Lote tree leaves are a powerful natural remedy that helps to strengthen the immune system. They also contain antioxidants, which help to improve skin health.
The Quran mentions that believers will dwell “among thornless Lote trees” (al-Waqi’ah: 28, Pickthall edition). However, it seems likely that this refers to Z. spina-christi, which occurs wild in Arabia.
Leaves
The leaves of a lote tree (Ziziphus spina-christi), also known as the Christ’s thorn or jujube tree, have many natural health benefits. The leaves offer a range of therapeutic properties, including digestive aid and immune system support. They are also a natural anti-inflammatory, which can help reduce chronic inflammation in the body that contributes to arthritis and asthma.
The lote tree, which is also known as the Utmost Boundary or Sidra al-Muntaha, occupies a central role in Muslim conceptualisation of Paradise and prophetic narrations of the night journey (Isra and Miraj). It is referred to at both a concrete and abstract level in the Quran.
According to the verse 53:18 in the Quran, Allah will place believers amongst lote trees whose thorns have been removed. On a more tangible level, the lote tree is referred to in a number of hadiths as one of the landmarks on the physical journey to Paradise. These hadiths mention that the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, alighted at the Lote Tree on his night journey.
Flowers
Celtis australis, the lote tree or European hackberry, is a deciduous sycamore-like tree native to southern Europe and northern Africa. It is a rounded tree with dark green leaves that turn pale yellow in autumn and bears beautiful globose drupe fruits. Flowers are hermaphrodite, appear singularly or in clusters and are wind pollinated. Theophrastus described the drupe as having a ‘smell like grapes and that in ripening change to a sweet pleasant smell’.
In Islamic beliefs, the sidrat al-muntaha (Arabic: ) or Christ’s thorn jujube is a lote tree that stands in one of the seven heavens and marks the point beyond which no further progression can be made. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, used to perform his ritual ablution on the branches of this tree.
Its leaves, bark and fruit have medicinal properties. Its decoction is astringent, lenitive and stomachic. It is also used as an antiseptic and to treat dandruff, head lice, swollen eyes, abscesses and furuncles.
Fruits
The Lote Tree (Sidratul Muntaha) is a central symbol in many Islamic artworks. The tree symbolizes the unity of all mankind, and it is also associated with spiritual knowledge and spiritual guidance.
The Prophet Muhammad — may Allah be pleased with him — told his followers to perform ritual ablution using the leaves of the lote tree (bi-waraq al-sidr). He added that those who do so will purify themselves from the whisperings of Satan for seventy days.
Scientifically, the lote tree is known as Ziziphus zizyphus and is closely related to jujube (Ziziphus jujuba). Traditionally, people in North Africa and Middle East have used Z. jujuba for several medicinal purposes, including antiurinary troubles agents, sedatives, antidiabetes, and as an effective skin treatment.
The qur’anic “Lote Tree” is a symbol of the transcendent Godhead whose divine theophany is beyond comprehension. It is an apophatic mystery that is experienced through visions like the one in which Moses saw God’s back, not His face.
Roots
In Islam, the Lote Tree is a symbol of faith. According to a Hadith (tradition), Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever fills his interior with the lote tree will be filled by God.” It is also a prominent symbol of education and knowledge, as a result of which several local schools and non-profit, socially engaged foundations use it as their emblem.
The Lote Tree, also known as the Christ’s Thorn, Nabkh or Ziziphus spina-christi, is a species of lotus tree in the family Jujube. It is native to the Middle East and parts of Asia. It is often used for medicinal purposes and has been shown to have various health advantages.
Many Muslim scholars believe that the Lote Tree referenced in the Quran is a real physical tree at the edge of the world where no creation may go beyond it. It is also believed that it represents the ghayb, or the unknown realm that only Allah knows about. lote tree leaves