Why is liver of fish considered as the first food in heaven? it is said to purify our stomach in heaven this is done, is this true? Will we eat food in heaven?
It is proven in the saheeh Sunnah that the first food offered to welcome the people of Paradise when they enter it will be “the caudate lobe of whale liver”. That is mentioned in the hadeeth of Thawbaan, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), according to which one of the Jewish rabbis came to ask the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about some matters to test him. In the hadeeth it says:
The Jewish man said: What will be presented to them first when they enter Paradise?
He said: “Caudate lobe of whale liver.”
He said: What food will be given to them after that?
He said: “The bull of Paradise, which used to graze along its edges, will be slaughtered for them.”
He said: What will their drink be?
He said: “From a spring there that is called Salsabeel.” …
Narrated by Muslim, 315
Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The words “What will be presented to them” refer to that with which a man is welcomed. Ibraaheem al-Halabi said: It is usually good quality fruits.
End quote from Sharh Muslim, 3/227
He also said:
This refers to a whale, according to scholarly consensus… As for the caudate lobe of the liver, this is a separate piece that is attached to the liver and it is the best part of it.
End quote from Sharh Muslim, 17/135-136
That is also proven in other saheeh hadeeths in as-Saheehayn and as-Sunan. We quoted this particular hadeeth because of what it contains of differentiating between the first food presented to the people of Paradise, which is the caudate lobe of fish liver, and the food that they will eat after that, which is the meat of the “bull of Paradise”.
Secondly:
We could not find anything to indicate the wisdom behind the caudate lobe of whale liver being the first food presented to the people of Paradise, but we believe that Allah’s wisdom is great and that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the All-Knowing, Most Wise, and that He said of Himself (interpretation of the meaning):
“And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses, no choice have they (in any matter). Glorified be Allah, and exalted above all that they associate as partners (with Him)”
[al-Qasas 28:68].
That should not prevent some of the scholars from trying to see the wisdom behind the choice of the caudate lobe of whale liver in particular. Some of them said that this is an indication of the end of this world, which is a transient abode, and moving to Paradise, which is an eternal abode, because the fish or whale is an aquatic animal which is indicative of the essence of life on earth, and the bull is a land animal which is indicative of tilling the soil and earning a living, so the people of Paradise are given these two things to eat to signal the end of this world and the beginning of the Hereafter.
See: Rooh al-Ma‘aani by al-Aloosi, 7/94
Thirdly:
With regard to the benefits of the caudate lobe of fish liver, they are many, as has been discussed by doctors and nutrition specialists. Among these benefits are: lowering the level of cholesterol in the blood, reducing fat in the body, and lessening joint pain. It is also rich in vitamin D which has many benefits.
Many people ask whether we will eat food in heaven because eating is not only necessary to stay alive, but it is also so very enjoyable! Because eating is enjoyable, many people conclude that what is enjoyable on earth (sex, family relationships, etc.) will naturally be present in heaven. Although the Bible does not give us a detailed answer to the question of eating food in heaven, a few observations from the Scriptures are in order.
It is interesting to note that when the Lord Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples shortly before His crucifixion, He referred to eating and drinking in the kingdom. “Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God’” (Mark 14:25). The earthly millennial kingdom is certainly in view here, and in that kingdom all who are His followers will have already received their resurrection bodies. It would appear from this statement that we, in our glorified bodies, will eat and drink in the millennial kingdom. But what about the heavenly kingdom?
When John the Apostle was given a vision of the New Jerusalem, he was shown “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse…” (Revelation 22:1-3). The text does not say whether we will actually eat the fruit of the tree of life, but that is certainly possible.
If we will be eating in heaven, we don’t know for sure what the heavenly menu may contain, although it has been suggested that perhaps our diet will be like that of Adam and Eve in paradise before the fall. “And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food’” (Genesis 1:29).
In the end, we don’t really know if, or what, we will eat in heaven. Believers only “know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9). The joys of being forever with our Savior who is the Bread of Life are beyond our limited abilities to comprehend, for “it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, even as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).
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FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN QURAN
Source : Islamic life / 20 Feb 2014
Fruits are one of the oldest forms of food known to man. There are many references to fruits in ancient literature. According to Qur’an, the fruits like grape, date, fig, olive and pomegranate are gifts and heavenly fruits of God Fresh and dry fruits are the natural staple food of man. They contain substantial quantities of essential nutrients in a rational proportion.
