Sunnah foods and the foods of the Qur’an

The Qur’an often points to gardens and fruit as signs of Allah’s care. Here are the main ones it names.

• Dates and the palm tree. In her hardest hour, Maryam was told to shake the palm tree, and “it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates.” Palm trees come up again and again in the Qur’an, “having fruit arranged in layers.” Qur’an 19:25; Qur’an 50:10
• Grapes. Allah reminds us of “gardens of palm trees and grapevines in which for you are abundant fruits and from which you eat.” Qur’an 23:19
• Olives and olive oil. The Verse of Light speaks of “a blessed olive tree.” Another verse describes “a tree issuing from Mount Sinai which produces oil and food for those who eat.” Qur’an 24:35; Qur’an 23:20
• Figs. Surah al-Tin, named after the fig, opens with an oath: “By the fig and the olive.” Qur’an 95:1
• Pomegranates. They are named among the fruits of this world, with grapes and olives, “similar yet varied.” They are named in Paradise too: “fruit and palm trees and pomegranates.” Qur’an 6:99; Qur’an 55:68
• Grain, grapes and greens. “Then let mankind look at his food.” The passage goes on to name grain, grapes, herbage, olives, palm trees and fruit, all from rain and soil. Qur’an 80:24-31
• The gourd vine. When the Prophet Yunus was cast onto the shore, Allah says, “We caused to grow over him a gourd vine.” The Prophet ﷺ liked gourd too, as you will see below. Qur’an 37:146
• Lote trees and talh. The people of the right hand in Paradise are “among lote trees with thorns removed” and talh, which Sahih International gives as “[banana] trees layered [with fruit].” The meaning of talh is debated: Ibn Kathir records a large thorny tree of the Hijaz (some translators say acacia) and the banana, the view of Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and others. Qur’an 56:28; Qur’an 56:29

The Qur’an also names drinks and meats, from the bee’s honey to the fish of the sea.

• Honey. Allah inspired the bee, and from its belly comes “a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people.” Qur’an 16:68-69
• Milk. From the grazing animals Allah gives us “pure milk, palatable to drinkers.” The verse calls this a lesson to think about. Qur’an 16:66
• Rivers of milk and honey. Paradise has “rivers of milk the taste of which never changes” and “rivers of purified honey.” Qur’an 47:15
• Meat of livestock. Of the grazing animals Allah says “from them you eat.” Of the sacrifice He says “eat from them and feed the needy.” Qur’an 16:5; Qur’an 22:36
• Meat of birds. Among the joys of Paradise is “the meat of fowl, from whatever they desire.” Qur’an 56:21
• Fish and the food of the sea. Allah made the sea serve us, “to eat from it tender meat.” And: “Lawful to you is game from the sea and its food.” Qur’an 16:14; Qur’an 5:96
• Manna and quails. In the wilderness, Allah sent the Children of Israel “manna and quails,” saying, “Eat from the good things with which We have provided you.” Qur’an 2:57
• Ginger. The people of Paradise are given a cup “whose mixture is of ginger,” zanjabil in Arabic. Qur’an 76:17
• Herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils and onions. Tired of manna, the Children of Israel asked Musa for the earth’s “green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions.” He asked, “Would you exchange what is better for what is less?” The rebuke was for their attitude, not for these foods, which are lawful. Qur’an 2:61

Before any list of foods, the Qur’an gives one simple rule: eat what is lawful and good, and thank Allah for it.

• Lawful and good. “O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good.” Halal means permitted, and tayyib means good and wholesome. Qur’an 2:168
• Eat with gratitude. The believers are told to “eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah.” Qur’an 2:172
• Eat and drink, without excess. “Eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.” Qur’an 7:31
• Good food and good deeds. Allah told the messengers to “eat from the good foods and work righteousness.” Qur’an 23:51

Dates were the everyday food of Madinah. The Prophet ﷺ ate them fresh and dried, on their own and with other foods.

• A home with dates. A’ishah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said a family that has dates in the house will not go hungry. Muslim 2046a, sahih (Muslim)
• Seven Ajwa dates in the morning. He ﷺ said that whoever eats seven Ajwa dates in the morning will not be harmed that day by poison or magic. Bukhari 5445, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Fresh dates with cucumber. Abdullah ibn Ja’far saw the Prophet ﷺ eating fresh dates together with cucumber. Bukhari 5440, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Melon with fresh dates. A’ishah said he ﷺ ate melon (bittikh, often translated watermelon) with fresh dates. In Abu Dawud’s report he said the heat of the one is balanced by the coolness of the other. Tirmidhi 1843, sahih (al-Albani); Abu Dawud 3836, hasan (al-Albani)
• Butter and dates. When he ﷺ visited the family of Busr, they served him butter and dates, because he liked them. Abu Dawud 3837, sahih (al-Albani)
• Hays at his wedding. At his wedding meal for Safiyyah, the food was dates, dried yoghurt and butter, served as hays on leather mats. Bukhari 5387, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Breaking the fast. He ﷺ broke his fast before praying with a few fresh dates. If there were none, he had dried dates, and if there were none, a few sips of water. Abu Dawud 2356, hasan sahih (al-Albani); Tirmidhi 696, sahih (al-Albani)
• Dates on the morning of Eid al-Fitr. He ﷺ did not go out for the Eid al-Fitr prayer until he had eaten some dates, and he ate an odd number of them. Bukhari 953, sahih (al-Bukhari)

On the Ajwa hadith, al-Nawawi explained that singling out the Ajwa of Madinah and the number seven is something the Prophet ﷺ knew and whose wisdom we do not know, like the number of daily prayers. It is a matter of trust in his word, not a replacement for medical care.

