of camels… AND DATES
Camels and dates, two of the main things one associates with the life of our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam during his time in establishing this first truly Islamic city and society. Camels for transport, trading, breeding and jihad. With dates as the prime sustenance bestowed on the Madanians by Allah Ta’ala. The two inextricably linked; camels would be given the crushed date stones as fodder, and the dates would be transported by the camels.
This article appeared in yesterday’s paper expounding on the prominence of dates in the life of the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. I was fascinated by the fact that Our Noble Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam would “examine the old dates lest they might have gone bad, or became infested with worms.” Even after all these hundreds of years, Allah Ta’ala still deems that these worms are part of the date experience and entitled to their Rizq! Such blessed worms having been present since the time of our Beloved Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam! Alhumdulillah. So check your date before eating it. I have learnt from the locals to keep dried dates refrigerated until an hour or so before eating.
“The legs are long, the eyes are big, the bodies curvaceous,” …a beautiful image accompanying this article on a camel beauty pageant!
Not of the Saudi variety, but informative about camels’ milk, and more great pictures of these wonderful animals, “with its hunched back, protruding teeth, facial hair and distinctive body odor, the camel may not seem an ideal model for beauty products.”
So, from the delicious nourishing date, the tiny date worm and the gaudy gangly camel….
These are the signs in the heavens and the earth for those who believe. (45:3-4)
May we all be of the believers, Ameen.
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.
Camel conversations at the local market the other day!
When I first saw this camel she had her long neck fully stretched out along the ground in front of her, but as soon as she heard me approach she stood…..and then
came closer, beginning her life story….
inquiring if I understood…..
content and satisifed that she has spoken her mind….
opposite was a mother and her new baby….
curious about my intentions….
Previous post elaborates more on these magnificent creatures.
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.
Camels.
Allah the Almighty has called upon us to learn from the miracles of all His creations, and specifically the camel, by this question He presents to us in Al-Ghashiya, Chapter 88, Verse 17 in the Qur’an.
Such an amazing creature; unique and indistinguishable from the dry sandy desert landscape, and inseparable from our Islamic heritage.
Qaswa, one the Prophet’s SallAllahu alaihi wasallam faithful camels was said to have knelt at the place of the mimbar in Masjid Nabawi when Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam first entered Madinah. He favoured his camel to choose this auspicious place so he could remain impartial to the desires of many of the Ansar who, out of extreme devotion wanted him to choose their land. The Prophet explained that Qaswa was under the command of Allah Ta’ala, in designating the place for constructing the second most sacred place for Muslims and the houses of the families our Noble Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, surrounded by those of the Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum. SubhanAllah, how much respect Allah Ta’ala has for His creatures.
So let us look at the camels and how they are created. Insha’Allah.
Known as "the Gift of God" and "the Ships of the Desert". At the time of the Prophet Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, the camel was the most important animal. It could endure what no other animal could, and provided so much of the needs at the time.
Used for milk (which is lower in fat and lactose, and higher in vitamin C, potassium and iron than cows’ milk), meat (which tastes something like beef, but is tougher - it’s a delicacy in Arabian cuisine), fur skin and leather which were used for clothing and tents, dung (which was a fuel for campfires in the desert and was also used in making a type of cement or plaster for desert houses when mixed with sand, clay, straw, and water), turning water wheels, grinding grains, transport for trading and battles. Camel caravans carried goods and people across the empire. Pilgrims also traveled to Mecca from all over the World of Islam on the Hajj. Some caravans were from 1,000 to 2,000 camels long!
Conjure the wonderful image it must have been when AbdurRaham ibn Auf’s RadhiAllahu anhu caravan of hundreds of camels laden with goods from northern areas entered Madinah, and he donated the entire caravan for Sadaqah!!!!!!!!! And Umar ibn al-Khattab RadhiAllahu anhu in one year gave 40,000 camels as mounts. Sometimes he would give one man a camel to himself. Sometimes he would give one camel between two men. SubhanAllah.
Camels store fat in their humps, capable of going for two weeks without eating or drinking. When they haven’t eaten for a while, the hump shrinks in size and flops over to one side. A camel has two rows of thick long eyelashes to keep out blowing sand, with a translucent second lid that allows light to go through, but protects the eye in mild sand storms. During a sandstorm the camel’s nostrils can close down to keep out the sand. Its knees are covered with callus which is composed of skin as hard and thick as horn. When the camel lies down on the ground, the calluses protect it from being burned by the hot earth. Its long legs protect its underside from the searing heat of the sun-baked sand. And the thick hairs on its body prevent the scorching sun rays from burning its skin; they also keep the animal warm in the freezing desert winter. A camel’s lips and it’s 34 sharp teeth — with the help of its long neck — help it to eat leaves and shoots surrounded by thorns. Camels can also use their teeth as a dangerous weapon in a fight.
A large animal can drink as much as 100 litres of water in ten minutes. This amount would kill all other mammals, but the camel can store water in its bloodstream.
Today camels are fed dates, even the ground date stones, grass and grains such as wheat and oats, but a camel traveling across a desert where food is scarce can easily survive on thorny scrub bushes, or whatever it can find - bones, seeds, dried leaves, even bits of leather.
They can carry heavy loads over long distances. A strong camel can carry as much as 990 lbs., but a usual and more comfortable load weight is 330 lbs.