Persons subsisting on this natural diet will always enjoy good health. Moreover, the homeopathic drugs are prepared from the fresh plants. Fresh and dry fruits are thus not only a good food but also a good medicine.
Holy Quran is one of the reference books describing the importance of plants used for different ailments in various verses. The Holy Quran says: ‘‘And the earth He has put down (laid) for the creatures. Therein are fruits, date palms producing sheathed fruit-stalks (enclosing dates). And also corn, with (its) leaves and stalks for fodder and sweet-scented plants. Then which of the blessings of your lord will you both (jinn and men) deny?” [Holy Quran – 55:10-16]
There are several verses in Quran talking about the fruits and vegetables in heaven, including; date, olive, pomegranate, grape, banana, fig, cucumber, garlic, lentil and onion. Some of the verses that contains these words are here:
1- Chapter: 6, Verse: 141
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
2- Chapter: 13, Verse: 4
And in the earth there are tracts side by side and gardens of grapes and corn and palm trees having one root and (others) having distinct roots – they are watered with one water, and we make some of them excel others in fruit; most surely there are signs in this for a people who understand
3- Chapter: 16, Verse: 11
He causes to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives, and the palm trees, and the grapes, and of all the fruits; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect
4- Chapter: 56, Verse: 29
And banana-trees (with fruits), one above another
5- Chapter: 95, Verse: 1
I swear by the fig and the olive
6- Chapter: 2, Verse: 61
And when you said: O Moses! We cannot bear with one food, therefore pray lord on our behalf to bring forth for us out of what the earth grows, of its herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions. He said: will you exchange that which is better for that which is worse? Enter a city, so you will have what you ask for. And abasement and humiliation were brought down upon them, and they became deserving of Allah’s wrath; this was so because they disbelieved in the communications of Allah and killed the prophets unjustly; this was so because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits
7- Chapter: 19, Verse: 25
And shake towards you the trunk of the palm tree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates
Fruits have highly beneficial natural effect on the human system. Taking of fruits or fruit juice is the most pleasant way of hydrating the organism. The water absorbed by sick persons in this manner has an added advantage of supplying sugar and minerals at the same time. Clinical observations have shown that potassium, magnesium and sodium contents of the fruit act as a diuretic and dieresis-frequency of urination is considerably increased when fruits and fruit juices are taken.
6 Renowned Fruits Mentioned In The Holy Quran
From the matters of economic, social, political, environment, and religious importance to the matters of everyday life such as eating, sleeping, drinking, all have been touched by Islam and it has mentioned them in one or the other way. Thus, Muslims try to find out the mentions of Islam regarding every matter so that they could incorporate the Islamic teaching in life. One of such trivial matters of life is the eating of fruits in daily life, for which Muslims want to find out the fruits mentioned in Islam so that they eat those fruits that have the honor of being mentioned in Quran or hadith.
Keeping this perspective in view, today The QuranTutor.com has decided to put light on the renowned fruits mentioned in Quran and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) to increase the general awareness of Muslims about the subject:
Quran & Mention of Fruits:
Besides the specific mentions of different fruits in Quran, which will be mentioned in the lines below, there is also generic mention of production and eating of fruits as a blessing from Allah Almighty as well. In Quran, Allah Almighty says:
“He sends down water from the sky from which We bring forth growth of every kind, and from that We bring forth the green shoots and from them We bring forth close packed seeds, and, from that spathes of the date-palm, date clusters hanging down, and gardens of grapes and olives and pomegranates, both similar and dissimilar. Look at their fruits as they bear fruit and ripen. There are signs in that for people who believe.” (6:99)
From this ayah of Quran it is clear that like every other thing in this universe, the production of fruits from seeds is also a sign of Allah Almighty. It is He who has produced these fruits, therefore, the nourishment provided by these fruits should be regarded as a blessing from Allah Almighty. The lines below give some prominent fruits mentioned in Quran and hadith.
Banana:
Allah Almighty says in Quran:
“Amid thornless lote-trees, and banana-trees (with fruits), one above another, and extended shade, and water flowing constantly, and abundant fruit, neither intercepted nor forbidden.” (56:28-33)
This ayah of Quran mentions the blessings that the dwellers of heaven will enjoy. Banana fruit is one of such blessings, therefore, the availability of banana fruit in the world should also be considered a blessing, which is available to people in both the worlds.
