A Critical study of the Prophetic Hadith: "People in a house without dates are in a state of hunger"

Year 2012, Volume: 27 Issue: 27, 241 - 256, 01.06.2012

Huzeyfe Şerif El-hatîb

Abstract

Scholars points of view varied in interpreting and understanding some prophetical traditions, wherein the direct meaning contradicts with some Quranic verses and prophetic traditions, or with the mental and the logical facts, and this was the cause of the appearance of the discipline "Mukhtalif Al-Hadith"; in an attempt between the scholars of "Hadith" to solve this problem of the seen contradiction. One of the traditions is : "People in a house without dates are in a state of hunger" in which the direct meaning contradicts with the reality, wherein the reality is that there are a lot of houses lack of dates, but their owners don't feel hungry, yet they are very full . At the discussion of the scholars' opinions of understanding this tradition, the dispution in understanding it and resolving its mystery was a very easy matter. And after a long study of the "Hadith" and its narrative ways, the study chose a narration that reads as follows: (people who have dates in their home never feel hungry), and this narratioin refers to another meaning to the "Hadith", that meant that the presence of dates in the house; gets rid of hunger and makes its people full. This understanding is supported by modern science, which is proven by the second part of this study, which examined the issue of dates, its parts, and components and its relation to hunger and satiety. The researchers concluded from this study that the dates is one of the best types of food that get rid of hunger, and its relation to get rid of hunger and satiety is a direct relation supported by the science facts, and experimental researches' results, and this supports the result proven by this study, and gives it an acceptable and correct interpretation which agrees with the scientific facts and mental understanding. Also, it includes a prophetical scientific miracle, as the relation between hunger and dates is clear in the "Hadith", which was not known to the Arabs except by experience, not by understanding and research

Keywords

a house empty of Dates have got a hungry people, Mukhtalif Al-Hadith, people who have a Dates in home never feel Hungry

Dirâse Nakdiyye Li’l-Hadisi’ş-Şerif “Beytün la Temra Fîhi Ciyâun Ehluhû

Abstract