as simple as a meal: the food, the water, the ability to eat, the health to digest, and the provision that allowed it to reach our table.
Islam teaches us to appreciate these blessings without turning food into an obsession.
Allah ﷻ says:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُوا مِمَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا
“O mankind, eat from what is lawful and
wholesome on the earth.”
** Qur’an 2:168 **
And Allah ﷻ says:
وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ
“Eat and drink, but do not be excessive. Indeed, He does not love those who commit excess.”
** Qur’an 7:31 **
The Qur’an and Sunnah therefore give us more than a list of foods.
They teach us **what Allah has mentioned, what the Prophet ﷺ ate or praised, how we should behave around food, and how to remain grateful and moderate.**
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Every meal can become a reminder when the heart remembers the One who provided it.”*
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🌴 ① ** التَّمْر — DATES **
Dates are among the foods most clearly associated with the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Allah ﷻ mentions fresh dates in the story of Maryam عليها السلام:
وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ تُسَاقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا
“And shake towards you the trunk of the palm
tree; it will drop upon you fresh, ripe dates.”
** Qur’an 19:25 **
Dates were also a familiar food in the household of the Prophet ﷺ.
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ
« لَا يَجُوعُ أَهْلُ بَيْتٍ عِنْدَهُمُ التَّمْرُ »
ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“A household that has dates will not go
hungry.”
** Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2046a **
Another narration states:
« يَا عَائِشَةُ، بَيْتٌ لَا تَمْرَ فِيهِ جِيَاعٌ أَهْلُهُ »
“O ʿĀʾishah, a house in which there are no dates its people will be hungry.”
** Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2046b **
Dates were also connected with the Prophet’s ﷺ manner of breaking his fast, with fresh dates, dry dates, or water being mentioned in the well-known narration of Anas رضي الله عنه.
🌴 A LESSON FOR TODAY
In a world filled with highly processed sweets and sugary snacks, dates remind us that sweetness can be found in something simple and natural.
The point is not that every person must eat dates every day.
Rather, it is to appreciate a food that Allah ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ gave special mention.
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🌿 ** AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS ** 🌿
*“Sometimes the simplest food carries the greatest reminder of gratitude.”*
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🫒 ② ** الزَّيْتُون — OLIVES & OLIVE OIL
The olive is mentioned explicitly in the Qur’an.
Allah ﷻ says:
وَشَجَرَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ تَنْبُتُ بِالدُّهْنِ وَصِبْغٍ لِلْآكِلِينَ
“And a tree that grows out of Mount Sinai,
producing oil and a seasoning for those who eat.”
** Qur’an 23:20 **
Allah ﷻ also says:
وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ
“By the fig and the olive.”
** Qur’an 95:1 **
There is also a well-known narration:
عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ
« كُلُوا الزَّيْتَ وَادَّهِنُوا بِهِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ »
“Eat the oil and use it, for it comes from a
blessed tree.”
** Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī 1851 **
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Look at the blessing, then look beyond it to the wisdom of the One who created it.”*
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🍯 ③ ** العَسَل — HONEY
Honey has a special place in the Qur’an.
Allah ﷻ says:
يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي
ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
“From their bellies comes a drink of different colours in which there is healing for people. Surely in that is a sign for people who reflect.”
** Qur’an 16:69 **
Honey was also used in treatment during the time of the Prophet ﷺ.
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
أَنَّ رَجُلًا أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ أَخِي يَشْتَكِي بَطْنَهُ، فَقَالَ: اسْقِهِ
عَسَلًا
Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه narrated that a man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “My brother is suffering from his abdomen.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Give him honey to drink.”
The man returned more than once, and the
Prophet ﷺ continued to instruct him to give his brother honey. Eventually, the man recovered.
** Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5684 **
The Qur’an describes honey as containing
**healing for people**. This does not mean that every illness should be treated exclusively with honey or that people should abandon appropriate medical treatment.
Rather, honey is a food and blessing to which revelation has given special attention.
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🌿 ** AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS ** 🌿
*“The signs of Allah’s wisdom surround us—even in a drop of honey.”*
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🥛 ④ ** اللَّبَن — MILK
Milk is another blessing specifically mentioned in the Qur’an.
Allah ﷻ says:
وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً ۖ نُسْقِيكُمْ مِمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِنْ بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ
وَدَمٍ لَبَنًا خَالِصًا سَائِغًا لِلشَّارِبِينَ
“And surely in livestock there is a lesson for you. We give you drink from what is within their bellies—from between digested food and blood—pure milk, pleasant to drink.”
** Qur’an 16:66 **
The Prophet ﷺ also drank milk.
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ
« شَرِبَ لَبَنًا فَمَضْمَضَ وَقَالَ: إِنَّ لَهُ دَسَمًا »
Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated that the
Messenger of Allah ﷺ drank milk, rinsed his mouth and said, “It contains fat.”
**Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 211; 5609**
There is also a narration in Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī
containing the duʿāʾ:
« اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَزِدْنَا مِنْهُ »
“O Allah, bless it for us and increase us in it.”
** Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī 3455 **
al-Tirmidhī himself described it as ḥasan
The authentic Bukhārī narrations are sufficient to establish that milk was consumed by the Prophet ﷺ.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“A glass of milk may seem ordinary, but gratitude makes ordinary blessings extraordinary.”*
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🌱 ⑤ ** الحَبَّةُ السَّوْدَاء — BLACK SEED
The black seed, also known as black cumin, is specifically mentioned in authentic Prophetic guidance.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ
« فِي الْحَبَّةِ السَّوْدَاءِ شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءٍ إِلَّا السَّامَ »
**Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:**
“In the black seed there is healing for every disease except death.”
**Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5688**
The word ** السَّام ** means death.
This hadith should be understood as Prophetic guidance and not turned into exaggerated claims that go beyond the revelation.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Follow the guidance as it came, without exaggeration and without neglect.”*
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🌾 ⑥ **الشَّعِير — BARLEY**
Barley was part of the simple food of the household of the Prophet ﷺ.
ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها said:
مَا شَبِعَ آلُ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ مِنْ خُبْزِ شَعِيرٍ يَوْمَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ حَتَّى
قُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ
**“The family of Muhammad ﷺ never ate their fill of barley bread for two consecutive days until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away.”**
** Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2970c **
This narration gives us a glimpse into the simplicity of the Prophet’s ﷺ household.
It does **not** mean that barley bread is the only bread Muslims should eat.
Rather, it reminds us that a dignified and blessed life does not depend upon luxury.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Contentment is not having everything; it is appreciating what Allah has given.”*
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🎃 ⑦ ** الدُّبَّاء — PUMPKIN / GOURD **
The Prophet ﷺ liked pumpkin or gourd.
Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه narrated:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ
إِنَّ خَيَّاطًا دَعَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِطَعَامٍ صَنَعَهُ ... فَرَأَيْتُهُ يَتَتَبَّعُ
الدُّبَّاءَ مِنْ حَوَالَيِ الْقَصْعَةِ، فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أُحِبُّ الدُّبَّاءَ مِنْ يَوْمِئِذٍ
A tailor invited the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to a meal he had prepared ... and I saw him seeking out the pieces of gourd from around the dish. Since that day I have continued to love gourd.”
** Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5379 **
What a beautiful glimpse into the everyday life of the Prophet ﷺ.
It also shows how closely the Companions رضي الله عنهم observed his habits and how those small details became beloved to them.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Love for the Sunnah can grow through the smallest details of the Prophet’s ﷺ life.”*
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🫙 ⑧ ** الخَلّ — VINEGAR
Vinegar was also praised by the Prophet ﷺ.
Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh رضي الله عنهما narrated:
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ سَأَلَ أَهْلَهُ الْأُدُمَ، فَقَالُوا: مَا عِنْدَنَا إِلَّا خَلٌّ
فَدَعَا بِهِ فَجَعَلَ يَأْكُلُ بِهِ، وَقَالَ
« نِعْمَ الْأُدُمُ الْخَلُّ »
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked his family for a condiment. They said, ‘We have nothing except vinegar.’ He called for it and began eating with it, saying: ‘What an excellent condiment vinegar is.’”
** Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2052a–b **
This is another example of the simplicity of the Prophetic household.
A meal does not have to be expensive or elaborate in order to be appreciated.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“A grateful heart can appreciate what another person might consider insignificant.”*
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💧 ⑨ **الْمَاء — WATER
Water is not technically a “food,” but it is one of the greatest blessings Allah ﷻ has given us.
The Sunnah teaches us manners concerning drinking.
Anas رضي الله عنه narrated:
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَتَنَفَّسُ فِي الشَّرَابِ ثَلَاثًا وَيَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ
أَرْوَى وَأَبْرَأُ وَأَمْرَأُ
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would take three breaths while drinking and say: ‘It is more thirst-quenching, healthier and more wholesome.’”
** Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2028b **
The explanation of the chapter clarifies that these breaths were taken **outside the drinking vessel**, rather than breathing directly into it. The Prophet ﷺ also prohibited breathing into the vessel.
Water may be one of the simplest things we consume, yet without it life cannot continue.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“The blessings we notice least may be the blessings we could never live without.”*
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Allah ﷻ mentions the fig directly in the Qur’an:
وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ
“By the fig and the olive.”
** Qur’an 95:1 **
The mention of figs in the Qur’an is clear.
However, an important distinction should be maintained:
The fact that a food is mentioned in the Qur’an does not automatically mean that there is an established specific Prophetic Sunnah of eating it.
This is why figs should be presented as a **Qur’anic food mention**, rather than attributing a specific Prophetic practice to the Prophet ﷺ without authentic evidence.
This distinction helps us respect both the Qur’an and Sunnah accurately.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Honesty with revelation means giving every proof its proper place.”*
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🍽️ THE SUNNAH IS MORE THAN A LIST OF FOODS
The phrase “Sunnah foods” should not make us think that Islam gives us a restricted menu.
The Prophet ﷺ ate different foods that were available to him.
The Sunnah teaches something much broader:
🌿 HALĀL — حَلَال
Food should be lawful.
