The Eternal Wisdom of muharram and ashura

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ashura

ashura

Students of the so called historical method argue that in terms of immediate history, nothing was achieved as a result of the events on `Ashura, i.e. Muharram. They say that it was a tragedy, but its overall effect on the political events of the period was negligible.

This is their conclusion and when they are asked why the Islamic books of history, written by scholars many centuries ago, devote more space, more pages, more words, to that event than to any other in the history of Islam, why there are more books devoted to that event in Islamic history than to any other, they shrug their shoulders and mumble something about the Shi`i influence on the writing of history. Yet, many of the writers are not members of the Shi’a. The famous Islamic historian Tabari devoted nearly two hundred pages to the story. No other event receives as much attention from him. He most certainly was not a member of the Shi`a.

Cosmic Nature of the Martyrdom of Imam Husayn (A)

The fact is that these petty scholars with their tendentious criticisms are concerned only with the narrow details of political history. They do not perceive the cosmic nature of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (A). For them, history is the restricted study of immediate cause and effect in political developments. But real history is about something far more important than that. Real history concerns men’s relationship with God and how that rela­tionship affects men’s relationships with each other. Real history attempts to show the cosmic significance of events, not their narrow immediate political results.

The tragedy of Karbala’, the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (A), is one of those events of cosmic significance. Its lessons concern not just one group of men and their relationship to the world, but all mankind. It is a moral paradigm. It teaches sacrifice and opposition to injustice: it teaches integrity of purpose, love of family, gentle­ness, and bravery. In fact, in the account of the tragic journey and martyrdom of Imam Husayn (A), there are lessons in all the moral virtues. Perhaps the one that strikes most of us most forcefully is our own inadequacy in comparison with the enormous sacrifice Imam Husayn (A) made on behalf of mankind.

Sacrifice of Imam Husayn (A) and Will of God
Imam (A) voluntarily allowed himself to be the greatest sacrifice on this earth, seeking to fulfil the will of God. On this day, nearly fourteen hundred years ago, the Imam prepared himself for martyrdom. The symbols of his martyrdom are many, the suffering dreadful.

He watched as, one after another, his followers went to their deaths; as, one after another, his kinsmen went to their deaths; even his baby son was slaughtered in his arms as he gave him a farewell hug.

Bravery of Imam Husyn (A)
Yet Imam Husayn (A) was not merely the example of a great martyrdom, he was also the exemplar of bravery and fortitude. He fought a brave and fierce fight against so many. Such was his power and strength, such was the aura of his person and he was by no means a young man that the only way his enemies could kill him was by a whole group of them attacking him at the same time and stabbing him together. The humiliation of the death was total; the vindictiveness and wickedness of this action by men is illustrated by the fact that his clothes were ripped from his body and then horses ridden over it.

The Paradigm of all Unjust Deaths
The lesson is clear to us all: it shows the lengths of human wickedness. Imam Husayn (A) exemplifies all suffering humanity. In that martyrdom, in those blows to his body, in the trampling of horses over it, Imam Husayn (A) is the model, the paradigm of all unjust deaths, of all humans suffering.

Steadfastness in the way of Right Path
In this, his martyrdom teaches suffering men to endure, to remain steadfast in their belief in God. It also has a lesson to teach men who are more fortunate, that the world is a transitory place, worldly success is not an end in itself, and that man should always be aware of the suffering Imam Husayn (A) experienced. By their awareness of this they will learn to treat worldly success with humility.

In the real sense of cosmic history, the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (A) is a mighty triumph, a wondrous victory. Who would know the name Yazid today except for the fact that he was responsible for the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (A) ? Otherwise he would just be another of the thousands of despots, tyrants, and bullies that have abused their authority, another footnote in the history of man. However, because his tyranny and wickedness was responsible for the good, the noble, the pure Imam’s martyrdom , he, by killing the Imam, the human model of goodness and bravery, has become the human model of injustice and wickedness.

