Recently I’ve been having this new thing for breakfast. Not many people know it, even in Jordan and Palestine, which are probably two of a handful of places where you can find it. In Arabic its called izha. You buy the izha in a jar at the store, but it can’t be eaten as it is, you have to mix it with honey first. The izha itself is made from the Black Seed (as it is known in Arabic), roasted and ground up, and mixed into sesame oil or something that would make it more liquid than solid. The end result is something that has the same color, look, and consistency as petrol straight out of Iraqi oil fields, though probably even thicker. You mix it with honey, and there you have ready-to-eat izha, which you eat with bread.

Nigella Sativa is known as the Black Seed in Arabic, also the Seed of Blessings, and many others. In English it’s usually called Black Cumin. The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that it cures everything but death, and it has been shown to strengthen the immune system when taken over time. The great Ibn Sina lists among its benefits, besides its healing of different illnesses and disorders, the fact that it “stimulates the body’s energy and helps recovery from fatigue or dispiritedness.” (I don’t think that’s a direct quote from Ibn Sina but you find it all over the net). So, it gets the check for one of the healthiest foods as described in hadith. Combine that with honey, which is one of the healthiest foods as described in the Qur’an (I think the only thing specifically mentioned for its health benefits in the Qur’an), and you end up with izha: a truly great breakfast! Eat it with bread, and you’re set!

In The Amazing Qur’an, Gary Miller makes an interesting comment about honey’s description in the Qur’an which I think is fitting to quote,

Another example of what one might expect to find in an “old book” that touches upon the subject of health or medicine is outdated remedies or cures. Various historical sources state that the Prophet (s) gave some advice about health and hygiene, yet most of these pieces of advice are not contained in the Qur’an. At first glance, to the non-Muslims this appears to be a negligent omission. They cannot understand why Allah would not “include” such helpful information in the Qur’an. Some Muslims attempt to explain this absence with the following argument: “Although the Prophet’s advice was sound and applicable to the time in which he lived, Allah, in His infinite wisdom, knew that there would come later medical and scientific advances which would make the Prophet’s advice appear outdated. When later discoveries occurred, people might say that such information contradicted that which the Prophet (s) had given. Thus, since Allah would never allow any opportunity for the non-Muslims to claim that the Qur’an contradicts itself or the teachings of the Prophet (s), He only included in the Qur’an information and examples which could stand the test of time.” However, when one examines the true realities of the Qur’an in terms of its existence as a divine revelation, the entire matter is quickly brought into its proper perspective, and the error in such argumentation becomes clear and understandable.

It must be understood that the Qur’an is a divine revelation, and as such, all information in it is of divine origin. Allah revealed the Qur’an from Himself. It is the words of Allah, which existed before creation, and thus nothing can be added, subtracted or altered. In essence, the Qur’an existed and was complete before the creation of Prophet Muhammad (s), so it could not possibly contain any of the Prophet’s own words or advice. An inclusion of such information would clearly contradict the purpose for which the Qur’an exists, compromise its authority and render it inauthentic as a divine revelation.

Consequently, there was no “home remedies” in the Qur’an which one could claim to be outdated; nor does it contain any man’s view about what is beneficial to health, what food is best to eat, or what will cure this or that disease. In fact, the Qur’an only mentions one item dealing with medical treatment, and it is not in dispute by anyone. It states that in honey there is healing. And certainly, I do not think that there is anyone who will argue with that!

And regarding its spiritual benefits, I will quote the great shaykh Ahmad ibn Idris,

“Eating it cures the spiritual diseases if it is eaten with that intention, and gives one gnosis and lights, by the traces of revelation in it, as God says, “Your Lord gave revelation to the bees” (16:68)…. until “Therein is a remedy for men” (16:69). Indeed the sweetness of the divine address became infiltrated into bees and has remained in their progeny who inherit it from generation to generation. They eat bitter things that become sweet in their stomach, as one observes. Thus therein is a remedy for men both physically and spiritually because its fundament is the divine address which is the Qur’an, the word of God. And the Qur’an is a remedy for what is in man’s breast, and right guidance and mercy for the believers.”