The banana is one of the fruits of Paradise which Allah, the Exalted, has promised to His believing slaves. Allah says:
“And those on the Right Hand — how (fortunate) will be those on the Right Hand? (They will be) among thornless lote trees, And among Talh (banana trees) with fruits piled one above another, And in shade long extended.” (Soorah Al-Waqi‘ah, 56: 27-30)
Al-Tabari said, “The phrase “among thornless lote trees” means among trees loaded with fruits which have no thorns.” Qatadah said, “It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, that it meant loaded with fruits, and from ‘Ikrimah, may Allah be pleased with him, it was narrated that it means that they have no thorns. “Talh (banana trees) with fruits piled one above another”. Al-Mu’ammar Ibn Al-Muthanna said, “To the Arabs this is a large tree with a lot of thorns, but the commentators among the Sahabah (Companions) and Tabi‘een (Successors) said that it means banana. This was the view of Ibn ‘Abbas and ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, and was narrated from Mujahid, ‘Ata’ Qusamah and Qatadah. The people of Yemen call the banana Talh.”
Ibn Katheer narrated that Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said that this verse refers to the banana, and the people of Yemen call banana Talh.
The Arabic word for banana is Mawz, which comes from the Indian word mooza (Musa paradisica). The Arabs likened its fruits to fingers (banan). When cultivation of bananas was transferred to Spain, and then to Europe, they called it banana. It is an herbaceous tree which grows to a height between 3 and 6m. It belongs to the Monocotyledonou

s, and is of the Musaceae genus. It has been known to mankind for more than 2000 years and it is believed to originate in the Indian subcontinent or Malaya, from which it was taken to Persia and to Africa, from where the Portuguese took it to many parts of the world.
It is believed that the Chinese have long used an extract of the root of the banana tree as a medicine to treat measles, headaches and jaundice. The Hakims or traditional doctors in India also used it.
The naturalist Pliny (79 BCE) pointed out the qualities of the banana and it was known as the food of philosophers. It was also regarded as the preferred fruit among the Assyrians.
Even though the banana comes at the top of the world’s menu as an excellent fruit, for some people it is regarded as the main source of nutrition, as in the Antilles, the Philippines, the coasts of Central America and Central Africa, for whom it is a staple like wheat.
Although it is eaten raw as a fruit, it may also be cooked, and a type of jelly can be made from it. A flour may be made from the dried slices, and in chemical terms the flour is close to rice flour. In France, a bread is made from it which is mixed with sugar and scented, and people take it with them to eat while travelling.
Banana is rich in carbohydrates which give the body energy and heat. They are composed of starch, which is found in the unripe banana. Hence, this kind is difficult to digest and is not very sweet. As the banana ripens, a large part of its starch turns into sugar, so it becomes easier to digest and has a better taste. The high level of sugars is not found in any other fruit, as it reaches as high as 24 percent of its weight. The rest of it is composed of water (70 to 78 percent), protein (0.34 to 1.2 percent), fats (0.4 to 0.9 percent), and cellulose fiber (0.5 to 1 percent). It also contains traces of starch and astringent.
Each hundred grams of banana gives the same amount of calories as 100g of meat, in addition to its effect in strengthening and renewing the tissues because of the vitamins and minerals that it contains.
Bananas contain a good level of vitamin C; hence, it counteracts the disease of scurvy, offers good protection against flu and bronchitis, and has a strengthening effect and counteracts exhaustion.
It also contains a number of B vitamins, especially B1, B2, B6 and B12; hence, it is useful in dealing with inflammation of the nerves and in cases of anemia, convulsions and arthritis. It contains a high level of vitamin A, 300 international units per 100 grams, which helps with growth and strengthens eyesight.