Walking speed is 3 miles per hour. A camel caravan would normally travel 25 miles a day. A racing camel can reach 12 m.p.h. at a gallop for short distances. This speed was used by the armies in attacking an enemy.
They have three-part stomachs. After eating without much chewing, the food goes into the first stomach. Then, like with cows and other grazers, the "cud" is regurgitated, chewed, and goes into the second and then third parts of the stomach for complete digestion. The feet of camels are large, flat, and round, having two toes joined by an elastic leathery pad. This construction enables the animal to grasp the earth firmly as it walks on sand keeping them from sinking, "Designer Labeled" for traversing jagged terrain! SubhanAllah. Allahu Akbar.
They seem to walk as though mimicking models on a fashion parade. It moves both feet on one side of its body, then both feet on the other, causing its body to rock back and forth while walking. Their hips, perched atop long and slender legs, swing from side to side in a very alluring gait, their bodies undulating forward with a gliding grace, and their pouting mouths creating a perpetual smirk. In many parts of the Kingdom they do have Camel Beauty contests! The winner decorated with a "tiara" of glittering silver. Some of these prized camels can be worth more than SR10 million!!!!!!! The normal life span of a camel is 40 years. Camels don’t usually do heavy work beyond 25 years of age. A camel is mature after 5 years of age.
The Arabic language is said to have about 1000 words to describe different breeds, stages of growth, and health of camels.
Few people know that camels actually weep when they are sad. Female camels produce sounds that indicate sadness and depression when they are separated from their young; their eyes tear as well. Some become so sad that they refuse to eat and die due to the separation.
At the time of Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam there was a camel who cried every night. The owner’s sleep would be disturbed so much so that one day he went to the Prophet to relay this situation. Whereupon Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, after speaking with the camel was told that his master treated him extremely well, giving him adequate food and rest, but at the end of a long days work in the hot sun the Sahabah was so tired that he went to sleep before offering his Esha Salat. The camel was so upset by this that he would make as much noise as possible to wake his master for fear that he may be responsible on the Day of Qiyamah for his masters neglect. SUBHANALLAH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Narrated Nafi RadhiAllahu anhu: "The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam used to make his she-camel sit and he would pray facing it as a Sutra." I asked, "What would the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam do if the she-camel was provoked and moved?" He said, "He would take its camel-saddle and put it in front of him and pray facing its back part as a Sutra. And Ibn ‘Umar RadhiAllahu anhu used to do the same." Indicating the Sunnah of praying behind a Sutra.
Narrated Abu Hurairah RadhiAllahu anhu: The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said, "On the Day of Resurrection camels will come to their owner in the best state of health they have ever had in the world, and if he had not paid their Zakat in the world then they would trample him with their feet; and similarly, sheep will come to their owner in the best state of health they have ever had in the world, and if he had not paid their Zakat, then they would trample him with their hooves and would butt him with their horns." The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam added, "One of their rights is that they should be milked while water is kept in front of them." The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam added, "I do not want anyone of you to come to me on the Day of Resurrection, carrying over his neck a sheep that will be bleating. Such a person will then say, ‘O Muhammad! Please intercede for me, I will say to him. ‘I can’t help you, for I conveyed Allah’s Message to you.’ Similarly, I do not want anyone of you to come to me carrying over his neck a camel that will be grunting. Such a person then will say "O Muhammad! Please intercede for me." I will say to him, "I can’t help you for I conveyed Allah’s message to you."
Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib Radhiallahu anhu, When a man asked Allah’s Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam whether there were any horses in Paradise, he replied, "If Allah brings you into Paradise you will not wish to be conveyed in it on a horse of red ruby which will fly with you in Paradise wherever you wish without doing so." A man asked Allah’s messenger whether there were any camels in Paradise and he did not give him the same reply as he gave the other, but said, "If Allah brings you into Paradise you will have what your soul desires and your eye takes pleasure in." Ameen.
Anas bin Malik RadhiAllahu said: Allah’s Apostle SallAllahu alaihi wasallam was on a journey and he had a black slave called Anjasha, and he was driving the camels very fast, and there were women riding on those camels. Allah’s Apostle said, "Waihaka May Allah be merciful to you, O Anjasha! Drive slowly the camels are laden with glass vessels, crystal!! Meaning the women! SubhanAllah. Allahu Akbar!
And from another hadith narrated by Anas RadhiAllahu anhu, who reported that the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam had a she-camel called Al-Adba’ and it was too fast to surpass in speed. There came a Bedouin riding a camel of his, and that camel outstripped Al-Adba’. That result was hard on the Muslims who said sorrowfully, "Al-Adba’ has been outstripped." Allah’s Apostle SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said, "It is due from Allah that nothing would be raised high in this world except that He lowers or puts it down."
Do they not look at the camels, how they are created?
May we be able to answer in the affirmative, positively acknowledging, YES, we have taken a tiny peek at the magnificence of this one minute aspect of the creation of Allah Ta’ala. May He advance us to be a mere few steps closer to Him from our marveling at His Work. May we share with our children lessons to help them comprehend the Greatness of The Creator, and may we be like an obedient camel, as said by the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam about the mu’minoun: "The believers are very obedient to Allah, gentle, and kind, like an obedient camel which when led follows and when made to sit, even though on a rock, does so obediently. (Tirmidhi)
Ameen Ameen Ameen.
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.
Dedicated to "T" a fellow lover of camels!
