Sidr / Lotus tree سدر
(Leaf & Powder)
The Sidr Tree | Lote Tree thrives in coastal, desert, and semi-desert areas and can be found in India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and the in southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, the tree grows extensively in the eastern part of Yemen, which is where most sidr leaves that we find for sale are obtained from.
Sidr is mentioned in four places in the Qur’an and one of the places is in surah Al-Waqi’ah (no.56), in ayat 27-28:
فِي سِدْرٍ مَخْضُودٍ : ‘they (the companions of the right) will be among lote trees, with thorns removed’
Allah Almighty says in surah an Najm: ‘By the Lote Tree of the furthest Boundary. Near it is the Paradise of Abode. When the lote-tree was covered with that which covered it.’
[an Najm:14-16]
The Sidr tree contains many beneficial nutrients for the human body that can help strengthen the immune system.
The parts of the tree are used in the preparation of many natural remedies for many diseases, health problems and more.
From the tree a variety of benefits can be obtained from the leaves, flowers, fruits, and honey of the sidr tree, which all have great medicinal properties!
Sidr is also mentioned in various ahadith and described and instructed to be used as a cleansing agent in either soap form or as a shampoo.
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
While a man was at 'Arafat (for Hajj) with Allah's Apostle the fell down from his Mount and broke his neck (and died). So Allah's Apostle said, "Wash him with water and Sidr and shroud him in two pieces of cloth and neither perfume him nor cover his head, for Allah will resurrect him on the Day of Resurrection and he will be saying 'Labbaik."
SAHIH BUKHARI, BOOK 23: Funerals (Al-Janaa'iz) Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 23: Volume 2, Number 356
Sidr should be used to wash hair and body in a general wash, not for ghusl unless it is a wash for the individual entering Islam and taking their Shahaadah (testimony of faith)
As the hadith states, the wash before burial is performed using sidr mixed with water and sidr has anti-bacterial properties to cleanse the skin and hair.
Although there is no hadith from the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) stating that sidr can be used to treat sihr (black magic) and ayn (evil eye), scholars and those experienced in the field of al Ruqyah Shari’ah, say that it is an effective component in the treatment of Ruqyah Shari’ah.