These three come up most when people speak of “Sunnah foods.” Here is what the texts actually say.

• He loved sweet things and honey. A’ishah said the Prophet ﷺ loved sweet food and honey. Bukhari 5431, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Honey for a stomach complaint. A man said his brother had stomach trouble, and the Prophet ﷺ told him to give him honey. The man kept coming back, and each time he was told the same. At last the Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah has said the truth,” and after more honey the brother recovered. Bukhari 5684, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Black seed. He ﷺ said there is healing in the black seed (nigella) for every disease except death. Bukhari 5688, sahih (al-Bukhari); Muslim 2215a, sahih (Muslim)
• Olive oil. He ﷺ said to eat olive oil and anoint yourselves with it, for it comes from a blessed tree. Tirmidhi 1852, sahih (al-Albani); Ibn Majah 3319, sahih (al-Albani)
• Bread and oil, with a prayer. Sa’d ibn Ubadah served him ﷺ bread and olive oil. He ate, then prayed for his hosts: may fasting people break their fast with you, the righteous eat your food, and the angels pray for you. Abu Dawud 3854, sahih (al-Albani)

How scholars read these: in Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar records Ibn al-Jawzi’s view that “Allah has said the truth” points to the honey verse, Qur’an 16:69. On black seed, he quotes al-Khattabi that “every disease” is general wording with a narrower meaning, since no single plant answers every illness, and notes it was used alone or mixed with other things.

These are blessed foods to enjoy. They are not a substitute for a doctor or for medicine you have been prescribed.

Most of his meals were plain: barley bread, a little something to go with it, whatever was at hand. He took it all with thanks.

• Gourd. At a meal a tailor made for him, Anas saw the Prophet ﷺ picking out the pieces of gourd from around the dish. Anas said he loved gourd from that day on. In another narration Anas said he ﷺ ate the gourd and enjoyed it. Bukhari 5379, sahih (al-Bukhari); Muslim 2041a, sahih (Muslim); Muslim 2041b, sahih (Muslim)
• Vinegar as a condiment. He ﷺ asked his family for something to eat with his bread, and all they had was vinegar. He ate with it and said twice that vinegar is an excellent condiment. Muslim 2052a, sahih (Muslim)
• Barley bread, unsifted. Sahl ibn Sa’d said the Prophet ﷺ never saw fine white flour or a sieve. They ground barley, blew off the husks, and made dough from what was left. Bukhari 5413, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Never full, even of barley bread. Abu Hurayrah once declined an invitation to a roasted sheep. He said the Prophet ﷺ left this world without ever eating his fill of barley bread. Bukhari 5414, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Tharid. Tharid is bread soaked in meat broth. He ﷺ said A’ishah’s excellence over other women is like the excellence of tharid over other food. Bukhari 5419, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Talbinah for the grieving. A’ishah had talbinah, a soft porridge, made for the sick and for families grieving a death. She said she heard the Prophet ﷺ say it soothes the heart of the sick and takes away some of the sadness. Bukhari 5689, sahih (al-Bukhari); Bukhari 5417, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Sawiq on the road. On the way to Khaybar, the only food anyone had was sawiq, a meal of roasted ground grain. He ﷺ ate it with everyone, rinsed his mouth, and led the Maghrib prayer. Bukhari 5384, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Garlic and onion. Asked about a dish with garlic he had left, he ﷺ said it was not forbidden; he just disliked its smell. He said he could not forbid what Allah made lawful, but asked those who had eaten garlic or onion to keep away from the mosque. Muslim 2053a, sahih (Muslim); Muslim 565, sahih (Muslim); Bukhari 5452, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Truffles, a kind of manna. He ﷺ said truffles are a kind of manna, and their water is a healing for the eye. In one narration he said they are of the manna Allah sent down on the Children of Israel. Bukhari 5708, sahih (al-Bukhari); Muslim 2049d, sahih (Muslim)
• Wild arak berries. While the Companions picked the berries of the arak tree, he ﷺ told them to choose the black ones, as they are the best. When someone asked if he had herded sheep, he said every prophet had. Bukhari 5453, sahih (al-Bukhari)

Please do not put truffle water, or anything else, into your eyes on your own. Eye problems need a doctor.

When meat was served, he ate it gladly, and he had a favourite cut. Milk, he said, is both food and drink.

