Short answer
Yes, at certain times. It is sunnah to break your fast with fresh or dry dates, and to eat an odd number of dates before going to the Eid al-Fitr prayer. The Prophet ﷺ loved dates and said a house without dates is a hungry house. At other times dates are a good food, and eating them in odd numbers is a matter of preference.
Breaking the fast with dates, and eating an odd number before the Eid al-Fitr prayer, are sunnah (mustahabb). Eating dates at other times is a good, lawful food without a specific sunnah attached, though doing it out of love for the Prophet ﷺ brings reward.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Dates appear throughout the Quran and Sunnah. Maryam was told to eat ripe dates from the palm when she gave birth to Isa. The Prophet ﷺ said that a household without dates is a hungry household, because dates were the staple food of Madinah.
The specific sunnahs are:
- Breaking the fast: the Prophet ﷺ broke his fast with fresh dates; if there were none, with dry dates; and if there were none, with a few sips of water.
- Eid al-Fitr: he would not go out on the morning of Eid al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates, and he ate them in an odd number.
- Tahnik: softening a date and rubbing it on a newborn's palate (see tahnik).
- Ajwa dates: the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever eats seven ajwa dates in the morning will not be harmed that day by poison or magic.
The odd number is reported specifically for Eid al-Fitr; at other times it is not a fixed sunnah, though many people like to keep to it. The four schools agree on these sunnahs.
For more, see the sunnah foods, Ramadan fasting rules and Eid dates.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Maryam 19:25-26
وَهُزِّىٓ إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ ٱلنَّخْلَةِ تُسَٰقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًۭا جَنِيًّۭا ﴿٢٥﴾ فَكُلِى وَٱشْرَبِى وَقَرِّى عَيْنًۭا ۖ فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ ٱلْبَشَرِ أَحَدًۭا فَقُولِىٓ إِنِّى نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ صَوْمًۭا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ ٱلْيَوْمَ إِنسِيًّۭا ﴿٢٦﴾
And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So eat and drink and be contented. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say, 'Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to [any] man.' "
Allah gave Maryam dates as food at the time of birth.
Sunan Abi Dawud 2356
Grading to be checked... كان يفطر على رطبات قبل أن يصلي ...
"He would break his fast with fresh dates before praying."
The sunnah of breaking the fast with dates.
Sahih al-Bukhari 953
Sahih... لا يغدو يوم الفطر حتى يأكل تمرات ...
"He would not go out on the day of Eid al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates."
The sunnah of eating dates before Eid al-Fitr; the same report adds that he ate them in an odd number.
Sahih Muslim 2046
Sahih... بيت لا تمر فيه جياع أهله ...
"A house without dates, its people are hungry."
Shows the place of dates as a staple food.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5445
Sahih... من تصبح كل يوم سبع تمرات عجوة ...
"Whoever eats seven ajwa dates every morning..."
The virtue of ajwa dates.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Chapter on the Eid prayer. Eating an odd number of dates before Eid al-Fitr is sunnah.
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Sawm. Breaking the fast with dates is recommended.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.