The Victory of Truth over Falsehood
The triumph of Imam Husayn (A) lies in the fact that his inspiration has moved men to grieve for him throughout the centuries. The pure light of ennobled humanity in the Imam has motivated generation upon generation of the Shi’a, to suffer endless hardship, to keep his memory alive.

The first beginnings of the majlis, the sessions held in honour of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (A). are to be discerned in the first gatherings of the surviving family of the martyred Imam. Very soon these gatherings of grief developed outside the family to include others.

Not long afterwards there was the majlis of the Kufan penitents, the tawwabin, when they gathered at his graveside to lament, to grieve, to prepare for martyrdom in the battle that was to come, to try, in some small way, to make them worthy of the sacrifice Imam Husayn (A) had made for them and all mankind.

The triumph of the martyred Imam is such that every year on `Ashura, in places all over the world, the faithful gather together to remember the Imam.

A Threat for Tyranny
All despotic regimes have felt threatened by these majlises. Throughout the centuries they have tried to prevent them. At one time even the site of Imam Husayn (A)’s grave at Karbala’ was ploughed up.
They feared the grief and lamentation for Imam Husayn (A) because in that grief and lamentation people remembered the goodness, the justice, the kindness, the gentleness, and the bravery of the martyred Imam (A). These were not qualities that tyrannical governments wished people to think about; their concern was bribery, corruption, nepotism, and naked force. They saw the threat to their world, to their values, to their position. Seeing it, they sought to suppress the memory of Imam Husayn (A). However, such was the power, the influence, the glory of that memory, that they could not remove it from the hearts of men, from the Shi’a of all the Imams, the Shi`a of Imam Husayn (A).

The Importance of a Global Platform
In one of his historic statements Imām al-Ĥusayn (A) clearly says that the main reason behind his uprising is to seek reform in the Muslim nation. Then he describes the path he would undertake to meet this aspiration:

“I would like to invite towards good and shun the evil.”
In order for him to carry out this reform immediately, the best place to go to was Makka, where pilgrims from all over the Muslim world would come to perform ‘Umra and Ĥajj. They would listen to his message, wake up, and relate the same to their people on their return.

Historical records tell us that while in Makka, Muslims from different countries used to visit Imām al-Ĥusayn (A) day and night, and listen to what he had to say.

Opposition against Falsehood
The movement of Imām al-Ĥusayn (A) reveals the personality of Imam (A) as a great freedom seeker. He never allowed himself to submit to any government that does not obey the laws of God. In fact it is a practical manifestation of ‘Islām’ (submission to the will of God). Submitting to every call of disbelief or polytheism is to alienate from the path of utter submission to Almighty Allāh. Not surrendering to falsehood and remaining very steadfast in his stance, he taught every future human being ‘the lesson of steadfastness’ by not submitting to falsehood and oppression. And this unwavering stance remained until his martyrdom.

Seeking Refuge in Allah
Imam al-Ĥusayn (A)’s move to Makka also alludes to something highly important. His refuge to the Divine sanctity of safety, perhaps demonstrated that his only refuge is Allāh in whose house there is always safety:

“In it are clear signs and whosoever enters therein is safe” (Quran, 3:97)

Seeking refuge in the Divine sanctity, however, should transport us to a loftier meaning: one who really seeks refuge in Allāh is safe from all kinds of polytheism and oppression. It is not necessary for us to limit our understanding to the physical and tangible import of the verse.

The safety referred to in the verse, however, is a legislative direction which creates responsibilities on the Muslim nation. In other words, Almighty Allah commands us to observe security in His house. No one is allowed to shed blood in there; no animal is to be injured, etc. But if some like Hajjāj bin Yūsuf al-Thaqafī, out of their disbelief, were to transgress the limits, they can endanger the lives of the like of the selfishly motivated ‘Abdullah bin Zubayr who despite having sought asylum in the holy precincts of the Ka’ba was killed therein.

However, the safety can also refer to seeking the shelter of ‘one’s spirit’ in Almighty Allah. This meaning can also be understood by looking at some recommended supplications to be recited near the Ka’ba:

O Allāh, surely You said ” and whosoever enters therein he/she would be safe”; therefore, save me from the punishment of Hell Fire.