• The foreleg he liked. Meat was brought to the Prophet ﷺ and the foreleg was handed to him, as he liked it. He took a bite from it. Bukhari 4712, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Cutting meat with a knife. Amr ibn Umayyah saw him ﷺ cutting pieces from a shoulder of mutton with a knife. When he was called to prayer, he put it down and went to pray. Bukhari 5408, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Chicken. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari said simply: I saw the Prophet ﷺ eating chicken. Bukhari 5517, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Fish from the sea. A hungry army of Companions found a huge sea creature on the shore and lived on it for half a month. Back in Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ called it food Allah had brought out for them, and ate some himself. He also said of the sea that its water is pure and what dies in it is lawful. Bukhari 4362, sahih (al-Bukhari); Tirmidhi 69, sahih (al-Albani)
• Milk on the Night Journey. On the night of the Isra’, he ﷺ was offered a cup of wine and a cup of milk, and he chose the milk. Jibril said he had been guided to the fitrah, the natural way. Bukhari 5576, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• A prayer for milk. He ﷺ taught that whoever is given milk to drink should say: Allahumma barik lana fihi wa zidna minhu, “O Allah, bless it for us and give us more of it.” He said nothing takes the place of both food and drink except milk. Tirmidhi 3455, hasan (al-Albani)

Zamzam, the well of Makkah, has a place of its own in the Sunnah.

• Blessed water that nourishes. Before he met the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Dharr lived on nothing but Zamzam for about a month and never felt hungry. The Prophet ﷺ said it is blessed, and it is a food that nourishes. Muslim 2473a, sahih (Muslim)
• He drank it standing. Ibn Abbas said the Prophet ﷺ drank Zamzam while standing. Bukhari 5617, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• He carried it home. A’ishah used to take Zamzam water home with her, and said the Prophet ﷺ used to carry it too. Tirmidhi 963, sahih (al-Albani)
• For whatever it is drunk for. Jabir heard the Prophet ﷺ say that Zamzam water is for whatever it is drunk for. Ibn Majah 3062, sahih (al-Albani)

On standing: he also disapproved of drinking while standing (Muslim 2024a, sahih (Muslim)). Al-Nawawi held that sitting is better and that his drinking while standing shows it is allowed; some others said one ruling replaced the other. On the last hadith: al-Albani graded it sahih, while Shu’ayb al-Arna’ut and Zubair Ali Zai graded it weak.

The manners of the meal itself are on our daily Sunnah page, so we will not repeat them here. These three points matter most for food itself.

• A third, a third, a third. He ﷺ said no one fills a vessel worse than his stomach, and a few bites to keep the back straight are enough. If a person must eat more, then a third for food, a third for drink and a third for breath. Tirmidhi 2380, sahih (al-Albani)
• He never criticised food. He ﷺ never found fault with food: if he liked it he ate it, and if not he left it. Served roasted dabb, a desert lizard, he said it was not forbidden, but it was not found in his people’s land, so he did not feel like eating it. Khalid ate it in front of him. Bukhari 5409, sahih (al-Bukhari); Bukhari 5400, sahih (al-Bukhari)
• Food grows when shared. He ﷺ said food for two is enough for three, and food for three is enough for four. Bukhari 5392, sahih (al-Bukhari)

Enjoy these foods as Sunnah: with bismillah, with thanks, and in moderation. Eating what he ate, the way he ate it, is a gentle way to feel close to him ﷺ.

They are not medicine, and they do not replace a doctor. The TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi notes that books of “Prophetic medicine” mix sound, weak and invented reports, so each one has to be checked. The same Sunnah that praises honey and black seed tells us to seek treatment.

• Seek treatment. Some Bedouins asked if they should seek treatment when ill. He ﷺ said yes, for Allah made no disease without making a remedy for it, except old age. Abu Dawud 3855, sahih (al-Albani)
• Every disease has a cure. He ﷺ said Allah has not sent down any disease without sending down its cure. Good medicine is one of the ways we find it. Bukhari 5678, sahih (al-Bukhari)

If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or take regular medicine, ask your doctor before adding large amounts of any food or supplement, including honey, dates or black seed oil. Never stop a prescribed treatment in favour of a food.

Every hadith here was checked in Arabic and English against the collections, using sunnah.com numbering, and each grade is given with its grader. For the Sunan we print only the grades recorded with those texts, which are mostly al-Albani’s.

Qur’an quotes are from the Sahih International translation. Reports we could not verify were left out, and no weak report is used as the basis for a Sunnah.

• The Qur’an, Sahih International translation, on Quran.com
• Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Azim, on 56:29 (the meaning of talh)
• Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Fath al-Bari, Book of Medicine, chapter on black seed (vol. 10)
• Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Fath al-Bari, Book of Medicine, chapter on treating the stomach (vol. 10)
• al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, chapter on the merit of the dates of Madinah (vol. 14)
• al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, chapter on drinking while standing (vol. 13)
• Halit Özkan, “Tıbb-ı Nebevî,” TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı, the Turkish Diyanet Foundation)