CHAPTER ON FOLLOWING OF THE TREES WITH THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (PBUH)
Jabir Ibn Abdullah narrated, “We traveled with the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) until we reached a wide valley. The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) went to relieve himself and I followed him with a vessel of water. The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) looked on and couldn’t find anything to cover himself with. He saw two trees on the edge of the valley. The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) went to one of them and took a branch from its branches and said, “Follow me with the permission of Allah.” It followed him like a camel Makhshoosh (with a piece of wood through its nose with a rope tied to it) that follows its master. Then he came to the other one and took a branch from its branches and said, “Follow me with the permission of Allah.” And it also followed him. When he was midway he brought them together and said, “Cover me with the permission of Allah.” They were joined together. Jabir said, “I left quickly fearing that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) would sense my closeness and might distance himself. So I sat and spoke to myself and looked once and saw the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) coming and I saw the trees falling apart and each one of them stood on its trunk. I saw the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) standing and indicating with his head like this: “left and right.”
Anas narrated, “Jibreel came to the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) one day when he was upset, stained with blood from an attack from some of the people of Makkah.” Anas added: He asked him, “What is wrong with you?” He said, “They did to me and they did, i.e., hurt me.” Anas added: Then Jibreel said to him: “Do you want me to show you a sign?” He said, “Yes.” He looked at a tree behind the valley and said, “Call that tree.” He called it and it came running and stood in front of him. Then Jibreel said, “Order it so that it returns.” So he commanded it and it returned to its place. Then the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “That’s sufficient for me as a sign.”
Ibn Abbas narrated: A man came to the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) from the tribe of Amir and said, “O Messenger of Allah, show me the seal that is between your shoulders because I am from the most learned of people in magic.” The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not show you a sign?” He said, “Indeed.” He looked at a date-palm tree and told the man, “Call that cluster of dates.” The man called it and it came skipping till it stood in front of him. The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Return.” And it returned to its place. The Amiri man said, “O family of the tribe of Amir, I haven’t seen a man greater in magic than this man like today.”
Ibn Umar narrated: We were with the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) during a journey, where a Bedouin approached and after coming close the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Where do you want to go?” He said, “To my family.” He said, “Do you want to go to goodness?” He said, “What is that (goodness)?” He said, “Bear witness: There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, Alone, without a partner and that Muhammad is his slave and Messenger.” He said, “Do you have a proof of what you say?” He said, “This tree.” The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) called it and it was at the edge of the valley. So it came dragging itself on the ground till it stood in front of the Prophet. He asked it to make the Shahadah (testimony of Islam) three times so it made the testimony that he (the Prophet) was as he claimed. Then it returned to its roots and the Bedouin returned to his people and said, “If they follow me I will bring them to you and if not I will return to you and remain with you.”
The tree trunk yearning for the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and sadness due to his departure from it
It has been narrated in a Hadith from a group of the Companions with many chains that provide certainty with the Imams of this affair and the knights of this field (Hadith).
Al-Qadi Iyad said in his book Ash- Shifa’ and it is a well-known Hadith, widespread, Mutawatir (related from many paths due to their number providing certain authenticity) and narrated by the writers of the Saheeh and as between 13-19 Companions narrated it, from them: Ubayy, Jabir, Anas, Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, Sahl Ibn Sa‘d, Abu Sa‘eed, Buraidah, Umm Salamah and Al-Muttalib Ibn Abu Wada‘ah.
Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b narrated from his father, “The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) used to give Khutba (speech) using a date-tree trunk as a rest as the Mosque was in the shade. He used to address the people leaning on that trunk. Someone from the Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah, can we make you a pulpit that you can stand on during Fridays so that you can make the people hear your Khutbah?” He said, “Yes.” Three steps were built which were used as the pulpit. When the pulpit was made and was fixed where the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) wanted it, the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) decided to stand on it and give the Khutbah. As he walked toward it and passed by the trunk that he used to lean on, it cleft and split and started crying. The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) descended from the pulpit and when he heard the voice of the tree trunk, he came close to it and put his hands over it to make it calm down and he returned to the pulpit. When the Mosque was destroyed, Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b took that tree trunk and it remained with him till it perished and was eaten by worms and thrown into the ruins.”
The stone’s glorification (of Allah) in the Prophet’s hand
Abu Dharr narrated, “I do not mention Uthman except with goodness after something which I witnessed. I used to be a watchman who used to search for the moments of seclusion for Messenger of Allah. One day I saw him sitting alone and I ceased the opportunity of his seclusion. I came and sat in front of him. Abu Bakr also came and gave the greetings and sat on the right side of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). Thereafter, Umar came and gave the greetings and sat on the right side of Abu Bakr. Then Uthman came and gave the greetings and sat on the right side of Umar. In front of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) were seven stones – or it is said 9 stones. He took them in his hands and they began to glorify (Allah) which I heard from them the humming like the humming of the bee. When he put them down they became quiet. Then he took them and put them in Abu Bakr’s hands and they began to glorify (Allah) which I heard from them the humming like the humming of the bee. Then he put them down and they became quiet. Thereafter, he took them and put them in the hands of Umar and they started glorifying (Allah) which I heard from them the humming like the humming of the bee. He also put them down and they became quiet. Thereafter, the Messenger of Allah took them and placed them in Uthman’s hands and they began to glorify (Allah) which I heard from them the humming like the humming of the bee. He put them down and they became quiet. The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘This is the Caliphate of Prophethood.’
Jabir Ibn Samurah narrated, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘I know a stone in Makkah that used to greet me before I was sent (as a Prophet). I indeed recognize it now’.”
We have mentioned earlier in the section Al-Mab‘ath (the beginning of Prophethood) that when he returned after receiving the Revelation he wouldn’t pass by a stone, a tree, clots of mud or anything except that they said to him Assalamu Alaika Ya Rasoolallah. We mentioned in the Battles of Badr and Hunain his hurling of a handful of soil (and it reached the Kuffar despite their distance from him) and his order of his Companions to follow it with a true attack so that help, victory, and assistance will occur soon after that. As for the Battle of Badr, then Allah said in that context: And you (O Muhammad) threw not when you did throw but Allah threw. (Soorah Al-Anfal: 17) As for the Battle of Hunain, we have mentioned it in the Hadith with its chains and wordings which suffices mentioning it here.
Another Hadith: We have mentioned in regard to the Battle of the Conquest that when the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) entered the Haram Mosque and found idols around the Ka‘bah he began to poke them with something in his hand and said, “The Truth has come and the falsehood has perished, falsehood always perishes. Say: The truth has come and the falsehood (Iblees) doesn’t create anything nor does it resurrect anything.” And in a narration, “He didn’t point to an idol from them except that it tumbled on its neck.” In another narration, “Except that it fell.”
‘A’ishah narrated: The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) entered upon me while I was wearing a garment with pictures on it. He removed it and said, “The people receiving most severe punishment on the Day of Judgment will be those who try to resemble (draw) the creation of Allah, i.e., that which has a soul.” Al-Awza‘i said: ‘A’ishah said, “A shield was brought to the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) with a picture of an eagle. He put his hand on it and then Allah, the Great and the Almighty, caused it to disappear.”
By Ibn Katheer
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