أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا كَلِمَةًۭ طَيِّبَةًۭ كَشَجَرَةٍۢ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌۭ وَفَرْعُهَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ
Alam tara kaifa darabal laahu masalan kalimatan taiyibatan kashajaratin taiyibatin asluhaa saabitunw wa far'uhaa fis samaaa'
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?
Themes in this ayah
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Knowledge & reflection
14:24Ayah 152
No ayah in Ibrahim is strongly about knowledge and reflection.
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Have you not seen observed how God has struck a similitude? mathalan is substituted by the following words kalimatan tayyibatan a goodly saying which is ‘there is no god but God’ is as a goodly tree a palm tree its root set firm in the ground and its shoots its branches are in heaven;
Related Hadiths
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was brought a dish with unripe dates on it. He said: The parable of a goodly word is that of a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky (14:24 & 25).' And he said: 'It is the date-palm.' And the parable of an evil tree uprooted from the surface of the earth, having no stability (14:26). He said: 'It is the colocynth tree.'"
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The example of a believer is that of a fresh green plant the leaves of which
move in whatever direction the wind forces them to move and when the wind becomes still, it stand
straight. Such is the similitude of the believer: He is disturbed by calamities (but is like the fresh plant
he regains his normal state soon). And the example of a disbeliever is that of a pine tree (which
remains) hard and straight till Allah cuts it down when He will." (See Hadith No. 546 and 547, Vol.
7).
Tell me about a tree which has resemblance with a believer. The people began to mention (different) trees of the forest. Ibn 'Umar said: It was instilled in my mind or in my heart and it stuck therein that it implied the date- palm tree. I made up my mind to make a mention of that but could not do that because of the presence of the elderly people there. When there was a hush amongst them (after they had expressed their views), Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: It Is the date-palm tree.
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant; from whatever
direction the wind comes, it bends it, but when the wind becomes quiet, it becomes straight again.
Similarly, a believer is afflicted with calamities (but he remains patient till Allah removes his
difficulties.) And an impious wicked person is like a pine tree which keeps hard and straight till Allah
cuts (breaks) it down when He wishes." (See Hadith No. 558, Vol. 9.)
Ka'b reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said that the similitude of a believer is that of a standing crop in a field which is shaken by wind and then it comes to its original position but it stands at its roots. The similitude of a non-believer is that of a cypress tree which stands on its roots and nothing shakes it but it is uprooted (with) one (violent stroke).
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