List of Plants mentioned in the Quran

1. PLANTS OF THE
QURAN
(SEMINAR AND TOUR OF EXHIBITION & REST OF
KEW GARDENS)
Monthly Quran Seminar
5 August 2023
Hafiz Abdullah
Muhammad

6. THE QURAN AND
PLANTS
Plants are among the many diverse creation of Allah
(SWT) and are a demonstration of His Power of
Creativity. They are of benefit to humans, animals and
other species of creation.
The Quran frequently compares human life, death and
resurrection to those of plants. In the following Verse, we
are compared to plants (Nabat) as both have been brought
out from the earth (Ard):

10. PLANTS GLORIFY
ALLAH
Plants, like the rest of the Creation of Allah glorifies their
Creator, but we don’t understand their mode of
Glorification (Tasbeeh):
“There is nothing but gives Glory to
Him with His praise, though you do not
understand their mode of
Glorification”. (Quran 17:44)

12. PLANTS ARE CREATED IN
PAIRS

14. PLANTS OF THE
QURAN
Several plants are mentioned in the Qur’ān that have a
history of use as food, medicine or have value for a
particular characteristic they hold.
Most of the plants mentioned in the Qur’ān can be
identified to present day plants. A few, however, are
difficult to name with certainty, and suggestions to their
identity have been put forward with reference to the
context in which they have been mentioned.

15. All of the approximately 30 plants mentioned in the
Qur’ān are significant not only in that they are useful to
everyday life, but because they have a historical, cultural
and religious connotation. The very mention of some
plants in the Qur’ān signifies their importance and
relevance as they are known either for their use (such as
date, onion, garlic, olive, grape, fig, pomegranate, lentil,
ginger, mustard) or as a reference to their character or
what they might denote (such as tamarisk, henna, sidr).

16. Through global climate change and human impact on the environment,
natural habitats of many plant communities and animals are being lost
or have changed with the result that many plant species can no longer
survive in their native areas of distribution.
The loss of a species means that there is also a loss of history and
culture that is associated with it in its native environment. It is true that
plants can be cultivated and saved from extinction, but the cultural
history which a plant carries with it in its native habitat cannot be
carried on through cultivation in another place.

18. Manna. NAKHL (Date palm) ZAYTUN (Olive)
‘INAB (Grape) RUMMAN (Pomegranate) TEEN (Fig)
Cedar or Lote-tree. Tamarisk. Tooth-brush tree.
Henna or camphor. ZANJABEEL (Ginger) ‘ADAS (Lentil)
BASAL (Onion) FOOM (Garlic) QITHTHA (Cucumber)
TALH (Banana) YAQTEEN (Gourd) Mustard.
Sweet basil. Zaqqum. Dhari.
Tuba. Trees. Fruits.
Leaves. Grain. Agriculture.
Fodder. Vegetable. Plants.
Rose. Tar. Oil.

23. TREE ‫شجرة‬

24. TREE ‫شجرة‬
 First reference to TREE in the Qur’an is in the story of Adam (AS):
“Do not go near this Tree, otherwise you will be among the wrongdoers” (2:35).
 The ZAQQUM TREE (56:52)
Also known as the CURSED TREE (Al-Shajarah Al-Mal’oonah) in 17:60
 The OLIVE TREE is described as the BLESSED TREE (Al-Shajarah Al-
Mubarakah) in the famous Verse of the Divine Light (24:35)
 Parable of the GOOD TREE (Al-Shajarah Al-Tayyibah) in 14:24
 Parable of the BAD TREE (Al-Shajarah Al-Khabithah) in 14:24
 ‘If all the Trees were Pens and all the water in the Oceans were Ink, they will not
be able to exhaust the Word of Allah’ (31:27)
The Pledge under the Tree ‫بيعة‬
‫الرضوان‬ at the Treaty of Hudaybiyah in 6AH/628 CE
(48:18)

26. LEAF ‫ورقة‬

41. ACACIA: TALH
(VACHELLIA NILOTICA)
Possibly a reference to the acacia, the name ṭalḥ is used once in the Qur’ān in
reference to one of the blessings the believers will receive after the Day of
Judgement.
Vachellia nilotica is one of the most widespread acacia species, found from
South Africa north to Iraq and east to India.
It is a majestic tree, both in flower and fruit, often planted in villages for its
shade, evergreen foliage and mildly fragrant flowers.
The pods contain tannin and have been used for tanning since ancient times.
Acacia has medicinal uses and is an important source of gum Arabic.

44. ALHAGI- AL-
’AQUL
(ALHAGI GRAECORUM)
Alhagi is a genus of plants in the family
Fabaceae. Known in Arabic as al ‘āqūl, they
are commonly called camelthorns or manna
trees.
Used as a medicinal herb, it is mentioned in
the Qur’ān as a source of the sweet manna.

