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By : Dr. M.I.H. Farooqi (Dr. Mohammed Iqtedar Husain Farooqi)
Quranic Name
: Kafur
Common Names
: 1.
Hinna, Hinnan (Arab.), Egyptian Privet, Henna (Eng.), Hana, Hina
(Pers.), Kopher, Copher
(Heb.), Henne (Fr.), Yoranna, Kufros (Gr.), Alhena (Sp.) Raggarbha
(Sans.), Mehndi (Hindi, Urdu, Guj., Beng., Mar.), Maanz
(Kash.), Marutunri (Tam., Mal.),
Gorant (Tel.)
2.
Camphor (Eng.), Kafoor (Urdu, Hindi),Qafur, Kafur (Arab.)
Zhang,(Chinese) Camphre,(Fr.), Kampferbaum (Ger.)., Canfora
(It.), Kusunoki. (Jap),Karpura.(Kan),Camphora
(Portg.),Kamfornii lavr, (Russ.) Karpura (Sans.),
Alcanfor, (Sp.) Kafur, (Urdu)
Botanical Name
: 1. Lawsonia
inermis Linn. Syn : Lawsonia alba Lam. (Family : Lythraceae)
Quranic Reference :
1.
SURAH LXXVI (Ad-Dahr
- Time). V : 5
As to the Righteous they shall drink of a cup (of Wine) mixed with Kafur-
In the above Verse, a wine with flavour of Kafur is described for the
consumption of those living in Jannat (Paradise). Similarly in Verse 17
of the same Surah, a wine with the taste of Zanjbil is mentioned
In almost all the commentaries and translations of the Qur’an, Kafur has
been described as the Camphor of plant origin. In Tafseer-e-Majidi (Note
4 of the relevant Surah), characteristics and qualities of Camphor are given,
and stated that the camphor of
Heaven would be without the harmful effects, and would be different from the
camphor of the Earth. In Tafhim-ul-Qur’an, it has been stated that the
wine of Heaven would have the brightness and coolness of the Camphor and this
will not actually be its mixture. Similar views have been expressed in
Tafseer-e-Haqqani. Tafseer-e-Usmani, Bayan-ul-Qur’an
and Tafseer-e-Mazhari. Some
Commentators have also stated that Kafur is the name of a spring full of
wine. In the opinion of Abdullah Yusuf Ali (Note No. 5835), Camphor in small
amount is agreeable in any drink and, therefore, the Heaven’s wine may be a
mixture of Camphor. Pickethall (Meaning of Quran)
has retained the word Kafur in his English translation, but Arther
Arberry has translated it as Camphor . These commentaries are generally based on
Commentaries by Tabari , Qartabi
and Asqalani.
In Arabic Dictionaries like Al-Munjid and Lissan al-Arab, several
meanings of Kafur have been given. For instance, apart from camphor, it
is said to be the covering of the unripe bunches of grape and dates. It is also
described as the perfume obtained from certain types of deer.
In many standard translations of the Quran, the word Kafur is retained as
such. For instance Pickethall has not translated Kafur to Camphor but
preferred to retain it.
Before attempting to identify the actual plant source of
Kafur, of the Quran and of course the Kafur mentioned is
several Traditions, it would be worthwhile if the history of the present day
Camphor is traced out first.
Since the early times, two types of plants have been the commercial sources of
Camphor. One is the Malaysian/Indonesian plant Dryobalanops aromatica and
the other is the Chinese/Japanese plant Cinnamomun camphora (syn
Camphora officinarum ;syn Laurus camphora).