Therefore, one who seeks the protection of his spirit from Almighty Allah would undoubtedly be safe from every calamity that would ruin his spiritual life. If his physical life were to be sold for an exalted aim, he would never lose. Instead he would attain a lofty station and eternal salvation.

If the leaders who govern Muslim nations of the world today were to understand and apply this lofty concept they would never assist terrorist and tyrant regimes whose evil nature is more apparent than ever today. Every concerned Muslim should try to understand and heed to the call of Imām al-Ĥusayn (A) which still echoes in the hearts and minds of the truth-seeking human beings:

Indeed you know that the Messenger of Allah (s) said during his lifetime:
“Whoever observes a sovereign legalizing what God has made unlawful, violating the covenant of God, opposing the Sunnah of the Messenger of God, and treating the creatures of God sinfully and oppressively, and does not oppose him with his speech and action, God has a right to bring him to the same fate as that of the tyrant…”

“Don’t you see that what is true and right is not acted upon and what is false and wrong is not forbidden?…”

“Is there any protector who defends the sanctuary of the Messenger of Allāh?”

References
1. Bihar al-Anwar, Allama Majlisi, v. 44, p. 328
2. Al-Kafi, Thiqatu’l Islam al-Kulayna, v.4, p. 528
3. Bihar al-Anwar, Allama Majlisi, v. 44, p. 381
4. An Everlasting Instruction;Imam al-Husayn’s (‘a) Journey to Makka, Abu Muhammad Zaynu’l ‘Abidin
5. Tabari, op. Cit., 216 390.
6. Tabari, op. Cit., p. 360.
7. Tabari, op. Cit., p. 366.
8. Tabari, op. Cit., p. 368.
9. M. M. Shams al Din, op. cit., pp. 140 50.
10.Tabari, Ta’rikh, III, 1408.
11.Ashura Lectures 1990,(Yawm al-Tarwiya: a Day of Beginning and Ending in the Martyrdom of Imam Husayn),Dr. I.K.A Howard

Hoisting the black flag of Imam Hussain on the dome of Husainiyyah in Zaria, Nigeria / Pics

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The Leader of the Shiite Islamic Movement in Nigeria, led the hoisting of a black flag on the dome of Husainiyyah Baqiyyatullah in Zaria on Friday the 1st of Muharram 1426 (24/10/14).

The flag was donated to the Islamic Movement  from the holy shrine of Imam Hussain (A), Karbala, Iraq.

Hundreds of thousands witnessed the event from far as the red flag on the dome of the Husainiyyah was replaced with the black flag with inscription of ‘ya Hussain’ on it. This, heralded the beginning of Ashura Mourning gathering at Husainiyyah.


























Pomegranate and its benefits

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Pomegranate

The princely pomegranate, ar-Rumm in Arabic, is mentioned in the Qur’an as one of the many delicious rewards awaiting in Paradise. Its numerous uses in cooking and medicine, as well as its beautiful structure, make the fruit a wonder for Muslims who believe that each pomegranate seed is a sign of the sustainer.

Pomegranates are mentioned three times in the Qur’an: As one of the fruits that will be found in paradise:

“In both of them [gardens] are two springs, spouting […]In both of them are fruit and palm trees and pomegranates. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?” (Quran, 55:66-69)

As a reminder of God’s sustenance on earth,

“And He it is who produces gardens (of vine), trellised and untrellised, and palms and seed-produce of which the fruits are of various sorts, and olives and pomegranates, like and unlike; eat of its fruit when it bears fruit, and pay the due of it on the day of its reaping, and do not act extravagantly; surely He does not love the extravagant.” (Quran, 6:141)

And as a sign of his artistry,

“And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby the growth of all things. We produce from it greenery from which We produce grains arranged in layers. And from the palm trees – of its emerging fruit are clusters hanging low. And [We produce] gardens of grapevines and olives and pomegranates, similar yet varied. Look at [each of] its fruit when it yields and [at] its ripening. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.” (Quran, 6:99)

The frequent mentions of this fruit owe to its gem-like beauty, a glistening core of seeds compacted in a layer resembling honeycomb.