47. ARMENIAN CUCUMBER:
QATHTHA
(CUCUMIS MELO VAR. FLEXUOSUS)
The Qur’ānic name qaththā translates as ‘Armenian cucumber’ and appears
once in the Qur’ān as one of the vegetables the people asked Moses for when
they were led out of Egypt. There were five vegetables they longed for:
cucumber, watermelon, leek, onion and garlic.
Qaththā is now believed to refer to the snake melon or snake gourd rather
than cucumber. Native to Asia, these plants spread to East Africa more than
5,000 years ago, where they became a popular cultivated crop in ancient
Egypt.
The Armenian cucumber, Cucumis melo var. flexuosus, is a long, slender fruit
which looks and tastes like a cucumber to which it is related to.

50. BANANA: MOZ
(MUSA SP.)
The translation of the Qur’ānic term talḥ is still disputed,
but according to some authorities it could refer to the
banana.
Known as moz in Arabic, the banana was cultivated in
Africa at least 2,500 years ago. By the tenth century AD
in the Middle East it was known as a fruit that was
harvested unripe and hung in cellars to ripen.

53. SWEET BASIL:
RAYHAN
(OCIMUM BASILICUM)
The word rayḥān is used for any plant with a sweet smell.
According to Islamic scholar Al Jawziyyah, the people of Iraq and
Syria associate rayḥān with sweet basil, whereas the Arabs of the
west associate rayḥān with myrtle (also called ās or yās in Arabic).
Mentioned a few times in the Qur’ān, Sweet Basil, Ocimum
basilicum, is considered to be one of God’s gifts to humankind. In
Islamic tradition, smelling pleasant odours and looking at the
greenery of trees and herbs were valued as beneficial for a
person’s general wellbeing.

56. CEDAR OF LEBANON:
SIDR
(CEDRUS LIBANI)
The Qur’ānic name sidr, and sidrat-al-muntahā or ‘the lote tree of the
utmost boundary’, alludes to the Cedar of Lebanon’s great height,
strength and beauty.
One of the most majestic evergreen trees in South-West Asia, Cedrus
libani holds a mystical place in stories and legends, such as the
Sumerian poem The Epic of Gilgamesh from ancient Mesopotamia.
The extensive use of cedar wood for building materials and ship
building in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia left the once dense forests
of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey and the mountains of Syria
and Lebanon largely destroyed.

59. CAMPHOR: KAFUR
(CINNAMOMUM CAMPHORA)
According to classical translations of the Qur’ān, kāfūr is referred
to as a flavour or taste: ‘Lo! The righteous shall drink of a cup
whereof the mixture is that of kāfūr’. The name kāfūr for camphor
may have been spread from Indonesia to Persia by Arab-speaking
traders at the time of the ancient civilisations.
Native to China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea, camphor Cinnamomum
camphora is easily identified by the pungent odour it produces
from crushed leaves and roots. It was once considered one of the
most important incenses in perfumery and embalming.

62. CASTOR OIL:
YAQTIN
(RICINUS COMMUNIS)
According to some authorities, the Qur’ānic
word yaqṭīn refers to the castor oil plant, Ricinus
communis.
Commonly called the castor bean, castor oil can be
extracted from the seeds of this plant.
Although possessing some valuable medicinal properties,
it is noted in the Guinness World Records as the most
poisonous plant in the world.

65. DATE PALM: NAKHL
(PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA)
An old Arabic saying is ‘the uses of the date palm are as many as the days in a
year’. The date palm, or nakhl, produces the date fruit; dates are considered as
fruit, food, medicine, drink and sweetmeat.
Many fruits and fruit-bearing plants have been mentioned in the Qur’an, but it is
the date palm that has the most references. The trees are also noted for providing
shade and symbolising wisdom.
The fruit ripens through a range of colours, from greenish yellow to black. It is
rounded to elongate, with a fleshy, sweet-tasting texture, and contains a single
seed.
Native to the Arabian Peninsula, Phoenix dactylifera has been widely introduced
and cultivated in many warm temperate and tropical regions of the world.

68. ETHIOPIAN
BANANA: TALH
(ENSETE VENTRICOSUM)
One of the translations for the word talḥ is a banana tree. It
appears once in the Qur’ān in reference to one of the
blessings that believers will receive after the Day of
Judgement: ‘They will dwell amid thornless Lote trees and
trees of clustered banana.’
Native to Eastern Africa, Ensete ventricosum (called enset or
ἴnsät) is a close relative of Musa, the banana. In Ethiopia,
enset may pre-date the cultivation of the banana, and it is
believed to have been used in ancient Egypt to produce
fermentation in beer.

