TREE OF IMAN

Sources: Umm Abdullah, from a lecture by Dawud Adib http://www.jannah.org/articles/treeofiman.html http://www.islamic-life.com/aqeedah-islamic-creed/article-importance-aqeedah-islamic-creed http://qa.sunnipath.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If someone gives you a plant to take care of, how do you think you will do it? Wouldn't you try your best to not to let that plant die? And of course, to do that you are going to make sure that all the things that plant need, you provide it and keep it away from all the harmful things. At the same time you will try to find out about the basic elements that plant is consisted of and the basic things those elements need to grow properly. Believe it or not but all of us have one, a very delicate and at the same time very strong tree to take care of given to us by our Lord. Allah (SWT) has given us this tree that is planted in our hearts, called "shajarat-ul-Iman" (Tree of Iman). Allah (swt) describes that tree in the Quran: "Have you not seen how Allah coined a similitude (of parable) a good word like a good tree, the root of that tree is firmly established in the ground and the branches reach the heavens." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Allah (swt) created seven heavens and the earth. There is proof in Quran and Sunnah that there are trees in Jannah (heaven). One of them is called "Toobaa", the tree for the "ghurab'a" (strangers). The shade of that tree is one month journey and this is where the believers will take their clothes from. Most important Tree in this world, in this dunya is the Tree of Iman (shajarat-ul-Iman). The tree that Allah (swt) has planted in our hearts and the tree that we all should be worrying about day and night. We all must know what that tree of Iman is made of so that we can take good care of it. This tree is a parable of life itself. Just as the tree is the building block of life, iman is the building block of spiritual life. The roots are firm. This shows that it is strong and powerful. It cannot be moved or shaken. In the same way, iman must be firm in a person's heart. A person must have a firm foundation and stability with the roots of tawheed. The branches reach up to Allah and towards jannah. They cover up everything else and cannot be covered. In the same way, iman cannot be covered up. Nothing can conceal this tree that reaches all the way to the sky. This means when you have iman, you will see it manifested in your actions. A tree like this is a landmark that people look to, take direction from, and take inspiration from. A person with iman becomes the anchor of the community, and people will look to him for an example. The tree of iman gives you comfort like shade and fruit. There is no tree on the face of this earth that is fruitful at all times, except the tree of iman. It can nourish you at any time or place. Only the tree of iman gives different types of fruits. The fruits also replenish themselves all year, in the same way that iman needs to be constantly replenished. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What Does the Tree of Iman Have: Almost all the trees that Allah (swt) has created/originated, almost all of them have three very basic things: roots, trunk and branches.

3) Branches & Fruits: This tree should also have branches and fruits. And these are: a) Righteous deeds b) Honorable/Noble Character At several places in Quran, Allah (SWT) has distinguished the people of Jannah from the people of Hell as Indeed those who believed and did righteous deeds.... Those people who believed and did righteous deeds have also been given the glad tidings of Jannah at several places in Quran: Every righteous deed consists of two parts. First part is the purity of intention (for the sake of Allah only!). Second half of the righteous deed is that the action has to be in conformed with Shariah (Quran and Sunnah of Rasul (SAW) and the Companions(May Allah be pleased with them)). If the action is not conformed with Shariah, it is not considered a righteous deed! When a tree has firm roots and healthy trunk and branches, it automatically produces good fruits. Similarly, when we establish firm roots of Iman in our heart and keep healthy trunk and branches of the tree the fruits will prosper. If we have the knowledge of our deen and certainty of whatever knowledge we have, and we do righteous deeds with pure intentions, we will automatically develop an honourable and noble character. 2) Trunk: (Saaq) The tree of Iman, like the other trees, also has a trunk, which is Purity of Intention: (al-Ikhlas) We must have the purity of intention for our tree to be firm and unshakable and immovable. Abdullah Ibn Sahl at-tuzkuri (ra) (scholar from the taba'een) was asked: "What is al-Iman?", he said: "Iman is statement, is action, is nyyah (intention) and is Sunnah. If it is a statement without actions then it is Kufr (disbelief), if it is a statement and action without intention then it is Nifaq (hypocrisy), if it is a statement, action and intention without the Sunnah, then it is Bid'ah (innovation)." To keep a healthy trunk of our tree, we must have a pure intention of our actions. Our every righteous deed is divided into two parts. The first half of a righteous deed is the purity of intention. The niyah has to be pure for the pleasure of Allah ONLY!

