Legend has it that the tree was planted 600 years ago.
A ‘miracle’ tree in Egypt has scores of people vouching for its healing power.
The nabk (jujube-Buckthorn) tree, in Dishna town of Upper Egypt, was
reportedly planted by Sheikh Nasr El Din – a Sufi - about 600 years ago.
Legend has it that the tree shed blood when El Din died and ever since
has been bleeding every Friday and Monday, reported El-Watan –Ahram.
Interestingly, thousands throng to the tree on these days and take home
the red secretions, which they believe is a cure for all ills.
Children climb up the tree to collect the miracle fluid, while women use
cotton to soak the red secretion from the slits above ground and
collect in bottles.
The belief among residents is any unwell individual who visits the tree
on three consecutive Fridays will be cured. The visit is not complete
until they rub the fluid on their body, visit the shrine of Sheikh Nasr
El Din and have lunch under the tree.
Sheikh Rashad Mahmoud Hussain, who works in the mosque and takes care of
the tree, was quoted as saying that anyone who attempts to cut branches
from the tree will become disabled.
Similarly, those who climb the tree without ‘purifying’ themselves will fall from the tree.
Women and children form majority of visitors, according to Hussain, who
added that most of them return even after the third visit.
Meanwhile, Salah Abdullatif, an agricultural researcher, opines that illiteracy makes people believe the tree does miracles.
Ibrahim Abdellah, another researcher, who holds a Master’s degree in
agricultural science, said the secretion is a normal process of the
tree, but people believe it is mourning the death of Sheikh Nasr El
Din.
However, people say that the tree never produces red liquid on normal days but only on Fridays and only at prayer time.
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