🌿ṬAYYIB — طَيِّب
Food should be wholesome and good.
🌿 SHUKR — شُكْر
We should recognize Allah's blessings.
🌿 MODERATION — اعْتِدَال
We should avoid excess.
🌿 ** GOOD MANNERS — آدَاب **
We should eat and drink with proper manners.
🌿 CONTENTMENT — قَنَاعَة
We should not make luxury the measure of happiness.
The Sunnah is therefore not simply about **what is on the plate**.
It is also about **what is in the heart**.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“The Sunnah does not merely teach us what to eat; it teaches us how to live.”*
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🍔 ** WHEN JUNK FOOD BECOMES NORMAL **
Modern life has changed the way many people eat.
Fast food is everywhere.
Sugary drinks are easily available.
Highly processed snacks are constantly advertised.
Portions can be enormous.
And eating can sometimes become less about hunger and more about habit, entertainment or convenience.
Islam does not say that every modern food is forbidden.
A person can eat many different foods as long as they are lawful and appropriate.
But the Qur’anic principle remains:
وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا
“Eat and drink, but do not be excessive.”
**Qur’an 7:31**
The lesson is therefore not:
“Never eat modern food.”
The lesson is:
**Do not let food become excess.**
Choose wisely.
Eat reasonably.
Avoid waste.
Be grateful.
And remember that food is a blessing—not something that should control our lives.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Our menus may change with time, but the principles of Islam remain timeless.”*
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🌿 ** FROM THE TABLE TO THE HEART **
Imagine two people sitting down to the same meal.
One eats quickly, complains about what is missing, wastes what remains and immediately begins thinking about the next meal.
The other begins with the name of Allah, appreciates what has been provided, eats moderately, avoids waste and remembers Allah afterwards.
The food may be identical.
But the hearts are not.
That is one of the beautiful aspects of Islam.
An ordinary action can become meaningful when it is accompanied by the right intention.
Eating can become an act of worship.
Providing food for one's family can become an act of worship.
Feeding another person can become charity.
And thanking Allah for a meal can become an act of gratitude.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“The believer looks beyond the blessing and remembers the One who gave it.”*
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📌 ** A QUICK LOOK AT THE FOODS **
🌴 **التَّمْر — Dates**
Mentioned in the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah.
🫒 **الزَّيْتُون — Olives**
Mentioned in the Qur’an; a Prophetic narration concerning olive oil is also reported.
🍯 **العَسَل — Honey**
Mentioned in the Qur’an and used as treatment in an authentic hadith.
🥛 **اللَّبَن — Milk**
Mentioned in the Qur’an and authentically reported as consumed by the Prophet ﷺ.
🌱 **الحَبَّةُ السَّوْدَاء — Black Seed**
Mentioned in authentic Prophetic medicine.
🌾 **الشَّعِير — Barley**
Authentically reported as part of the food of the Prophet’s ﷺ household.
🎃 **الدُّبَّاء — Pumpkin / Gourd**
Authentically reported as a food the Prophet ﷺ liked.
🫙 ** الخَلّ — Vinegar**
The Prophet ﷺ praised it as an excellent condiment.
💧 ** الْمَاء — Water**
A fundamental blessing with Prophetic drinking guidance.
🍈 ** التِّين — Figs**
Explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an.
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Remember the foods, but remember the greater lesson: gratitude for Allah’s provision.”*
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🌙 ** FINAL REFLECTION **
Allah ﷻ says:
فَكُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَاشْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ
إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ
**“So eat from what Allah has provided for you, lawful and wholesome, and be grateful for the blessing of Allah, if it is Him that you worship.”**
** Qur’an 16:114 **
The foods mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah are not merely items for a shopping list.
They are reminders.
🌴 **Dates** remind us of simple provision.
🫒 ** Olives ** remind us of a blessed tree.
🍯 ** Honey ** reminds us of Allah's signs in His creation.
🥛 ** Milk ** reminds us of a remarkable provision.
🌱 ** Black seed ** reminds us of Prophetic guidance concerning treatment.
🌾 ** Barley ** reminds us of simplicity.
🎃 ** Gourd ** gives us a glimpse into the Prophet’s ﷺ personal preferences.
🫙 ** Vinegar ** reminds us that simple food can be appreciated.
💧 ** Water ** reminds us of a blessing upon which life depends.
🍈 ** Figs ** remind us to reflect upon the foods Allah ﷻ Himself mentions in His Book.
And above all:
** Eat what is lawful. **
** Choose what is wholesome. **
** Avoid excess. **
** Be grateful. **
** Remember Allah ﷻ. **
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Eat with gratitude, live with moderation, and never forget the One who provides.”*
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🤲 **A FINAL DUʿĀʾ**
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيمَا رَزَقْتَنَا، وَارْزُقْنَا حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا، وَاجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ
** “O Allah, bless us in what You have provided for
us, grant us lawful and wholesome provision, and
make us among those who are grateful.” **
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
*“Read • Reflect • Benefit • Share — and be grateful for every blessing.”*
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