The camphor from the Malaysian/Indonesian (Java) plant is known in India as
Qaisuri Kapur because it was imported from the areas called Qaisur or
Funsur. This Kafur
(camphor) was very costly as compared to the Chinese Kapur (Camphor),
which was introduced in India much after the Java Camphor. During the thirteenth
century A.D., the price of Java Camphor was equal to that of gold. Even during
late nineteenth century, the price of Qaisuri Kafur (Bhimsaini Kapur)
in India was much higher than
Chinese Camphor. There is every likelihood that the Arabs who had very old trade
relations with India, knew about this Java Camphor through their trade. But the
main question is the period and the time when Arabs became familiar with it. It
is very definite and obvious that there is absolutely no reference to Camphor in
the ancient civilization of Egypt or Rome or in the old Greek medicine. None of
the famous naturalist of the pre-Christian era, like Aristotle, Plato, Pliny,
Dioscorides, Theophrastus etc. have mentioned Camphor in their works. It also
does not find a reference in the famous books of medicine by Galen. In short it
can be safely stated that during the period before Christ and even thereafter
during the next few centuries after
Christ, there is no indication that the old cultures of Southern Europe, Egypt
and Arabia knew this important plant product. Hitti has given a very vital proof
of the ignorance of Camphor by early Arab Muslims. According to him when Muslim
Army headed by Sa’ad bin abi Waqqas defeated the Iraqis and Persians in 637
A.D., the Arab soldiers came across a white substance somewhere in Persia, which
they mistook as salt but which was actually the Camphor about which they had no
previous knowledge. The same instance has been reported in greater detail by
Al-Fakhri and Al-Tabri. It is said that several Arab soldiers during
their expedition of Iraq and Iran in 367 A.D. found a leather bag containing a
white substance. They mistook it as salt but before they could use it, someone
told them that it was a medicinal substance called Kafur in Persian. They
purchased this Kafur for two Dirhams and reported this happening to the
Caliph Umar at Al-Madina.
Probably the first reference to Camphor is Arabia was by the famous physician
Ishaq-bin-Amman during the late ninth century A.D. This is the same period when
the well-known Geographer Khardad-Bah also mentioned Camphor (Kafur) of
India. Subsequently, there have been detailed descriptions of Kafur by
the Arab writers; all of them referring to it as the product of Malaysian /
Indonesian plant. It is important to note that by this time the Chinese Camphor
was not known. It was only in the thirteenth century A.D. that Marco Polo gave a
detailed account of Camphor producing trees of China and this was definitely the
first authentic reference of Chinese Camphor, which later on became an important
item for the European trade. Thus it can be clearly inferred that the Camphor (Kafur)
referred to by the Arab Physicians in the late ninth century A.D. and afterwards
was actually the Java / Borneo (Malaysia/Indonesia) Camphor and in all
likelihood they procured it through India and Persia. In India it was called
Kapur or Karpura and in Persia it was known as Kafur. Thus, Kafur
seems to be the Persian derivation of the Indian (Sanskrit) word Kapur or
Karpura and not the Arabic derivation. Steingass has also mentioned Kafur
as a Persian word.
This history of Camphor clearly demonstrates that the Arabs, in all probability,
did not know much about Camphor before Islam, neither through the Indian trade
nor through the Greek medicine. In fact, there are no definite proofs of its
knowledge and wide use in India during fifth or sixth century A.D. This
important product, however, became very familiar to the Arabs after ninth
century A.D. Now the question is that if the Arabs were not familiar with the
present day Kafur (Camphor) at the time of Quranic revelation, then what
was the substance called ‘Kafur’ in the Quran and many Traditions. But
before going deep into this question, let us consider the chemical and medicinal
properties of both the Malaysian / Indonesian) and Chinese / Japanese) Camphor.
The Camphor is a white solid mass with a pungent smell and taste. The Java
Camphor from Dryobalanops aromatica contains d-Borneol as the main
constituent and is obtained by scratching the white exudates from the trunk and
branches of the tree. However, extracting the wood with boiling water and then
purifying the extract through sublimation obtain the Chinese Camphor from
Cinnamomum camphora. It consists of 2-camphanone. Both types
of Camphor are similar in properties and action. Since the pungency of Camphor
is disagreeable, it is not used in food preparations. Moreover, its importance
in medicine, whether for internal or external use, is always with a caution. It
is advised that Camphor containing medicines should be kept away from children
because not only its consumption but also its smell could result in giddiness,
vomiting, nausea, and stomachache. Camphor is an important constituent of many
ointments for external use as an analgesic and also helps in fibrositis
neuralgia. In other words, one can say that Camphor is highly efficacious as
medicine, both internally and externally but it is not suitable for any food
preparation or as flavour additive in drinks. As a matter of fact one cannot
drink water if it contains even traces of camphor. It is quite unlikely that
wine or other drinks containing camphor could have been used at any time in
Arabia or elsewhere in the world.
Now, in view of the historical and well known and established chemical facts
about Camphor, one must seriously consider whether the Kafur of Quran is
in reality the present day Camphor or is it something else?
If the word Mizajuha (Surah LXXVI-Verse 5) means the mixture with
the taste of Camphor, then the Quranic Kafur may be something different.
This problem may be solved if we refer to the Book of Songs of Solomon (Verse 1:
4) of the Bible wherein a word Kopher (Copher) has been mentioned.