Equally astounding are the colours of both the fruit and flowers which are an attestation to the Qur’anic verse:

“And whatsoever He has created for you on the earth of varying colors [and qualities from vegetation and fruits] and from animals. Verily! In this is a sign for people who remember.” (Qur’an, 16:13)

In Arabic a pomegranate is known as the royal word ‘rumaan‘, in Urdu ‘anaar‘ and interestingly, because of its resemblance to many fragments resulting from detonating a grenade, in Hebrew the word ‘rimon‘ may mean both pomegranate and shell.

pomegranate plants fruit veg quran A split-open pomegranate fruit reveals red gems resting between protective papery skins

Inside a pomegranate are the edible succulent grains of pulp-like tissue, pink-red in colour. Once the leathery skin is removed, these “seeds” can be plucked loose for on-the-go eating or a sharp tap of a wooden spoon will scatter them into a bowl.

Tasting Those Seeds

Pomegranate grains have a “fresh, sweet-sour”, very juicy taste (Gernot Katzer), while other forms of the fruit may be acidic. Here in Britain one rarely finds a very acidic pomegranate although many fruit varieties very popular throughout the Middle East are used to sweeten meat dishes and salads.

Where Pomegranate Shrubs Grow

Pomegranates originate from the Middle Eastern region and are cultivated in central Asia, Mediterranean countries and northern India.

In India, pomegranates have a culinary reverence. The grains of more sour fruits are dried and used as a flavourant and substituted for raisins in baking. The juice of the pomegranate is a favourite in many Middle Eastern countries and Asia.

I remember, as a child, my family would buy the cool red juice from street vendors in Pakistan and just before a rice dish had finished cooking, handfuls of pomegranate grains would be stirred in, bursting with red colour and bite. Pomegranate fruit juice is also used to make sauces and jellies.

Nutritional Value of Pomegranates

Nutritionally, pomegranate fruit is rich in Vitamin C and contain 65 calories and it is a good source of sodium, riboflavin and calcium. A handful of grains for suhoor (pre-dawn meal) are ideal for balanced health over the Ramadan fasting period.

Prophet Muhammad of Islam, peace be upon him, told his companions that each pomegranate potentially held a heavenly grain,

“There is not a pomegranate which does not have a pip from one of the pomegranate of the Garden (Jannah) in it.” (Abu Nu’aim)

And these pips, along with the outer skin, are rich with antioxidant and antibacterial properties, testimony to its benefits for cleansing the palate. The prophet therefore also said, “Pomegranate and its rind strengthen digestion (stomach).” (Abu Nuaim, narrated by `Ali)

Uses Of Pomegranate

Among its various uses in the culinary world, the scarlet flowers of the pomegranate plant produce a vibrant red dye for textiles, which has been used for centuries in Central Asia.

Pomegranate plants also provide herbal medicines for diarrhoea, fevers, gum disorders and earraches. Resourceful explorers have found the bark of the pomegranate shrub to have medicinal use while the fragrant flowers of the tree can be used to relieve sore eyes.

:: Gernot Katzer’s fruit and spice pages

– See more at: http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/07/plants-quran-pomegranate/#sthash.kfMnpFWb.dpuf

What are the health benefits of olive oil?

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over the last 50 years, there have been thousands of studies examining the health benefits of olive oil. Below are some examples:

Olive oil and the cardiovascular systemAceite de oliva españa
In 2010, more than 45% of global olive oil
production came from Spain
Olive oil is the main source of dietary fat in the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with a low death rate from cardiovascular diseases compared to other parts of the world.

Maria-Isabel Covas, at the Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona, Spain, carried out an extensive review of studies that had focused on the biological and clinical effects of olive oil.

The study was published in the journal Pharmacological Research2.

The study found that people who regularly consume olive oil are much less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, and hyperlipidemia (high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels).

Covas also found that regular olive oil intake helps reduce inflammation, endothelial dysfunction (problems with the inner linings of blood vessels), thrombosis and carbohydrate metabolism.

