Scientific Name: Hordeum vulgare L.

Arabic name(s): الشَّعِير

English name(s): Barley

Growth form: Barley is annual cereal grass.

Order: Poales

Family: Poaceae

Genus: Hordeum L.

Species: Hordeum vulgare L.

Citation in the Quran:

The plant is not mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.

Citation in the Hadit:

Narrated by Ibn Umar: Allah’s Apostle enjoined the payment of one Sa’ of dates or one Sa’ of Barley as Zakat-ul-Fitr on every Muslim slave or free, male or female, young or old, and he ordered that it be paid before the people went out to offer the ‘Id prayer. (One Sa’ = 3 Kilograms approx.) Sahih Al Bukhari, book of the obligatory charity tax after Ramadaan.

Habitat & Distribution:

Barley is an ancient crop. It grows naturally in North-Africa, and is widely cereal cultivated crop globally.