71. FIG: TEEN
(FICUS CARICA)
The Arabic word tīn, as it appears in the Qur’ān, may refer to
a mystical tree growing in Paradise. In this context, the fig is
presented as just as important as the olive for all its properties
and uses: ‘I swear by the fig tree and the olive.’
Ficus carica is native to the Middle East and western Asia.
The fig is one of the plants associated with the beginning of
horticulture in the Mediterranean region, based on
archaeological evidence found on Neolithic sites in Jordan
and the upper Euphrates.

75. GARLIC: THOOM
(ALLIUM SATIVUM)
The Arabic name thōm and the Qur’ānic name fūm have been used
for garlic.
There is a singular mention of garlic in the Qur’ān, where on their journey
from Egypt the Israelites plead with Moses to ask God to add variety to their
monotonous diet.
Growing up to 1.5 metres tall, the flowering heads produce bulbils (miniature
clone plants) that are capable of growing into new plants when they fall to the
ground.
It is thought that garlic and onions were first domesticated in the mountainous
regions of central Asia.

77. GARLIC BULBILS: THOOM

78. GARLIC FLOWERS: THOOM

80. GINGER:
ZANZABIL
(ZINGIBER OFFICINALE)
The Arabic name zanjabīl appears once in the Qur’ān, "with those who have
done good deeds on Earth receiving a drink mixed with ginger when they are
in Heaven".
This flowering plant with a subterranean stem or rhizome is widely used as a
fresh or dried spice and herbal medicine.
Originating in South-East Asia, Zingiber officinale spread as a domesticated
crop with the Austronesian peoples as they migrated across the Indo-Pacific
regions. Spreading to Europe, it was widely known in the Mediterranean to
classical Greek and Roman society and later became a valuable commodity in
the spice trade. It is known only as a cultivated crop.

83. BOTTLE GOURD:
YAQTEEN
(LAGENARIA SICERARIA)
The Qur’ānic word Yaqtīn, mentioned once in the Qur’ān, is
believed by some authorities to refer to a Gourd. It is mentioned
in reference to Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale. Upon
repenting and being cast ashore, he rests beside a yaqtīn plant.
Bottle Gourd or Lagenaria siceraria was common in the ancient
regions of Babylonia and used widely for medicinial purposes.
When mature, the dried woody shells are used for a multitude of
objects such as water carriers and musical instruments.

87. GRAPE: ‘INAB
(VITIS VINIFERA)
The words inab, khamr, sakr and kasan are various names for the grape mentioned
in the Qur’ān, often in combination with olive, fig, date palm and pomegranate,
indicating the prominence of these fruits.
The common grape, Vitis vinifera is one of some 65 species in the
genus Vitis, found in the northern hemisphere. Widely cultivated, there are over 7
million hectares of vineyards across the world, mostly for the production of wine –
but grapes are also grown to be dried into raisins, processed into non-alcoholic juice,
fermented into spirits, or for fresh consumption.
The grape is one of the earliest domesticated fruit crops. Archaeological records
suggests that cultivation of Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera began 6,000 to 8,000 years
ago in the Near East from its wild progenitor, Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris.

90. HENNA: KAFUR
(LAWSONIA INERMIS)
The plant associated with the Qur’ānic name kafūr is
disputed. The name occurs once in the Qur’ān; it could
refer to grape blossoms or a sheath of palm tree pollen. In
some translations it refers to camphor, obtained from the
wood of the camphor tree, but some translate it as henna,
a term used by Arabic-speaking Persians for the
plant Lawsonia inermis, which was used as a dye.
Henna is still used as a dye today in many cultures and
has associations with good health.

93. LENTIL: ‘ADAS
(LENS CULINARIS)
The term adas, meaning lentil, is referred to in the Qur’ān as one of
the foods that the followers of Moses were used to eating in Egypt.
Lentils, Lens culinaris, are seeds contained in a small fruit pod.
Archaeological evidence suggests that lentils began to be cultivated
as a domestic crop around the same time as wheat and barley in
South-West Asia. It is still an important food crop today, widely
cultivated around the world.
The most common colours of the lentil are red, brown yellow and
green

96. LOTE TREE: SIDR
(ZIZIPHUS SPINA-CHRISTI)
Some authorities believe the Qur’ānic name of sidr refers to sidrat-al-muntahā
(meaning ‘lote tree of the utmost boundary’), Ziziphus spina-christi, also known
known as the Christ's thorn jujube.
The lote tree is said to be located either in the sixth or seventh heaven and marks the
point beyond which progression, physical or abstract, cannot be made. During his
night ascension through the heavens, it was at this tree that the Prophet Mohammed
experienced visions beyond human comprehension.
Every aspect of the plant is shown from the tiny white clusters of flowers and fruit
through to the overall habit of the tree. The lovely little spherical fruit changed
through a series of colours from the pale green made of lemon yellow, sap green and
translucent orange. Quinacridone gold, burnt sienna and scarlet red were also used in
the fruit.