Olive:
Another fruit extensively mentioned in both Quran and hadith is Olive. Pertaining to this fruit, Allah Almighty says in Quran:
“And a tree (olive) that springs forth from Mount Sinai, that grows oil, and (it is a) relish for the eaters.” (23:20)
Thus, olive is one of the fruits that relishes the eaters. Hence, one should eat it whenever the chance available. Moreover, pertaining to olive, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in His hadith:
“Eat the oil and use it on your hair and skin, for it comes from a blessed tree.” (Tirmidhi)
Thus, from this hadith it becomes clear that olive is one of the blessed fruits and eating it or using its oil is encouraged by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Dates:
Dates are the fruit of desert, therefore, it is quite natural that Quran as well as hadith of Muhammad (PBUH) should contain mentions of it. In Quran, Allah Almighty says:
“In the earth there are diverse regions side by side and gardens of grapes and cultivated fields, and date-palms sharing one root and others with individual roots, all watered with the same water. And We make some things better to eat than others. There are Signs in that for people who use their intellect.” (13:4)
Moreover, regarding dates, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in His hadith which is narrated by Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (RA):
“there is a tree among the trees which is similar to a Muslim (in goodness). Its leaves do not fall. What is that tree? The Prophet (PBUH) himself said, “that is the date palm tree.”
Therefore, like a Muslim goodness comes out of the dates as well, therefore, the consumption of dates is encouraged by Prophet (PBUH).
Pomegranate:
Pomegranate is another fruit renowned in Islam. Pertaining to this fruit, there are different hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in one of which He said:
“There is not a pomegranate which does not have apip from one of the pomegranates of the Garden (of Jannah) in it.” (Narrated by Anas bin Malik)
Grape:
Pertaining to grapes, Allah Almighty says in Quran
“By means of it We produce gardens of dates and grapes for you, in which there are many fruits for you and from which you eat.” (23:19)
Therefore, a Muslim must also consume as it is one of the fruits with especial mention in Quran as a creation of Allah Almighty.
Fig:
Fig is another renowned food among Muslims. There are numerous mentions of this fruit in Quran and hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), a few prominent of which are mentioned as below:
“By the fig and the olive and the Mount Sinai and this safe country (Mecca)! Indeed, We created human with fairest stature.” (95:1-4)
From these ayahs of Quran it is evident that Allah Almighty swears by fig along with other things. Therefore, if there is some fruit, which Allah Almighty swears upon, then it is definitely something to be included in the daily diet plan.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in His hadith:
“Eat figs! If I would say a certain type of fruit was sent down to us from the heavens I would say it’s a fig because it has no seeds. It ends the piles and is useful for rheumatism.” (Narrated by Abu Darda [RA])
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, although Islam recommends eating of every healthy fruit, however, there are certain fruits that are superior and better than other fruits hence a Muslim must include those fruits in the daily diet plan.
Quran tells us: Al Baqara: Chapter 2: Verse 25
“And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, “This is what we were provided with before.” And it is given to them in likeness, only. And they will have therein purified pairs and they will abide therein eternally.”
So! Those who qualify to enter paradise, will be given heavenly food, that will evoke all the feelings Ammara so beautifully mentioned in her answer. This food will even resemble earthen food, may be in appearance. Who would like to eat a fruit that looks like an octopus? Also, Omar mentions bodies in hereafter and correctly so!
My favorite sura in Quran describing all the luxuries of Heaven is Sura Dah’r also called Sura Insaan
Please read it and ponder the luxury and beauty of the eternal abode of believers! All the luxuries mentioned are material in nature. Wine, drinks, sparkling streams, silk garments, high seats…..
Heavenly food can even be music! Which we call nourishment for the soul
Thanks for the A2A. Enjoyed answering
“Heaven and Hell
The descriptions of Heaven and Hell throughout the Quran are allegorical. And the Quran tells us so whenever such descriptions occur as independent statements, not within a general subject. See 2:24-26, 13:35, and 47:15. The word “Mathal” (allegory) is used in these verses. Linguistically, the word “Mathal” in these verses can be removed, and we still have perfect sentences. But it is there because the descriptions of Heaven and Hell are allegorical.
What Heaven and Hell are really like is far beyond our comprehension. Hence the need for allegory.
How can one describe, for example, the taste of chocolate to a person who never tasted chocolate? Allegory will have to be used. The person has to wait to actually taste chocolate in order to know what chocolate tastes like. Whatever allegory we use to describe the taste of chocolate can never approximate the real thing.”