77 branches

1. Root (O'rooq) The roots of the most important tree on this earth are: a) Knowledge (I'lm) b) Certainty (Yaqeen) The tree of Iman is the basic belief of Islam "La ilaha illal lah" "There is no God worthy of worship except Allah (swt)" So the root for us of the Tree of Iman, is the KNOWLEDGE of the meaning of "la ilaha illallah". It covers every single aspect of our life. When we know that there is no God other then Allah (swt), we totally surrender to Him alone and we take everything that He gave us through the Quran and the Sunnah of Rasul of Allah (saw). The other half of the root of this tree is the certainty, meaning the certainty of everything what "la ilaha illallah" brings. When implementing Islam in our lives, or when accepting a matter which we were not aware of before, we should do it with firm belief and certainty, as long as it is from the Quran and the authentic Sunnah of Rasul and his Companions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Things that will Make Our Tree Die: 1)Kufr: If we allow kufr to come into our tree, it will destroy the tree. 2) Shirk: If we allow shirk to come into our tree, it will also destroy the tree. 3) Bid'ah: If we allow Bid'ah (innovations) of all types to come into our tree, it will demolish our tree. Our tree will become yellow, our tree will become dry and our tree will eventually die! Note: Muslims nowadays are involved in so many "religious practices" thinking that they are pleasing Allah (swt), though in reality they are getting themselves involved either in bid'ahs or sometimes even to the extent of shirks. Muslims, intentionally or unintentionally, either add or remove stuff from how a certain act was originally practiced by our pious predecessors and hence making it a bid'ah. And since the act was not practiced according to the "Shari'ah", it will not be considered a righteous deed. To avoid from getting ourselves involved in these dangerous things, it is extremely important to have the "knowledge" of the deen and to refer back to our pious predecessors in every single thing we do or say. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is AL-Iman: Al-Iman is: 1) Belief: Iman is a belief in our hearts. It is to have a firm belief of "la illah illallah" in our hearts and all the things that it brings with it. Everything that we find from Quran and Sunnah, we must have a sincere and firm belief on that without having any doubts. (Action of the heart) 2) Statement: Iman is a statement by our tongue. We must state "la illaha illallah" by our tongues. Meaning whatever believes we have, we cannot just keep them in our hearts, but we must say them out. (Action of the tongue) 3) Actions: Iman is to carry out our beliefs and our statements by our bodily limbs. After believing in "la illaha illallah" and stating it, we must imply it in our actions. And the way we imply "la illaha illallah" in our actions is by modifying our every action and deed according to the Quran and Sunnah of Rasul and our pious predecessors. (Action of the limbs) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A general example of the above could be wearing hijab. If one has a firm belief in Allah (swt) and whatever He revealed, will definitely believe that wearing hijab is a command of Allah and it is mandatory. Then only believing is not enough, we must have to admit by stating by our tongues the fact that hijab is necessary and inform other people about it in a nice pleasing way (not in a displeasing or complaining manner). But still our Iman is not completed until we start wearing it ourselves. To think that Iman is in our hearts only is one of the tricks of Iblis (satan). We shouldn't be fooled by thinking that Iman is in our chests only and as long as we have a firm belief, our Iman is completed Rather we HAVE to show our believes by our statements and by our actions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Highest and Lowest of Iman: The Prophet (saw) said: "Iman has 77 branches. And the highest of al-Iman is the statement "la illaha illallah" (It is the most sublime, the most magnificent and the most superior of all Iman). The lowest of the Iman is to remove some harmful thing from the street. And modesty is a part of al-Iman." 30 QUALITIES ARE CONNECTED TO THE HEART 1. Belief in Allah 2. To believe that everything other than Allah was non-existent. Thereafter, Allah Most High created these things and subsequently they came into existence. 3. To believe in the existence of angels. 4. To believe that all the heavenly books that were sent to the different prophets are true. However, apart from the Quran, all other books are not valid anymore. 5. To believe that all the prophets are true. However, we are commanded to follow the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) alone. 6. To believe that Allah Most High as knowledge of everything from before-hand and that only that which He sanctions or wishes will occur. 7. To believe that Resurrection will definitely occur. 8. To believe in the existence of Heaven. 9. To believe in the existence of Hell. 10. To have love for Allah Most High. 11. To have love for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) 12. To love or hate someone solely because of Allah. 13. To execute all actions with the intention of religion alone. 14. To regret and express remorse when a sin is committed. 15. To fear Allah Most High. 16. To hope for the mercy of Allah Most High. 17. To be modest. 18.To express gratitude over a bounty or favour. 19. To fulfill promises. 20. To exercise patience. 21. To consider yourself lower than others. 22. To have mercy on the creation. 23. To be pleased with whatever you experience from Allah Most High. 24. To place your trust in Allah Most High. 25. Not to boast or brag over any quality that you posses. 26. Not to have malice or hatred towards anybody. 27. Not to be envious of anyone. 28. Not to become angry. 29. Not to wish harm for anyone. 30. Not to have love for the world. 7 QUALITIES ARE CONNECTED TO THE TONGUE 31. To recite the testimony of faith (kalimah) with the tongue. 32. To recite the Quran. 33. To acquire knowledge. 34. To pass on Knowledge. 35. To make dua. 36. To make the zikr of Allah Most High. 37. To abstain from the following: lies, backbiting, vulgar words, cursing, singing that is contrary to the Shariah. 40 QUALITIES ARE CONNECTED TO THE ENTIRE BODY