In the said Verse it is stated:
“My beloved is unto me as a cluster of Copher (Henna) in the Vineyards of
Engedi”. Similarly, Verse 4: 3 of the same Book says, “The plants are on
orchards of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, Henna (Kopher), with
spikenard.”
In the early translations of the Bible, Kopher (Copher) was interpreted
as Camphire i.e. Camphor. However, after a great deal of study and research,
it was concluded that Camphor was not known during the period of Moses or
Christ and the word Kopher was actually the name of Hinna
(Lawsonia inermis) in the Sematic language. This plant (Egyptian Privet) was
well known and commonly found in Arabia and Egypt. Thus, in the subsequent
versions of Bible, viz., Moffat Version, Godspeeds Version and Jastov
Version we find the mention of Hinna instead of Camphor as the synonym of
Kopher. Moreover, in old Greek literature Hinna was called
Kufros. Now the next pertinent question is, whether the Quranic word
Kafur was actually derived from the Biblical word Kopher and Greek
word Kufros or from the Indian word Kapur (or Karpura). In
my own humble opinion the origin of Quranic Kafur is Kopher or Kufros
signifying Hinna and not Indian Kapur, meaning Camphor.
It may be pointed out that many Quranic names of plants, fruits and seeds have
their origin from the Sematic as well as Greek languages and, therefore, there
are several Quranic names of plants which are similar to those given in Bible.
Some such similarities are cited as below:
1. For
Lentil, the Quranic name is ‘Adas whereas Biblical word (Hebrew) is
Adasha.
2. For
Pomegranate, the Quranic name is Rumman and the Biblical (Hebrew) word is
Rimmon.
3. For
Olive, the Quranic name is Zaitun whereas the Biblical (Hebrew) word is
Zaith.
4. For
Grapes, the Quranic name is ‘Inab’ and the Biblical word is Enave.
5. For
Cucumber, the Quranic name is ‘Kiththa ‘and the Biblical name is
Kishium.
6. For
Manna, the Quranic word is ‘Mann’ and Biblical is Man.
7. For
Onion, the Quranic name is Basal whereas Biblical is Belsal.
8. For Fig,
the name given in Quran is Teen and the name in Bible is Teenah.
Now, if all the above words, as also many others, are similar or very near to
each other in the Quran and the Bible, there is every likelihood that the
Quranic Kafur is similar to Biblical Kopher. It is very likely
that during pre-Islamic period Hinna or Itre-e-Hinna (Oil of
Hinna) was called Kafur in Arabic but when the present day
Camphor became known and familiar to the Arabs during 7th to
9th century
A.D., the Persian derivations was adopted in Arabic for Camphor and only Hinna
was retained for Lawsonia inermis. Such influence of Persian language on
Arabic or vice versa is logical and understandable,
particularly in view of the fact that Arabs and Persians came into very
close contact just after the advent of Islam. During the 8th and
9th century
A.D. many useful commentaries on the Quran were written in Persia and all of
them referred to Quranic Kafur, probably erroneously, as Persian Kafur.
It is very important to note that Dioscorides, a well-known naturalist before
Islam has used the word Kufros for Hinna (Lawsonia inermis) in his
Treatise on Natural Science. Thus, it is very obvious that like many other words
of the Quran, Kafur has its origin either in Sematic or Greek language
and not it any Indian language as generally believed.
Hinna
(Lawsonia inermis) is a commonly occurring plant of Arabia and since time
immemorial, the perfume of Hinna (‘Itre-e-Hinna) obtained from the
flower has been used as an important article of cosmetics. The flowers of Henna
have a cooling effect and are also a very good stimulant. When someone says that
particular wine will have the flavour of Hinna, it is a scientific
statement and one can appreciate it. The red colour of Hinna (leaves
extract) is also very attractive and can be attributed to any wine. Watt has
written that Arabic Poet Imaru-e-al-Qais (sixth century A.D.) was the first
person to have referred to the word Kafur in his poetry. But any mention
of the word Kafur in the poetry does not necessarily mean that it refers
to Camphor. It is just possible that by Kafur, Imru-al-Qais might have
meant Hinna and not Camphor. However, the references to Kafur in
the poems of Al Hajjaj (762 A.D.) and Al-Rayee (738 A.D.), as mentioned in the
Lisan al-Arab, might be to the present day Camphor, because during the
period of these two poets, a great revolution in medicine and other branches of
Science had already been initiated by the Muslim Arabs and, therefore, there is
every likelihood that the Camphor was introduced to the Arab society as a
medicine of great value and people became familiar with it. It was after this
Science revolution of Islam that commentaries on Quran, mostly by Persians, were
written wherein Kafur was translated as Camphor. It is also very
significant to note that all the important Dictionaries of English language like
the Oxford Dictionary and the Cambridge Dictionary, published during late
nineteenth and early twentieth century, have given three meanings of the word
Camphor or Camphire. The first is the pungent smelling product of the
Malaysian/Indonesian plant, the second is the white medicinal substance
extracted from the Chinese plant and the third meaning given is the Henna plant.
