The parable of a good tree
In Surah Ibrahim 24 and 25, Allah says: “Have you not considered how Allah presents an example, [making] a good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches [high] in the sky? It produces its fruit all the time, by permission of its Lord. And Allah presents examples for the people that perhaps they will be reminded.”
Many scholars compare the root of the tree to the heart of the believer, in which his faith resides. While the roots are deep and strong, the tree will strengthen and bear fruits which people will benefit from by the will of Allah. Whoever is steadfast with the word of Allah, Allah will make him steadfast with it, die with it and be resurrected with it.
Conversely, Allah also says: “And the example of a bad word is like a bad tree, uprooted from the surface of the earth, not having any stability. Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allah does what He wills.”(Surah Ibrahim, 26 and 27)
If the roots are not strong, the tree is vulnerable and can easily turn rotten and be destroyed.
If the belief is strong, we will implement the obligatory rules (farai’d) strongly, and be steadfast in its implementation. We will also implement the sunnah (nawafil) strongly – not just in how we pray, but in how we think, dress, behave, and conduct ourselves. If these are strong, then the higher level from that would be reflected in our dealings with each other – it would be done with the highest manner and behaviour. If we have good manner, then Allah will cause our tree to bear fruit and allow others to eat from it at the time that Allah wants. If we work on our roots, the fara’id and the nawafil, with the will of Allah, we will see our tree strengthen and its branches bearing fruit to benefit others.
Our sunnah is not just in prayer – it must permeate through our conduct and affect the people outside our sphere. No tree is healthy if it just remains indoors! The healthier the tree, the more people will be attracted to it and desire to reap its benefits. This is how the Companions were, and others were keen to share in their company.
Allah will send the fruits, leaves, and shade when the time is right. It all starts with the roots – the deeper the roots, the higher the tree will reach the sky.
How we live, deal with others, and even where we walk, will be witness to us or against us. Even the living creatures around us can be witness for or against us, depending on what we are working for. Are we walking towards Allah or Shaitan? Are we allowing others to invite us towards Allah or towards Shaitan?
Don’t point fingers, because an inviter points towards himself first. When we die, we will be questioned on what we are doing, not what others are doing. How much are we working on cultivating our own “roots” and “branches”? How much do we call towards Allah so that our tree bears fruits? Let us remember our duties, where we are and where we are going.
Da’wah is not a magic bullet, where you can learn the da’wah techniques in one session. There is no formula that fits all. There is no such session that teaches you the exact science of da’wah. Everyone is different, and the owner of da’wah is Allah. He chooses whom He wants and puts the message in their hearts in the way and time He selects. He chooses those who will listen. The real message of da’wah is to go back to Allah.
As an inviter we have to implement the sequence that Allah wants. Taking the example in Surah Ibrahim about the tree, if the faith in the heart is inculcated strongly with nothing except Allah, the roots will be deep and the trunk will become strong. The roots are continuously feeding the trunk.
In the case of a bad tree, if the faith is weak, then the roots are weak. If this is the case, the trunk of the tree will be weak, which is the implementation of the obligations. If this is weak, the following of the sunnah will be weak, and which will lead us to be bankrupt in our manner and behaviour. We will not have healthy fruit or benefit ourselves and others.
If so, our conduct and behaviour with others is poor, and people will look at us as having no manners. If the iman is strong, you surrender with your iman with a castle of obligations. To protect your obligations, you surrender to the sunnah and nafl. If the sunnah and nafl are strong, you surrender with your good behaviour. When the conduct is good, you are surrounded with akhlak or manner. Shaitan never goes immediately to the core – he goes step by step and consumes from the manner. If he can corrode your good manners, then he will progress to eroding your sunnah and nafl. Then gradually, he penetrates the obligation. Once done, he will eat into the heart, the faith and whatever else is left.
This is why we have to work on our tree in the way Allah describes it, from the roots upwards. If we are a believer of the message, we will start acting according to what we believe.