38. To make wudu, ghusl, and keep one's clothing clean. 39. To be steadfast in offering salaat. 40. To pay zakaat and sadaqatul fitr. 41. To fast. 42. To perform the Hajj. 43. To make i'tikaaf. 44. To move away or migrate from that place which is harmful for one's deen. 45. To fulfill the vows that have been made to Allah. 46. To fulfill the oaths that are not sinful. 47. To pay the kaffarah for unfulfilled oaths. 48. To cover those parts of the body that are fard to cover. 49. To perform the ritual slaughter. 50. To enshroud and bury the deceased. 51. To fulfill your debts. 52. To abstain from prohibited things when undertaking monetary transactions. 53. Not to conceal something true which you may have witnessed. 54. To get married when the nafs desires to do so. 55. To fulfill the rights of those who are under you. 56. To provide comfort to one's parents. 57. To rear children in the proper manner. 58. Not to sever relations with one's friends and relatives. 59. To obey one's master. 60. To be just. 61. Not to initiate any way that is contrary to that of the generality of the Muslims. 62. To obey the ruler, provided what he orders is not contrary to the Shariah. 63. To make peace between two warring groups or individuals. 64. To assist in noble tasks. 65. To command the good and prohibit the evil. 66. If it is the government. it should mete out punishments according to the Shariah. 67. To fight the enemies of deen whenever such an occasion presents itself. 68. To fulfill one's trusts (amana). 69. To give loans to those who are in need . 70. To see to the needs of one's neighbour. 71. To ensure that one's income is pure. 72. To spend according to the Shariah. 73. To reply to one who has greeted you. 74. To say Yarhamukallah (Allah have mercy on you) when anyone says Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to Allah) after sneezing. 75. Not to cause harm to anyone unjustly. 76. To abstain from games and amusements contrary to the Shariah. 77. To remove pebbles, stones, thorns, sticks, and the like from the road. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Iman Wears Out: We all go through high and low levels of Iman. As the Prophet (saw) told us:"al-Iman wears out in each and every one of you and me like a "thaub" (garment) wears out (like our clothes wears out...and they become shabby eventually. Iman wears out like that "thaub"). So Rasul of Allah (saw) advised us (since our Iman wears out) "So all of you Muslims should ask Allah (swt) to RENEW the Iman in our hearts." Edited by Tahmina Miah