Covas concluded “The wide range of *anti-atherogenic effects associated with olive oil consumption could contribute to explain the low rate of cardiovascular mortality found in Southern European Mediterranean countries, in comparison with other western countries, despite a high prevalence of coronary heart disease risk factors.”

*Anti-atherogenic means preventing the hardening of the arteries and the development of atherosclerosis.

Frying with olive oil does not raise heart disease risk
People who regularly eat foods fried in olive oil do not have a higher risk of heart disease or premature death, researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain reported in the BMJ (British Medical Journal).

In this study, Professor Pilar Guallar-Castillón and colleagues surveyed 40,757 adults aged from 26 to 69 years over an 11-year period. They focused on the people’s cooking methods and dietary habits. None of the participants had heart disease when the study started.

The team defined fried meals as food that had only been prepared by frying it. Participants were also asked whether their fried food was sautéed, battered or crumbed.

The researchers concluded:

“In a Mediterranean country where olive and sunflower oils are the most commonly used fats for frying, and where large amounts of fried foods are consumed both at and away from home, no association was observed between fried food consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or death.”

Olive oil helps prevent stroke
Dr. Cécilia Samieri, from the University of Bordeaux and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Bordeaux, France, and colleagues reported in the journal Neurology that olive oil may prevent strokes in older people.

The team found that older people who regularly used olive oil for cooking and salad dressing or with bread had a 41% lower risk of stroke, compared with their counterparts who never consumed it.

Dr. Samieri said, “Stroke is so common in older people and olive oil would be an inexpensive and easy way to help prevent it.”

Depression risk lower with olive oil, higher with trans fats
People whose diets are high in trans fats – fast foods and mass-produced foods like pastries – may have a higher risk of depression, compared with those whose diets are rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fats.

According to a study carried out at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain and published in PLoS ONE, olive oil appears to have a slight protective effect regarding depression risk.

Dr. Almudena Sánchez-Villegas and colleagues added that their findings stood even after taking into account people’s overall diet, physical activity and lifestyle.

The research team gathered and analyzed data on 12,000 volunteers over a period of 6 years. Their average age at the start of the study was 37.5 years. They had all regularly completed a 136-item questionnaire which had information on their dietary habits, lifestyle, and physical and mental health.

The investigators counted the number of people with depression at the start of the study and then again during each follow-up. Cases of depression had to be those clinically diagnosed by a doctor.

The study authors found that when they compared the volunteers who consumed trans fats regularly with individuals whose dietary fat consisted primarily of olive oil, the trans fat consumers had a 48% higher risk of developing depression.

The amount of trans fat consumed was directly related to depression risk – the more they ate, the higher the risk.

Olive oil may reduce breast cancer risk
A team of scientists at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain found a key mechanism by which virgin olive oil protects the body against breast cancer, in contrast to other vegetable oils.

The researchers decoded a complete cascade of signals within the cells of breast tumors that are activated by virgin olive oil. They concluded that the oil reduces the activity of p21Ras, an oncogene, prevents DNA damage, encourages tumor cell death, and triggers changes in protein signaling pathways.

The team found that while corn oil – which is rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids – increased the aggressiveness of tumors, virgin olive oil had the opposite effect.

They demonstrated that virgin olive oil is linked to a higher incidence of benign (non-cancerous) breast tumors.

Olive oil helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels
A Japanese study published in the Medical Science Monitor3 showed that LDL-cholesterol mean concentrations were lowered in 28 outpatients who were given olive oil supplements once a day for six weeks.

LDL (low density lipoprotein) is often referred to as “bad cholesterol”. The “good cholesterol” is called HDL (high density lipoprotein).

The study authors concluded “These results point to an overwhelmingly beneficial influence of olive oil on the lipoprotein spectrum.”

How extra virgin olive oil protects against alzheimer’s disease
Oleocanthal is a type of natural phenolic compound found in extra-virgin olive oil. In laboratory experiments with mice, researchers discovered that oleocanthal helps shuttle the abnormal Alzheimer’s disease proteins out of the brain.