99. MANNA: MANN
(HALOXYLON SALICORNICUM)
The Arabic word mann, meaning ‘gift’, is used three
times in the Qur’ān. Manna refers to a sweet substance
excreted by insects on certain plants. It was first
documented by Islamic scholar Al-Birūnī (973–1050) in
his Book on the Pharmacopoeia of Medicine.
Haloxylon salicornicum is a flowering desert shrub that
grows across the Middle East. It has great environmental
importance in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, where it
helps to stabilise soils and sand dunes.

102. MUSTARD:
KHARDAL
(BRASSICA NIGRA )
Mustard is mentioned twice in the Qur’ān, both for
its seed and for the minuteness of its size and
weight: ‘If it be the weight of a grain of mustard,
and it be in a rock…God will produce it.’
Black mustard or Brassica nigra is native to South
Asia and southern Europe. The name khardal is
used for black mustard in southern Asia.

105. MYRTLE: ‘AS
(MYRTIS COMMUNIS)
The Arabic word ās (or yās) for myrtle is associated
with medicine and healing.
Myrtle is an aromatic evergreen shrub, widespread
throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. It is
naturalised in many areas, but also cultivated for its
fragrance, edible fruits and medicinal qualities.
In ancient cultures it was an ingredient for perfume in
ritual offerings. In Muslim culture it is associated with
Paradise.

108. OLIVE:
ZAYTOON
(OLEA EUROPAEA)
The olive or zaitūn is referred to in the Qur’ān as bearing
oil and light, and as a blessed and useful tree.
A classical tree of the Mediterranean, together with the fig
and the grape, the olive, Olea europaea is one the oldest
cultivated plants, dating back 7,000 years. Exports of
olive oil from Palestine date back to the Bronze Age.
The olive tree’s leafy branches have long been used as
symbols of glory and peace.

112. ONION: BASAL
(ALLIUM CEPA)
Baṣal is the Arabic name for Onion and it occurs once in
the Qur’ān: ‘some of what the earth produces, its herbs
and its cucumbers, its garlic, its lentils and its onions’.
Onions form part of a large group of plants including
garlic, leek and chives, distributed mainly in Central Asia.
They have been cultivated away from their native habitat
since ancient times. The earliest visual depiction can be
found in ancient Egyptian tombs, where they are shown as
offerings.

115. POMEGRANATE: RUMMAN
(PUNICA GRANATUM)
In the Qur’ān, rummān or pomegranate, Punica granatum, is
seen as a blessing, a symbol of Paradise, fertility, prosperity, and
an illustration of the importance of not being excessive or
wasteful.
The pomegranate has long been a celebrated fruit in many
different cultures, a symbol of fertility, prosperity, righteousness
and eternal life.
Pomegranate is now cultivated in many parts of the world, but Iran
and Central Asia remain as the main producers, where it forms an
integral part of their cuisine.

118. TAMARISK: ASAL
(TAMARIX APHYLLA)
In the Qur’ān, tamarisk or athal is a kind of tree that grew in a
wasteland after the flood sent to the tribe of Saba’ destroyed their
cultivated fields.
Tamarisk, Tamarix aphylla has a high resistance to saline soils,
and its termite-proof timber is popular in the Arabian Peninsula as
a building material and for useful objects.
It is found across the Mediterranean region to southern Africa, and
from the Arabian Peninsula through Iran and Pakistan to central
Asia.

121. TOOTHBRUSH TREE:
KHATM
(TAMARIX APHYLLA)
The plant referred to as khatm in the Qur’ān, thought to be Salvadora
persica, is described as a tree or shrub bearing bitter or inedible fruit. In
South-West Asia and India, young roots and stems of S. persica have
been used for a long time to cleanse and strengthen teeth, freshen the
breath and prevent tooth cavities.
The toothbrush or mustard tree is a widespread species found in tropical
West and East Africa, and from North Africa eastwards through the
Arabian Peninsula to India and Sri Lanka. It grows where groundwater
is readily available, such as banks of streams and rivers. It is fully
adapted to dry environments and in parts of eastern Saudi Arabia grows
in dense thickets on sand hummocks.

124. HTTPS://WWW.EMEL.COM/ARTICLE.PHP?
ID=109&A_ID=2040

132. ISLAMIC BOTANICAL
GARDEN (SHARJAH, UAE)
The first of its kind in the Middle East, this
peaceful garden displays a variety of plants
mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and the prophetic
Sunnah
The Islamic Botanical Garden is a beautiful green space
composed of nearly 100 different plants, including figs,
pomegranates and saffron. The gardens aim to promote
reflection, with paved walkways, ornamental pools and narrow
waterways inspired by traditional aflaj (irrigation channels).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJIScY32OAQ&t=118s&ab_channel=Environ
ment%26ProtectedAreasAuthority