An analysis of foods and drinks based on qur'an and sunnah

Abstract

The Holy Qur’an emphasizes on Islamic dietary of halal foods and drinks. This study investigated fruits and drinks that are most frequently mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and sunnah, particularly concerning the health benefits of the fruits and drinks through a content analysis approach. Qur’anic verses mentioning the fruits and drinks were counted by referring to Qur’an index. Whereby, hadiths related to the fruits and drinks mentioned in the Qur’an were gathered from five books of hadith that were Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan Ibni Majah and Tirmidhi. These data were analyzed using Nvivo7, for mapping and managing qualitative research. The data were arranged into coding categories and then, sampling strategies were decided in nodes. Data analyses were preceded by deciding reliability of their contents. Then, the data obtained were used to create a model to provide continuity and to link different aspects of data into a coherent unit. From this study, dates were the most frequently mentioned with 20 verses, followed by grapes with 11 verses and olives with 7 verses. Meanwhile, honey was a drink that was mostly mentioned with 2 verses. It has healing properties. Apart from honey as a beverage from the Qur’an, this study also discovered that Prophet Muhammad PBUH drank juices from dates and grapes. Findings of this study were shown in four models of foods and drinks from Qur’an and sunnah. The models obtained were fruits from the Qur’an and sunnah, model of drinks from the Qur’an and sunnah, model of medicines from the Qur’an and sunnah, and model of signs of His believers to facilitate Muslims in understanding the Islamic dietary law. Findings of this study showed that Islamic dietary laws and scientific explanation concerning the foods are aligned. To conclude, fruits and drinks dietary laws that are guided through Qur’an and sunnah benefit human health. Hence, the Islamic and scientific studies that are intertwined through Islamic dietary law help to enlighten human understanding on the matter.