The Faculty of Medicine at the Indonesian Muslim University Conducts Research on Ajwa Dates, Traveling as Far as Medina

The Faculty of Medicine (FK) at the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) in Makassar has established a partnership with several institutions in Madinah.

The partnership was formalized with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Al Yassirah Company office.

The partners are the Dates Association of Madinah, the Saleh Mohammed Al Swailem Agriculture Foundation of Madinah, and the Al Yassirah Catering Company of Madinah. The collaboration focuses on the development, utilization, and research of Ajwa dates as a source of nutrition, supplements, and medicine.

This collaboration was initiated by research conducted by a team from the UMI Faculty of Medicine, led by Dr. dr. Ida Royani, M.Kes, and published in an international journal.

“It was also presented at the first Ajwa Conference in Madinah in November 2019, followed by a poster presentation in Abu Dhabi at the Prophetic Medicine Conference (Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine—TCAM),” explained the Dean of the UMI Faculty of Medicine, Prof. H. Syarifuddin Wahid, Ph.D.

First Vice Dean Dr. dr. Nasruddin, M.Kes., SpOG(K), who is also an alumnus of the UMI Faculty of Medicine, added that the research on Ajwa dates showed they can reduce the risk or incidence of hypertension during pregnancy with excellent results.

This has become a serious concern for several researchers and institutions managing Ajwa dates in Medina.

“Insha’Allah, this collaboration will be followed up immediately with seven research proposals submitted by the UMI Faculty of Medicine research team regarding Ajwa dates. This initiative is strongly supported by several parties in Medina,” he explained. Prior to the signing of the MoU with several Ajwa date management institutions in Madinah, the UMI Faculty of Medicine delegation consisted of several members. The delegation included the First Vice Dean of the UMI Faculty of Medicine, Dr. dr. H. Nasruddin, SPOG, M.Kes., and the Second Vice Dean of the UMI Faculty of Medicine, Dr. dr. Ida Royani, M.Kes.

They were officially received by the Rector of the Islamic University of Madinah (UIM), represented by the Dean of the Faculty of Hadith and Islamic Studies at the Islamic University of Madinah, Prof. Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Falih, at the UIM Rector’s Office.

Accompanying the UIM Dean were senior faculty members and experts in Hadith and Quranic exegesis. The goodwill visit between the two institutions from different countries took place in a very cordial atmosphere, with the main agenda focusing on the exegesis of Hadith and the Quran regarding Ajwa, research on Ajwa, and several other matters.

Specifically, the discussion centered on cooperation in human resource development at both UMI and the Islamic University of Madinah.

In a press release, he stated that the official meeting between the leadership of the Islamic University of Madinah and UMI not only discussed follow-up actions on the cooperation between the two institutions and the results of research on Ajwa but also served to fulfill an invitation to attend the Islamic University of Madinah’s Students Cultural Festival.

"This is an annual event attended by representatives from more than 100 countries."