Foods of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) :Barley

Barley: Sunnah-Talbina(Barley)

Narrated ‘Aisha (the wife of the Prophet),that whenever one of her relatives died,
the women assembled and then dispersed (returned to their houses) except her relatives and close friends.She would order that a pot of Talbina be cooked.Then Tharid (a dish prepared from meat and bread) would be prepared and the Talbina would be poured on it. ‘Aisha would say (to the women),”Eat of it, for I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, The Talbina soothes the heart of the patient and relieves him from some of his sadness.’ “ Bukhari (Book #65, Hadith#328)

Hadith:-

The Prophet (Pbuh) recommended Barley to cure griefs of heart and ailments of kidney.

Barley crops are cultivated throughout the country during the season of rabi crops and utilized in various forms including the Barley flour. The plants of barley are very similar to wheat and the seeds are elongated in shape in comparison to wheat with a covering of light yellow colour. Prophet Muhammad (saws) liked it very much and used it in various forms such as barley bread, gruel and dough.

During the period of the Prophet (saws) the people either used to eat the Barley bread or to mix the wheat flour with Barley flour to prepare the bread generally. One lad used to sell the preparation from Beet roots and barley at the gate of Masjid-e-Nabwi on every Friday and it is said that holy companions liked this preparation as much as they used to wait for Friday eagerly. Ummul Manzar states that the Prophet (saws) along with Ali came to our house, we had the dates and those were presented to them. Both of them ate from those dates. When Ali (Ra) consumed a little of those, the Prophet (saws) said

"You recently recovered from illness, hence you are weak, hence don’t eat more. Therefore, that lady prepared a dish from barley and beet root. Then, the Prophet (saws) told Ali "eat from it, it is better for you". (Ibn-e-Maja, Sanad-e-Ahmed, Tirmizi)

This proves that after illness, the preparation made from barley and beet roots is very good tonic for weak persons.

Anas Bin Malik states that a tailor invited the Prophet (saws) to meals. He prepared the barley bread and meat with Pumpkin. The Prophet (saws) very affectionately ate the pumpkin pieces from the curry. (Bukhari, Muslim)

Yousuf Bin Abdullah Bin Salam states that I saw the Prophet (saws) taking a piece of barley bread and put a date on it and stated that was bread’s vegetable (salan). (Abu Dawood)

The barley gruel was especially prepared after boiling barley with milk and sweetened with honey. That preparation was called as Talbina.

Whenever a person of the family of Muhammad (saws) fell sick then it was ordered that the barley gruel should be prepared for him. Then he used to state

"it removes the grief of the patients heart, removes its weakness as any of you removes the dirt from your face after washing it". (Ibn Maja)

Aisha (R.A) used to order preparation of Talbina for sick person and used to say "though the patient dislike it, but it is highly beneficial for him. (Bukhari)

Another narration is found on record from Aisha Siddiqua (R.A). Whenever anyone complained of loss of appetite to the Prophet (saws), He ordered to use Talbina and stated

"By Allah who hold my life, this removes the dirts of your abdomen as one of you removes the dirt of your face by washing it".

Science proofs:-

Barley is a good source of insoluble and soluble fiber. The soluble fiber portion contains the richest source of beta-glucans compared to any other grain; these can aid immune function. Barley also contains B vitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, and is one of the richest sources of chromium, which is important in maintaining blood glucose levels. Barley is also rich in antioxidants and contains a high concentration of tocols and tocotrienols, oils that help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Numerous studies have been conducted in modern research that demonstrates the effectiveness of barley in treating health problems like heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and constipation.

How to Make Talbina

Talbina is made by adding 1-2 tablespoons of barley flour (must be 100% wholegrain barley flour) to one and a half cups of water or milk. Cook on a low heat for 10-15 minutes. It can be sweetened with honey. This broth can be used as a stock for soups or stews or as a thickener.

· · · January 18

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