Kinds of Sawiq (roasted flour) and the Excellence of Sawiq of Wheat

نِعْمَ الْقُوتُ السَّوِيقُ إِنْ كُنْتَ جَائِعاً أَمْسَكَ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ شَبْعَاناً [شَبْعَانَ‌] هَضَمَ طَعَامَكَ.

sawiq is a very good food. If you are hungry, it holds you. If you are full it digests your food.”’

ذُكِرَ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع السَّوِيقُ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا عُمِلَ بِالْوَحْيِ.

sawiq was mentioned before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and he (the Imam) said, ‘It was prepared by the instruction of divine revelation.’”

السَّوِيقُ يُنْبِتُ اللَّحْمَ وَ يَشُدُّ الْعَظْمَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, sawiq grows flesh and strengthens the bones .’”

السَّوِيقُ طَعَامُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ أَوْ قَالَ النَّبِيِّينَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, sawiq is the food of the messengers’ or he (the Imam) said, ‘the food of the Prophets.’”

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّمَا أُنْزِلَ السَّوِيقُ بِالْوَحْيِ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ.

sawiq was made by the instruction from the heavens.’”

السَّوِيقُ الْجَافُّ يَذْهَبُ بِالْبَيَاضِ‌[1].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Dry sawiq removes whiteness (albinism).”’

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ شُرْبُ السَّوِيقِ بِالزَّيْتِ يُنْبِتُ اللَّحْمَ وَ يَشُدُّ الْعَظْمَ وَ يُرِقُّ الْبَشَرَةَ وَ يَزِيدُ فِي الْبَاهِ.

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘Drinking sawiq with oil grows flesh, strengthens the bones, softens the skin and increases al-Bah (sexual desire).”’

ثَلَاثُ رَاحَاتِ سَوِيقٍ جَافٍّ عَلَى الرِّيقِ يُنَشِّفُ الْبَلْغَمَ وَ الْمِرَّةَ حَتَّى لَا يَكَادَ يَدَعُ شَيْئاً.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Three handfuls of dry sawiq before breakfast absorbs phlegm and bile and it almost does not leave anything behind.’”

قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الْمَاضِي ع‌ السَّوِيقُ إِذَا غَسَلْتَهُ سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ وَ قَلَّبْتَهُ مِنْ إِنَاءٍ إِلَى إِنَاءٍ آخَرَ فَهُوَ يَذْهَبُ بِالْحُمَّى وَ يُنْزِلُ الْقُوَّةَ فِي السَّاقَيْنِ وَ الْقَدَمَيْنِ.

“Abu al-Hassan, al-Awwal (a.s.), has said, ‘If you turn sawiq seven times upside down and change its place from one pot into the other it then can remove fever and send power to the legs and feet.’”

السَّوِيقُ يَهْضِمُ الرُّءُوسَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, sawiq digests heads (hard to digest food).”’ (See also Hadith 1 above).

السَّوِيقُ يَجْرُدُ الْمِرَّةَ[2] وَ الْبَلْغَمَ مِنَ الْمَعِدَةِ جَرْداً وَ يَدْفَعُ سَبْعِينَ نَوْعاً مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ الْبَلَاءِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, sawiq removes bitterness (bile) and phlegm from the stomach and dispels seventy kinds of illness.’”

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ مَنْ شَرِبَ السَّوِيقَ أَرْبَعِينَ صَبَاحاً امْتَلَأَ كَتِفَاهُ قُوَّةً.

“If one drinks sawiq for forty mornings his shoulder will fill up with strength.’”

كَتَبَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ لَا تَسْقُوا أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ الثَّانِيَ السَّوِيقَ بِالسُّكَّرِ فَإِنَّهُ رَدِيٌّ لِلرِّجَالِ. وَ فَسَّرَهُ السَّيَّارِيُّ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّهُ يُكْرَهُ لِلرِّجَالِ فَإِنَّهُ يَقْطَعُ النِّكَاحَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ بَرْدِهِ مَعَ السُّكَّرِ.

13. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Musa ibn al-Hassan from al-Sayyariy from ‘Ubayd Allah ibn abu ‘Abd Allah who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, wrote from Khurasan to al-Madinah, ‘Do not make abu Ja‘far al- Thaniy to drink sawiq with sugar because it is bad for man.’ “Al-Sayyariy has exp

مَرِضَ بَعْضُ رُفَقَائِنَا بِمَكَّةَ وَ بُرْسِمَ‌[1] فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَأَعْلَمْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي اسْقِهِ سَوِيقَ الشَّعِيرِ فَإِنَّهُ يُعَافَى إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَ هُوَ غِذَاءٌ فِي جَوْفِ الْمَرِيضِ قَالَ فَمَا سَقَيْنَاهُ السَّوِيقَ إِلَّا يَوْمَيْنِ أَوْ قَالَ مَرَّتَيْنِ حَتَّى عُوفِيَ صَاحِبُنَا.

“One of our friends became ill in Makkah and began to hallucinate. I went to see abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and informed him (the Imam) about him. He (the Imam) said, ‘Make him drink sawiq of barley; it will cure him by the will of Allah and it is the food for the stomach of patients.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘We made