The afterlife is a different dimension altogether where I don’t think we’ll have these bodies but will have a very different existence and laws of this world will not apply. Food for sustenance is a concept of this world. As per the Quran, being close to the creator will be all that would be needed and more closer one is, more of the heavenly rank one would have. Hell on the other hand is a total absence of God. Those in hell are the ones whom God will have shunned and deserted due to the choices they made. They are the ones who lose their souls on the day of judgment. Knowing that each of our souls has been fashioned from God himself, the absence of God in the eternal life of a person would mean immense pain and discomfort and that is hell.
Description of fire for hell or food and rivers for heaven for instance is just an allegory for us to comprehend an existence of a different realm.
[36:51] The horn will be blown, whereupon they will rise from the grave and go to their Lord.
[36:52] They will say, “Woe to us. Who resurrected us from our death? This is what the Most Gracious has promised. The messengers were right.”
[36:53] All it will take is one blow, whereupon they are summoned before us.
[36:54] On that day, no soul will be wronged in the least. You will be paid precisely for whatever you did.
[36:55] The dwellers of Paradise will be, on that day, happily busy.
[36:56] They abide with their spouses in beautiful shade, enjoying comfortable furnishings.
[36:57] They will have fruits therein; they will have anything they wish.
[36:58] Greetings of peace from a Most Merciful Lord.
[36:59] As for you, O guilty ones, you will be set aside.
The Devil is the Other Alternative
[36:60] Did I not covenant with you, O Children of Adam, that you shall not worship the devil? That he is your most ardent enemy?
[36:61] And that you shall worship Me alone? This is the right path.
[36:62] He has misled multitudes of you. Did you not possess any understanding?
[36:63] This is the Hell that was promised for you.
[36:64] Today you will burn in it, as a consequence of your disbelief.
[36:65] On that day we will seal their mouths; their hands and feet will bear witness to everything they had done.
[36:66] If we will, we can veil their eyes and, consequently, when they seek the path, they will not see.
[36:67] If we will, we can freeze them in place; thus, they can neither move forward, nor go back.
What will be the food for the people in Hell?
The Qur’an makes the following statements regarding the food that unbelievers will have in hell:
No food will there be for them but a bitter Dhari S. 88:6 Y. Ali
Nor hath he any food except the foul pus from the washing of wounds, S. 69:39 Y. Ali
In a footnote, Yusuf Ali gives the following explanation for Dhari:
It is a plant, bitter and thorny, loathsome in smell and appearance, which will neither give fattening nourishment to the body nor in any way satisfy the burning pangs of hunger. …
Other translators render the term as “bitter thorn-fruit” (Pickthall) “dry, bitter and thorny herbage” (Sher Ali), “cactus thorn” (Arberry), “the foul thorn” (Palmer).
Obviously, both kinds of ‘food’ are chosen to evoke a feeling of horror when thinking about Hell. However, the contradiction is in the double claim that this or that will be the only food, i.e.
- No food except Dhari (88:6).
- No food except foul pus (69:39).
First of all, here is how Noble Verses 88:6 and 69:39 above reading from the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation that Jochen Katz used:
“No food will there be for them but a bitter Dhari’ (The Noble Quran, 88:6)”
“Which will neither nourish nor satisfy hunger. (The Noble Quran, 88:7)“
“And what ye see not, (The Noble Quran, 69:39)“
The second Noble Verse, 69:39, is wrong. I believe he meant Noble Verse 69:36, which he deliberately twisted its quote from the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation as clearly shown below:
30. (The stern command will say): “Seize ye him, and bind ye him,
31. “And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire.
32. “Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits!
33. “This was he that would not believe in God Most High.
34. “And would not encourage the feeding of the indigent!
35. “So no friend hath he here this Day.
36. “Nor hath he any food except the corruption from the washing of wounds, (not “foul pus” as he stated above)
37. “Which none do eat but those in sin.”
38. So I do call to witness what ye see,
39. And what ye see not,
40. That this is verily the word of an honored apostle;
(The Noble Quran, 69:30-40)
I have the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation of the Noble Quran on my site. The quotes I provided above can be easily verified using my Noble Quran’s search engine.
Now, let us look closely at Jochen Katz’ ludicrous logic here (similar to his polytheist trinity paganism one). He raised his contradiction/objection on the following keywords:
1- bitter Dhari. “Daree” (in Arabic)
2- foul pus — OR — the corruption from the washing of wounds (as correctly stated above) “Ghisleen” (in Arabic)
Let’s first look at some examples of different Names for single Entities in the Noble Quran:
It is important to know that Allah Almighty on different occasions gave several Names and Attributes to single Entities in the Noble Quran. Let us look at few examples:
1- Allah Almighty Gave Himself 99 different Names/Attributes.
