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29 March 2024

'Bleeding' tree in Egypt cures the sick

Picture: SUPPLIED

Published
By Staff

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.