As background information, the researchers explained that Alzheimer’s disease rates are lower in Mediterranean countries, where consumption of olive oil is higher than anywhere else in the world.

Amal Kaddoumi and team set out to determine whether oleocanthal might help reduce the accumulation of beta-amyloid, believed to be the culprit of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Their study was published in the journal Chemical Neuroscience.

The team tracked the effects of oleocanthal in the cultured brain cells and brains of laboratory mice.

They found that in both cultured brain cells and the mice’s brains themselves oleocanthal consistently boosted the production of two proteins and key enzymes known to be vital in the removal of beta-amyloid from the brain.

The study authors concluded “Extra-virgin olive oil-derived oleocanthal associated with the consumption of Mediterranean diet has the potential to reduce the risk of AD or related neurodegenerative dementias.”

Extra virgin olive oil helps prevent acute pancreatitis
Extra virgin olive oil is rich in oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol, which affect the development of acute pancreatitis (sudden inflammation of the pancreas).

Researchers at the University of Granada in Spain carried out an in vitro experiment which found that the components of extra virgin olive oil can protect from acute pancreatitis.

Head researcher, María Belén López Millán said that “there is increasing evidence that there are oxidative-inflammatory processes involved in the origin of chronic diseases and that diet plays an important role in such processes.”

Extra virgin olive oil protects the liver
Investigators at the University of Monastir, Tunisia, and King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, carried out a study demonstrating that extra virgin olive oil may protect the liver from oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress refers to cell damage associated with the chemical reaction between free radicals and other molecules in the body. Put simply, oxidative stress means cell damage.

In this study, which was published in BioMed Central, Mohamed Hammami and colleagues reported that laboratory rats exposed to a moderately toxic herbicide that were fed on a diet containing olive oil were partially protected from liver damage.

Hammami said “Olive oil is an integral ingredient in the Mediterranean diet. There is growing evidence that it may have great health benefits including the reduction in coronary heart disease risk, the prevention of some cancers and the modification of immune and inflammatory responses. Here, we’ve shown that extra virgin olive oil and its extracts protect against oxidative damage of hepatic tissue”.

Olive oil protects from ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis, a fairly common long-term (chronic) disorder, is a disease that causes inflammation of the large intestine (colon). It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that is similar to Crohn’s disease, a related disorder.

Scientists at the University of East Anglia in England say that consuming more olive oil could help fend off ulcerative colitis.

Dr Andrew Hart and team gathered and analyzed data on more than 25,000 people living in Norfolk, England. They were aged between 40 and 65 years. The volunteers were part of the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Diet and Cancer), spanning from 1993 to 1997. None of them had ulcerative colitis at the start of the study.

The participants regularly completed questionnaires and kept detailed food diaries, which included information on their overall health and consumption of fats.

In a 2004 follow up, the researchers compared the diets of those who had developed ulcerative colitis with those who had not.

They discovered that the participants with the highest intake of oleic acid – a component of olive oil – had a 90% lower risk of developing ulcerative colitis compared to those with the lowest intake.

Dr. Hart said “Oleic acid seems to help prevent the development of ulcerative colitis by blocking chemicals in the bowel that aggravate the inflammation found in this illness. We estimate that around half of the cases of ulcerative colitis could be prevented if larger amounts of oleic acid were consumed. Two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil per day would have a protective effect.”

What is the olive oil?

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byislam1

Olive oil is a fat obtained from the fruit of the Olea europaea (olive tree), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean region, where whole olives are pressed to produce olive oil.

The oil is used in cosmetics, medicine, cooking and soaps, and was also used as a fuel for traditional lamps. Although originating in the Mediterranean countries, today it is used worldwide.

Greece has the highest olive oil intake per person in the world. Greeks consume, on average, 24 liters per-person-per-year, according to the North American Olive Oil Association1. Spaniards and Italians consume about 15 and 13 liters-per-person-per year, respectively.

