What is Islam’s perspective of trees?

  What is Islam’s perspective of trees?

The Islamic tradition is rich in regard to our responsibility as Muslims to act as guardians of the environment. The Quran also has numerous passages that describe the lush gardens and trees in heaven, highlighting their value not only in this world but also their significance in the hereafter. There are several sayings from the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that relate to the importance of trees and plants in Islam.

1. Planting trees is regarded as an act of generosity (sadaqah) and the planter receives blessings from all those who benefit from it:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There is none amongst the Muslims who grow a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, but is regarded as a charitable gift for him."

2. Trees are to be treated with care and not to be unnecessarily harmed:

"I was throwing stones at a date palm belonging to some of the Ansar. They took me along with them to the Prophet (ﷺ). He said: "O Rafi'! Why were you throwing stones at their date palm?'" He said: "I said: 'Out of eagerness, O Messenger of Allah! He said: 'Do not throw stones at them, eat what falls. May Allah fill you and quench your thirst.'"

3. The Prophet also had a deep spiritual connection to trees:

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to stand by a tree or a date palm on Friday. Then an Ansari woman or man said. "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Shall we make a pulpit for you?" He replied, "If you wish." So they made a pulpit for him and when it was Friday, he proceeded towards the pulpit (for delivering the sermon). The date palm cried like a child! The Prophet (ﷺ) descended (the pulpit) and embraced it while it continued moaning like a child being quietened. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It was crying for (missing) what it used to hear of religious knowledge given near to it."

4. The Prophet also used trees as an analogy to describe the believing Muslims:

We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) and fresh dates of a palm tree were brought to him. On that, he said, "Amongst the trees, there is a tree which resembles a Muslim." I wanted to say that it was the date palm tree but as I was the youngest of all (of them) I kept quiet. And then the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It is the date-palm tree."

5. There are also several references to trees in the afterlife in both positive and negative contexts:

🎴The Prophet said: “Whoever says: ‘Glory is to Allah, the Magnificent, and with His Praise (Subhan Allahil-Azim, Wa Bihamdih)’ a date-palm tree is planted for him in Paradise.”=

Regarding: 'And We granted the vision (Ascension to the Heaven "Miraj") which We showed you (O Muhammad as an actual eye witness) but as a trial for mankind.' (17.60) It was an actual eyewitness who was shown to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) during the night he was taken on a journey (through the heavens). The cursed tree is the tree of Az-Zaqqum (a bitter pungent tree that grows at the bottom of Hell). 

🎴What we can take from these Hadiths is that planting and maintaining trees is an act of faith. Like all of creation, they should be respected and represent signs of Allah.

In Surat Al-Hajj, Allah says, “Do you not see that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth and the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the moving creatures and many of the people?...”(Quran 22.18). Trees are given special mention as Allah created them as one of the many signs of His existence. The next time you are in a park, take a moment to pause and reflect on the beauty of their stature, the complexity of their lifecycle, and the blessings they bestow upon us and other animals.

🎴How can I become involved in planting trees?

There are several institutions that host planting events throughout the spring and fall seasons. If you are unable to attend an event, you can also donate to have trees or native shrubs planted on your behalf.

🎴Tree Canada:  A charitable not-for-profit organization, Tree Canada is committed to working with its corporate, government, and individual partners on tree-planting programs, including providing “ReLeaf” to areas suffering damage from natural disasters, offering funding to communities for fruit-bearing trees, providing schools with outdoor classrooms, and more.

 🎴Evergreen: Evergreen is a national not-for-profit that has been working since 1991 to restore the connection between Canada’s cities and the natural environment. Focusing on four program areas—Greenspace, Children, Food, and CityWorks—Evergreen builds partnerships with diverse groups and engages key influencers and the public to inspire local action and create sustainable urban development.

TD Tree Days: As TD’s flagship urban greening program, TD Tree Days provides TD employees and their families, our customers, and community partners the opportunity to demonstrate leadership in environmental stewardship in their local communities.

If you are interested in increasing the forest canopy on your property, many municipalities will plant trees on City-owned boulevards at no cost. If you are within the Greater Toronto Area, LEAF is an organization that provides valuable information about trees and species that are best suited to urban environments. They also provided assessments of your property on which trees will thrive in your soil and light conditions.

🎴LEAF: LEAF is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection and improvement of the urban forest and engages citizens in urban forest stewardship through planting, education, and training.

🌹The two trees came together to conceal the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he was answering the call of nature

This was recorded in the Sahih report narrated by Imam Muslim, may Allah have mercy on him, from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him): "… We stopped in a fragrant valley, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to answer the call of nature. I followed him, bringing a bottle of water, but he could not find anywhere where he could conceal himself. There were two trees at the edge of the valley, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went to one of them, took hold of one of its branches, and said: ‘Follow me, by the permission of Allah.’ So it followed him like a camel being led by a rope until he came to the other tree. He took one of the other tree’s branches and said: ‘Follow me, by the permission of Allah.’ So it followed him until he reached the halfway point between them, then he put them together and said: ‘Stay together and cover me, by the permission of Allah.’ So they stayed together." Jabir said: "I kept away, for fear that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) might feel my presence and move even further away. So I sat down, thinking to myself, and when I turned around, I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) coming towards me, and the two trees had separated and taken up their former positions." (Sahih Muslim, 5328)

🌹The tree under which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted his Companions’ pledge of allegiance unto death and not to desert him.

This happened during the campaign of al-Hudaybiyah when he heard of the betrayal of the Mushrikin. This tree is also mentioned in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning):

"Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they gave the Bay’ah (pledge) to you (O Muhammad) under the tree…" [al-Fath 48:18]