Is the Hadith on Seven Dates Protecting From Poison and Magic Specific to 'Ajwa?هل حديث حماية سبع تمرات من السم والسحر خاص بتمر العجوة؟

Questioner: Regarding the hadith, "Whoever eats seven 'ajwa dates in the morning will not be harmed that day by poison or magic" — is this specific to 'ajwa dates, or does it apply to dates in general? And what of the hadith, "A house with no dates in it, its people go hungry"?

As for the hadith, "A house with no dates in it, its people go hungry," it is authentic, narrated by Imam Muslim — though it has been disputed by some, it is established in Sahih Muslim. As for the hadith found in the two Sahihs, "Whoever eats seven 'ajwa dates in the morning will not be harmed that day by poison or magic," the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, differed over whether 'ajwa specifically is a condition for warding off poison and magic.

One group — the majority view — held that it is indeed a condition, restricting the ruling to 'ajwa dates as mentioned in the report. Another group held that 'ajwa is simply preferable, not a condition, so that if one eats seven dates of any other kind in the morning, the effect and benefit would still occur. They argue that the wording of the hadith varies across its transmissions — some say "dates of al-'Aliyah," some say "dates of Madinah," and some specify "'ajwa" — and that legislation is meant for all Muslims, with virtue extending to every class of society; were the ruling restricted to 'ajwa specifically, its benefit would be limited to a particular group, whereas the general principle in legislation is that it applies to everyone. They also point to observed benefit from other types of dates in warding off poison and harm.

This latter view is stronger than that of the majority, and it may be explained by the legal principle that mentioning something specific within a general ruling does not restrict that ruling. So the mention of "dates of Madinah," "dates of al-'Aliyah," or "'ajwa" does not narrow the ruling, since this falls under mentioning a specific instance within a general command. A parallel to this is his ﷺ statement, "The earth has been made for me a place of prostration and a means of purification," while another narration in Muslim adds, "and its soil has been made a means of purification for us" — yet this does not restrict "the earth has been made for me" to soil specifically, for the same reason.

Accordingly, the more apparent view — and Allah knows best — is that this virtue applies to all types of dates, and that whoever eats seven dates in the morning will not be harmed that day by poison or magic, though 'ajwa dates carry the strongest effect; the soft, moist variety of dates is generally known — both by common experience and medically — to be more potent against many harmful things, which further supports the view that this ruling is not specific to 'ajwa.

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