Tafsir of Ibraheem 14:26

"And the parable of an evil word..." (which is the word of disbelief, or inviting to it, or falsehood, or every word that Allah the Exalted is not pleased with. It was read as mithla (in the accusative case) as a conjunction to "a good word." Ubayy read: "And Allah set forth a parable, an evil word, as an evil tree." Perhaps the shift in style in the reading of the majority is to indicate that the parable itself is not the primary objective of the striking of the likeness and the explanation, but rather that this is an obvious matter that every person knows. In the speech, there is an implied supplement, meaning: "like an evil tree." A parable (mathal) is in the sense of a strange quality.)

"...uprooted..." (meaning extracted from its origin. The reality of ijtithath is taking the juthah—which is the whole of a thing's body—entirely) "...from above the earth..." (because its roots are close to the surface, as if it were upon it) "...having no stability..." (meaning no settlement upon the earth. The intended meaning of this described tree is the colocynth. This has also been narrated as marfu' [attributed] to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. From al-Dahhak, it is the kashuth [dodder], and it is likened to a man who has no nobility or lineage, as the poet said: "He is like the dodder, no root, no leaf, no scent, no shade, no fruit." Al-Zajjaj and a group said it is the garlic tree. It is also said: the thorn tree, or moss, or truffles, or every tree whose fruit is not good. In a narration from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, it is a tree that was not created on the earth. The intent is the comparison to whatever possesses those described traits. Ibn Atiyyah said: The apparent meaning is that the comparison occurred with an unspecified tree that collects those descriptions.)

In a narration from the scholar [Ibn Abbas] also, there is an interpretation of this tree as the disbeliever. The Imami [Shi'a]—and you know their state—narrated from Abu Ja'far, may Allah be pleased with him, an interpretation of it as the Banu Umayya, and the interpretation of the good tree as the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, Ali, may Allah honor his face, Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, and those born from them. In some narrations of the People of the Sunnah, there is that which contradicts the interpretation of the evil tree as the Banu Umayya; for Ibn Mardawayh extracted from 'Adi bin Hatim who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Indeed, Allah the Exalted turned the servants upside down, and the best of His servants were the Arabs; and He turned the Arabs upside down, and the best of the Arabs were Quraysh." And this is the blessed tree which Allah the Exalted said in His Book: "A good word as a good tree," because the Banu Umayya are from Quraysh. The reports of both parties in this regard are weak, and the conditions of the Banu Umayya—by which they deserve what they deserve—are not hidden from the supporter or the opponent.

What the majority holds regarding this evil tree is that it is the colocynth, and applying the word "tree" to it is for the sake of conformity (mushakalah), otherwise, it is an herb, not a tree. The same is said regarding its application to the dodder and the like.

Imam al-Razi, may his secret be sanctified, has a discourse on these two parables which is worthy of mention, summarized as follows: Allah the Exalted mentioned in the first parable a tree described with four qualities, then likened the good word to it:

The first quality is its being "good." This could mean good in appearance, good in fragrance, or good in fruit in the sense of being delicious and pleasant, or good in fruit in the sense of being highly beneficial. One should desire all of these, for through them, the perfection of goodness is obtained.

The second is that "its root is firm." This is a quality of perfection for it; for if a good thing is at risk of vanishing, then although one feels joy in finding it, the sorrow is great due to the fear of its loss. If it is not so, the joy is great without anything to spoil it.

The third is that "its branch is in the sky." This is also a quality of perfection, for as long as it is elevated, it is far from the decay of the earth and the impurities of buildings, so its fruit is pure and free from all blemishes.

The fourth is that it is "perpetually yielding its fruit," not that its fruit is present at some times and not others. This is also a quality of perfection, as the benefit from it is not interrupted.

It is known by necessity that the desire to obtain such a tree must be great, and whenever a rational person can obtain it, he should stand firm and not be negligent regarding it. The intended meaning of the word likened to this is the knowledge of Allah the Exalted, and being absorbed in His love—glory be to Him—and His obedience.

This is likened to the tree in its four qualities. As for the first, it is obvious; indeed, there is no true pleasure or goodness except in this knowledge, because it is consistent with the essence of the rational soul and the sacred spirit. The pleasure of fruits is not like this, for it is something consistent with the temperament of the body. Whoever contemplates even slightly will see countless differences between the two pleasures.