2- The Noble Quran was called: Al-Quran, Al-Furqan, Al-Kitab and Al-Thikr, and perhaps other Names.
3- Hell Fire was called: Jahannam, Jaheem, Saqar, Hawiya, and other Names.
4- The Day of Judgement was called: Al-Aakhira, Al-Saa-aa, Al-Yaum Al-Mawood, Al-Qariaa, Al-Waqiaa, and other Names.
The Noble Quran contains many mysteries and hidden codes that only time can explain. Life in Hell is definitely unknown to us. Our physical perspective does not explain how Hell is. For instance, will the inhabitants of Hell breath Oxygen like we do here on earth? Will they be burning in a literal fire? What type of bodies will they have in Hell that will enable them to resist and endure the Great Heat and punishment of Hell?, etc….
In regards to Dhari or Daree above, it is clear from the Noble Verse after it, 88:7 that I provided above, that it is a descriptive or categorical Naming for the type of food that the inhabitants of Hell will have. Similar to the different Namings in the examples above, Allah Almighty Named the food of Hell as Dharee, “Which will neither nourish nor satisfy hunger.” (88:7). It is not necessarily a different type of food that they will have.
Our food here on earth is a good example for this. An apple, for example, is called both a “fruit” and an “apple”. The Daree and Ghisleen above are similar to the “fruit” category that contains a different type of subcategories.
All of the food of Hell is foul and dirt. Allah Almighty Gave it different Names to further describe their evil and severity.
He wrote:
There is yet another passage that is relevant to this discussion:
Is that the better entertainment or the Tree of Zaqqum?
For We have truly made it (as) a trial for the wrong-doers.
For it is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hell-Fire:
The shoots of its fruit-stalks are like the heads of devils:
Truly they will eat thereof and fill their bellies therewith.
Then on top of that they will be given a mixture made of boiling water.
Then shall their return be to the (Blazing) Fire. S. 37:62-68 Y. Ali; cf. 56:52
Thus, regarding this one topic alone, the Qur’an contains three contradictions:
- “Eating of the tree of Zaqqum” (37:66) contradicts “eating only Dhari” (88:6).
- “Eating of the tree of Zaqqum” (37:66) contradicts “eating only foul pus” (69:39).
- “Eating only Dhari” (88:6) contradicts “eating only foul pus” (69:39).
My response:
Again, seeing the examples that were provided above about how Allah Almighty Gave different Names to different Entities, it is clear that there is no contradiction in the Noble Verses that Jochen Katz gave. Like I mentioned above, life in Hell is mysterious, and our earthly human perspective does not explain it.
The “Tree of Zaqqum” is no different. Will it be a literal tree? Or is this a metaphoric term? This is similar to the “Tree of Life” and the “Forbidden Fruit” that our father and mother Adam and Eve ate from which caused all of the humanity to be thrown out of Heaven:
“Behold! We told thee that thy Lord doth encompass mankind round about: We granted the vision which We showed thee, but as a trial for men,- as also the Cursed Tree (mentioned) in the Quran: We put terror (and warning) into them, but it only increases their inordinate transgression! (The Noble Quran, 17:60)“
“We said: “O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and eat of the bountiful things therein as (where and when) ye will, but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression.” (The Noble Quran, 2:35)“
“O, Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and enjoy (its good things) as ye wish: but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression. (The Noble Quran, 7:19)“
“Then began Satan to whisper suggestions to them, bringing openly before their minds all their shame that was hidden from them (before): he said: “Your Lord only forbade you this tree, lest ye should become angels or such beings as life for ever.” (The Noble Quran, 7:20)“
“So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: “Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?” (The Noble Quran, 7:22)“
“But Satan whispered evil to him: he said, “O Adam! shall I lead thee to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that never decays?” (The Noble Quran, 20:120)“
“In the result, they both ate of the tree, and so their nakedness appeared to them: they began to sew together, for their covering, leaves from the Garden: thus did Adam disobey his Lord, and allow himself to be seduced. (The Noble Quran, 20:121)“
So was the Tree a literal one? Was the fruit something similar to the fruits that we have here on earth? Or do they perhaps mean something completely different? Only time might tell us, and we might never know. But anyway, as I proved before, both the Noble Quran and the Bible contain metaphoric speech and expressions in them. See sections 1 & 2 in the article.