BENEFITS OF OLIVE OIL

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byislam

Out of all the cooking oils that exist, for example: vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, nut oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, (just to name a few) are not healthy for the body, except for OLIVE OIL. Olive oil is the only oil that is healthy for the body. According to scientists, olive oil can help prevent cancer (even breast cancer), heart disease, rhumatoid arthritis, blood clotting (after eating a fatty meal) and help lower high blood pressure. Naturally grown or organically grown, cold pressed, extra-virgin olive oil is the best. In the Holy Qur’aan, Allah (who is the Creator and Sustainer of all the Boundless Universes) refers to the Olive as a blessed tree:

Qur’aan 24: 35

“Allah is the light of the galactic heavens and the planet earth. The allegory of His light is that of a concave mirror behind a lamp that is placed inside a glass container. The glass container is like a bright, pearl-like star. The fuel thereof is supplied from a blessed olive tree, that is so vast it encompasses both east and west. Its oil is almost self-radiating; needs no fire to ignite it. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whomever He wills. Allah thus cites the parables for the people. Allah is fully aware of all things.”

When you buy olive oil in the store, you have to be careful because the majority of the olive oil in the store is not pure (they do not contain all the nutritional value that olive oil is supposed to have); trying to find real olive oil is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

In order to find real olive oil, it must meet the following specifications: (1) Extra virgin olive oil should have a free oleic acid acidity of no more than 1%, whereas ordinary virgin olive oil can have an acidity of up to 3.3% (this is not good). (2) Extra virgin olive oil is supposed to be cold pressed. (3) Extra virgin olive oil is supposed to be unfiltered and look cloudy. Most olive oil that you find in the store is factory-produced olive oil that looks clear. If it is clear, then it has been filtered, which further reduces the nutritional quality of the oil. Let me repeat: Real olive oil is not filtered; it looks cloudy. (4) The oil should be packaged in dark glass bottles to protect it from the damaging effects of light. Avoid buying oil that is stored in plastic containers because the oil can absorb some of the compounds used in the plastic, such as PVC’s (polyvinyl chlorides) which cause cancer.

When you buy your Extra Virgin Olive Oil, it should be stored in a cool cupboard away from sunlight and heat. You may refrigerate the olive oil, though this will make it more cloudy. The cloudiness will disappear when the oil returns to room temperature.

Now, as I have stated earlier: Naturally grown or organically grown, cold pressed, extra-virgin olive oil is the best. It is very important to be aware that just because you can find olive oil in the store that says “extra virgin olive” it does not mean anything because of the corruption that exists in the industry of food/health. There are those who exploit the masses of health conscious people, for profit. Please go to the following two web addresses or sites on the internet to get more information on the olive oil scandal and also learn more about olive oil in general.

Modern science:

Olives are rich in monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, antioxidants, and they prevent heart disease by reducing the LDL (bad cholesterol) and increasing the HDL (good cholesterol] levels. The Vitamin E contained in Olives is the body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant. Anti-oxidants help to strengthen the body’s immune system; reducing the severity of asthma, cancer, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, premature ageing, as well as delaying the effects of ageing. Olives contain compounds called polyphenols that appear to have significant anti-inflammatory properties. Key benefits of olives: Used as a balm, it fortifies the hair keeps it shiny and prevents dandruff Used as a balm, it fortifies and moisturizes the skin, combating dry skin and softening it. It also combats against acne.

Massaged onto the body, Olives fortify the limbs, combat against inflammation, and sooth away aches and pains from worked out muscles. Help against wrinkles and delaying the effects of old age. Help combat against strokes, heart-disease, High blood pressure, diabetes. It aids digestion, and strengthens the bowels, as well as the stomach.

Drinking tea from Olive leaves helps against High blood pressure. Recent scientific research have proved the health benefits of olive leaves in treating high blood pressure and hypertension.

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References:

-The olive oil scandal www.beyondhealth.com/html/selected_articles_1.html
– Olive oil: www.elenigourmet.com

The best deed of a great man

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byislam

Silence is best reply to a fool

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013

Be like the flower

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byislam

Work for a better life

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