“He would not go out on the day of Eid al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates, and he would eat them in an odd number.” (1) However, eating only one date does not fulfill the sunnah, because the wording of the hadith is, “until he had eaten some dates.” Accordingly, one must eat three or more: three, five, seven, nine, or eleven. What matters is that he eat an odd number of dates. Each person may eat according to his appetite; there is no fixed limit, so he may eat his fill. If he eats seven, that is good, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever eats seven dates from the dates of al-Aliyah in the morning”—and in another wording, “from ajwah dates”—“will not be harmed that day by poison or sorcery.” (2)

Glory be to Allah! Protection and preservation through seven dates from al-Aliyah—a known place in Madinah—or from ajwah dates. Indeed, our Shaykh Ibn Sadī, may Allah have mercy on him, held that this was mentioned by way of example, and that what is meant is dates in general. On this view, a person should eat seven dates every morning. If this is what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, intended, then the objective has been achieved; and if he did not intend this specifically, there is no doubt that breaking one’s fast with these dates—which combine three qualities and are among the finest foods: sweetness, fruit, and nourishment—is beneficial. Dates possess all of these qualities: they are sweet, they are fruit that one enjoys eating, and they are nourishment. This is why, among fruits, you do not find anything like dates: they do not spoil when kept for a long time; rather, they remain fit to eat, unless a person stores them improperly or the like.