As for the second quality, the firmness of the root in the tree of the knowledge of Allah is stronger and more perfect, because its roots are entrenched in the essence of the sacred soul, which is an abstract substance safe from generation and corruption, far from change and annihilation. Moreover, the sustenance of this firmness is from the manifestation of the Majesty of Allah, which is one of the necessities of His being—glory be to Him—the Light of Lights and the Origin of Manifestation; and it is impossible by intellect for this to vanish.

As for the third quality, it is because the tree of knowledge has branches ascending into the air of the Divine realm and branches ascending into the air of the physical realm. The first type has many divisions, gathered by his [the Prophet's] saying, peace be upon him: "Magnification of the command of Allah the Exalted." This includes contemplation of the proofs of His knowledge—glory be to Him—such as the states of the celestial and terrestrial realms, as well as the love of Allah, yearning for Him, consistency in His remembrance, reliance upon Him, and cutting off regard for anything other than Him, and so on. The second type also has divisions, gathered by his saying, peace be upon him: "Compassion for the creation of Allah the Exalted." This includes kindness, mercy, forgiveness, overlooking wrongdoings, striving to convey good to the servants of Allah, warding off evils from them, and countering evil with kindness in ways that are countless. These are branches of the tree of knowledge; for the more a person is immersed in it, the more complete and strong these states are within him.

As for the fourth quality, it is because the tree of knowledge necessitates the states that one has acted upon and influences their attainment; and the caused cannot be separated from the cause. Therefore, the permanence of the fruits of this tree is more complete than the permanence of the fruits of the described tree, so it is more entitled to this quality. Indeed, the servant may become so immersed in knowledge that whenever he observes something, he observes the Truth within it. His progress may become so great that he sees nothing without seeing Allah the Exalted before it. Furthermore, the soul may receive from this knowledge spiritual inspirations and divine virtues, and it never ceases to ascend from it at every moment and instant with good speech, righteous deeds, humility, submissiveness, weeping, and self-abasement, as the fruit of this tree.

In His saying, "by the permission of its Lord," there is a wonderful subtlety; for when a person attains these lofty states and exalted degrees, he might rejoice in them as they are, or he might progress and not rejoice in them as such, but rather rejoice in them because they are from the Master—glory be to His Majesty. At that point, his joy is in truth in the Master—blessed and exalted is He. Therefore, some of the investigators said: "Whoever prefers gnosis for the sake of gnosis has stopped at the shore, and whoever prefers gnosis not for the sake of gnosis, but for the sake of the Known, has plunged into the ocean of arrival."

Some have mentioned in this parable a discourse that is not devoid of beauty, which is that He—glory be to Him—likened faith to a tree because a tree does not deserve to be called a tree except through three things: a firm root, a standing trunk, and high branches. Likewise, faith is not complete except through three things: knowledge in the heart, speech with the tongue, and action with the limbs.

[Al-Alusi] did not approve of interpreting the tree as the date palm, nor the "time" as is common, saying after narrating the discourse of a group: "These people, even if they hit the mark in researching the individual words of the verse, they have drifted away from grasping the intended meaning, for He—glory be to Him—described a tree with the mentioned qualities, and we have no need to know whether that tree is the date palm or something else. We know by necessity that such a tree is something every rational person strives to obtain and store for himself, whether it has an existence in the world or not, because this quality is a sought-after attainment. Their disagreement in interpreting the 'time' is also from this category, and Allah the Exalted knows best."

He—blessed and exalted is He—mentioned in the second parable a tree as well, but He described it with three qualities:

The first is its being "evil." This could be in terms of scent, taste, form, or its inclusion of numerous harms. There is no need to say it is such-and-such tree; for even if the tree that gathers those qualities does not exist, as long as its described nature is known, the comparison to it is beneficial for the intended purpose.

The second is "its uprooting from above the earth," and this is in contrast to "its root is firm" in the first.

The third is the denial that it has any stability, and this is like a completion to the second quality.

The intended meaning of the word likened to this is ignorance of Allah the Exalted and associating partners with Him—glory be to Him—for it is the first of calamities, the title of fears, and the head of miseries. Its evil is too manifest to be hidden, and it has no argument, no proof, and no strength; rather, it is invalid and unstable. This is a good discourse, but it contains opposition to the appearances of many reports, so contemplate.