Minerals are found in abundance in bananas, which enable it to supply the body with most of what it needs of these minerals. Bananas are rich in potassium (40 mg per hundred grams), but they are low in sodium and free of cholesterol, hence they may be used to lower high blood pressure, to reduce the burden on the kidneys and to protect against atherosclerosis. They contain a considerable amount of calcium, iron and copper, and a good ratio of phosphates, which is called the “smart mineral” and which helps those who are engaged in mental and intellectual work. It also contains fluoride which protects the teeth from decay. And it contains pectin which helps to fight diarrhea.
Dr. Labier, head of a medical laboratory in Paris, says, “The nutritional value of bananas is high. The fresh banana contains the same nutrients in the same amount as meat. The very ripe banana contains double these amounts. Although the banana is regarded as an excellent food, it is a mistake to regard it as a complete food; it is essential to add other foods to bananas which contain fats, such as milk, which is regarded as complementary to the banana.”
Bananas may be regarded as a food and a remedy for those who are suffering from exhaustion and weakness, and for those with heart, kidney and liver diseases; in fact bananas are the ideal food for them. Bananas are not suitable for those with diabetes or obesity, because of their high sugar levels. Because they are low in fiber, we advise those who are affected by constipation not to eat a lot of them.
Digestion and absorption of bananas, and, hence, benefiting from them, cannot be completed without two conditions being met, namely that they should be fully ripe and they should be chewed well. Thus we may avoid problems and poor digestion which may result if they are unripe, especially in those with weak stomachs or unsound digestive systems. We can crush or smash the banana until it is like a dough or paste in order to give it to these people and to small children so that they can benefit properly from it.
Ripe bananas are an excellent remedy for those with severe digestive problems, especially children and those with inflammation of the large intestine or chronic digestive problems, those affected by celiac disease or sprue, the causes of which are still unknown and which leads to total weakness and physical collapse. Bananas are the best remedy and are safe and give healing. They contain the necessary effective elements for treating this serious disease.
Bananas contain an alkaline substance which prevents fermentation in the stomach. This alkaline substance is regarded as a healing remedy for cases of acidity (acidosis) in chronic digestive problems, as it regulates this acidity and raises the pH to alkaline levels in the blood also. This is indicated by a change in the chemical composition of the urine from acid to alkaline.
The alkalinity of bananas is also beneficial in treating symptoms of stomach ulcers. Olga Craig, in an article entitled “A Banana a Day Keeps Ulcers at Bay”, published in the British Today magazine (7 January 1991), quoted from the Australian Medical Journal research which shows that one banana a day offers complete protection against worsening of stomach ulcers, and eating it before food gives healing from stomach ulcers. She also spoke about reports of healing from the pain of ulcers and heartburn by eating a crushed banana with milk (known as “cocktail” in Arabic countries). Prof Baron Hills confirms that bananas can restore the protective lining to the stomach.
The nutritional expert Sheila Kissinger confirms that pregnant women in the last month of pregnancy often suffer from heartburn accompanied by vomiting. She has proved that bananas are a healing remedy for pregnant women in this situation.
Since bananas are easy to carry and contain fructose, extra alkaline substances and vitamins, if eaten alongside milk, they are regarded as excellent nutrition during convalescence from severe illness and fevers, and in cases of malnutrition, and for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, athletes, those who do hard physical work, and the elderly, especially those whose appetites are weak.
Recent research (from Qamoos Al-Ghidha’ Wal-Tadawi Bil-Nabaat by Ahmad Qudamah, 1982) has shown that there are hormones in bananas which help to regulate the nervous system. Eating bananas regularly keeps children psychologically balanced and healthy.
Our Islamic heritage did not neglect the value of bananas as a remedy. Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said concerning the banana, “It is hot and moist, and the best type is the ripe and sweet one. It is beneficial in cases of tightness in the chest and lungs, coughing, and kidney and bladder problems; it acts as diuretic, increases the sperm, stimulates the libido, acts as a laxative and increases yellow bile and mucus.”