Apart from these Dictionaries, other
English and French Books on the Bible including the famous Book ‘La
Botanique de La Bible’ also describe Hinna (French, Henni) as the Camphor
(Copher) of Bible. It seems that scholars and commentators of the Quran
have missed this aspect of the history of Camphor.
There are several references to Kafur in many sayings of Prophet Mohammad
(Ahadith) but according to an important article on Tibb al- Nabvi
(Medicine of Prophet), none of the Hadith gives any medicinal description
or use of Kafur. Thus, these Ahadith (plural of Hadith) do
not prove the identity of Kafur as Camphor. It may be noted that in many
Traditions, Prophet advised to apply Kafur on the dead body after the
final bath. It is very obvious that the Camphor was definitely not such a common
commodity in Hijaz and Najd so as to be available for this purpose. Hinna
could have been definitely a common
perfume of that area and could have been utilized during the last rites.
Applying Hinna to the dead body had been customary even in Egypt before
Islam. Another fact may be repeated here that upto
thirteenth century the price of Camphor was equal to that Gold and,
therefore, Camphor (Kafur) was used only in small amount as a constituent
of important ointments. Such a product could not have been used so commonly for
the last rites in the sixth or seventh century. It was only during the fifteenth
to seventeenth century that Camphor became a comparatively cheap article after
the introduction of Chinese Camphor in the world market. It became still cheaper
when it was synthesized from turpentine.
To conclude and in my humble opinion, the Quranic Kafur must be taken as
Henna (Lawsonia inermis) and not Camphor (Dryobalanops aromatica).
Nevertheless, it is for the Arabic scholars and authorities on the Quranic
interpretation (Commentaries) to give final verdict on this aspect of the
meaning of Quranic Kafur. I appeal to all the scholars of Muslim
countries as well as those belonging to the Islamic Centers around the world to
give a serious thought to this matter. One must bear in mind that any change in
the meaning or a different interpretation of some words, does not affect the
message of the Holy Quran.
Important Tradition (Hadith) on Kafur :
1. Narrated
Um Atiyya One of the daughters of the Prophet died and he came out and said wash
her three or five times or more, if you think it necessary, with water and Sidr
and last of all sprinkle Kafur - Book of Funeral - Sahih Bukhari
Note - There are four similar traditions on Kafur all narrated by Um Atiyya. 63
(The above Article is one of the Chapters of
Plants of the Quran by Dr. M.I.H.
Farooqi, 9th edition, 2011, Sidrah Publisher, Lucknow. email :
mihfarooqi@yahoo.com; Mobile: +919839901066
Valued Comments
1. Muscat Daily (April 19,
2011): Ruler of Oman, Sultan
Qaboos bin Said has honoured Dr. M.I.H.Farooqi (Alig), retired Senior Scientist
( Deputy Director), NBRI, with an Award of 25 Thousand US Dollars (Rs 12 lakhs)
in appreciation of his work
on PLANTS OF THE QURAN and
MEDICINAL PLANTS IN THE TRADITIONS OF PROPHET MOHAMMAD.
2. Mohammed VI, King of Morocco (Letter, 3rd June, 2010)
I want you to know how impressed I am
by your work on Plants in the Qur’an and Medicinal Plants in the Traditions of
Prophet Mohammad.
3.
Dr. Mohammad Abdo Yamani, Chairman, IQRA International Educational Foundation,
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
‘‘-Most impressive and interesting book. The book has really filled a
gap that has been yawning for centuries-and in the most perfect way-useful and
comprehensive informations-book shall remain and forever a unique attempt and a
useful accomplishment.’’
4.
Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi,
Founder-Member, Rabitah Al-Alami Al-Islami. and
Rector, Darul-Uloom Nadwat-ul-Ulema, Lucknow. ‘‘-observations and
identification of certain plants particularly with respect to Sidrah and Kafur
unrael severl knots and are of immense help in removing many confusions....this
work is not only useful and valuable but also an important addition to Quranic
literature.’’
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