The Citron

“There was a guest in my house who liked citron with honey. I served him and I ate with him; then I went to visit abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), when the table-spread with food was before him (the Imam). He (the Imam) asked me to come close and eat. I said, ‘I just had citron with honey before coming and I feel heavy because I overate.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O boy, go to the girl and tell her to send for me pieces of dry loaves of bread of that which she dries up in the oven.’ He brought it and he (the Imam) said to me, ’Eat from this dry bread; it helps one to digests citron.’ I ate it, then left and I felt as if I had not eaten anything.’”

“Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), once asked, ‘What do your physicians recommend for you about citron?’ I replied, ‘They recommend us to eat citron before food.’ He (the Imam) said, ’I recommend you to eat it after food.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Eat citron after food; because Ale Muhammad (SAW), do so.’”

“Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.), has said, ‘Dry bread helps one to digests citron.’”

“I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘They think that citron before breakfast is in its best.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘Before food it is good after food it better and best.’”

“Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’, has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, liked to look at the green citron and red apple.’”