Ibn Al-Baytar says of bananas, “They are beneficial in treating coughs and chest pains and lack of blood; they also increase weight. They are good for the chest and kidney, act as a diuretic, increase mucus and yellow bile, increase libido and increase sperm.”
Bananas and old age
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The hormone melatonin caused a great deal of controversy when it was suggested as an anti-ageing remedy and a means of preserving vitality and youthfulness for a longer life. A scientific study showed that the banana is the fruit to rely on as an alternative to medicine, as the banana is distinguished by its high levels of this hormone.
An Egyptian researcher in the University of Al-Mansoorah, Dr. Mahmoud Darwish, told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, “Bananas are rich not only in melatonin, which regulates the essence of health and youthfulness, but ripe bananas are also regarded as a rich source of nutrients and easily absorbed sugars. Hence this fruit gives energy and vitality, and may be relied upon in diets aimed at supporting vitality and physical agility.”
He confirmed that the characteristics of the banana allow it to be like this because it contains vitamin B2, which is essential for the release of energy in the cells of the body from fats, carbohydrates and protein. It is also essential for the absorption of iron and the building of hemoglobin. In addition to that, vitamin B2 has many health benefits for the skin and eye sight.
Doctors say that bananas were called the food of the philosophers by the ancients, because they were an essential food for the scholars and philosophers of ancient India. He confirms that there is nothing like the carbohydrate found in bananas in any other fruit. What is unique about the carbohydrate in bananas is that it cannot be stored in the body.
Eating a lot of bananas does not lead to any increase in weight, and on that basis there appeared diet plans which include bananas as an essential element in any plan aimed at maintaining body weight and protecting agility and clarity of mind. This indicates that these characteristics of bananas have no equal in any other food apart from potatoes, and the only difference is that the banana is a fruit and the potato is a vegetable that grows in the ground.
Dr Mahmoud Darwish lists other medicinal benefits of bananas, It is the only fruit that may be eaten raw by patients with stomach ulcers. It also helps to lower blood pressure, and the banana is able to perform this function because it contains a high level of potassium accompanied by a small amount of sodium. The banana also counteracts acidity, because it contains a high level of alkaline minerals which adjusts the acidity of the stomach. Moreover, eating bananas is important in cases of malnourishment and lack of vitamins, when bananas are eaten continually within a specific diet program. The biochemical components of bananas include 24 percent carbohydrate, 2 percent protein, 0.4 percent fat, 0.5 percent fibre and 57 percent water.
With regard to vitamins, bananas contain 430 international units of vitamin A, 0.09 mg of vitamin B1, 0.06 mg of vitamin B2, 10 mg of vitamin C, as well as 420 mg of potassium, 8 mg of calcium, 31 mg of manganese, 0.64 mg of magnesium and 28 mg of phosphates, in addition to a number of acids that are important for the body.
Medicinal benefits of bananas
Bananas are regarded as one of the most important fruits eaten by humans, because of their many benefits. These include:
• Anti aging
• They gave the body energy
• They give the body vitamins A and B
• They are rich in minerals
• They help to reduce blood pressure
• They help the brain to grow
• They help to fight stomach ulcers
(Jami‘ Al-Bayan ‘an Tafseer Aayat Al-Qur’an; Tafseer Aayat Al-Qur’an Al-‘Azeem; Ayman ‘Izzat Al-Tabba’, Al-Murshid Ila Tababat Al-A’shab; Muhammad Kamal ‘Abdul ‘Azeez, Al-At‘imah Al-Qur’aniyah; Sabri Al-Qabbani, Al-Ghidha’ La Ad-Dawa’; Ahmad Qudamah, Qamoos Al-Ghidha’ Wal-Tadawi Bil-Nabat; Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah, Al-Tibb An-Nabawi; Ibn Al-Jawzi, Zad Al-Maseer fi ‘Ilm Al-Tafseer; Majallat As-Sharq Al-Awsat)
(from Islamic Medicine: The Key to a Better Life by Yusuf Al-Hajj Ahmad,