"Hast thou not seen how to God bow all who are in the heavens and all who are in the earth, the sun and the moon, the stars and the mountains, the trees and the beasts, and many of mankind?"
- Qur'an 22:18
- Qur'an 22:18
...some of the world's tallest trees: old-growth coast redwoods. They can live to be 2000 years old and grow to over 300 feet tall. Spruce, hemlock, Douglas-fir, berry bushes, and sword ferns create a multiple canopied understory that towers over all visitors...The trees are taller than Niagara Falls! Single trees have themselves lived 2000-2500 years! Subhan'Allah, when you see them, and you hear how old they are...one of the first things that comes to mind is the amount of 'ibadah these trees have made...!
"Though all the trees in the earth were pens, and the seven seas after it to replenish it, yet would the Words of God not be spent. God is All-mighty, All-wise". - Qur'an 31:27
In our capitalistic world, these trees are in danger of being cut and there is an active fight by environmentalists to save them...
Assalamu 'Alaykum
ReplyDeleteThis was such a moving post and the corresponding Qur'anic verses really drove home its significance. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala reward you immensely in this world, and in the next world. Amin summa amin.
Mohammed
Wa'alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah,
ReplyDeleteAlhamdulillah, the signs of Allah are indeed all around us if we but opened our hearts to them.
Barak Allahu fi kum for your du'as. May Allah grant you all good and keep you in the shade of His Rahmah always. Amin.
Wassalam,
Salikah
That was something new. Good thing to remember the next time I see trees! By the way, on that verse about if all the trees were pen - I've never come across that until now. What I do remember was the verse that says if all the oceans put together, were ink, they would never run dry to write His knowledge even if these oceans were replenished by i-dunno-how-many. Man, more to learn!
ReplyDeleteAlhamdulillah, I'm glad it was of benefit!
ReplyDeleteThe translation I used was that of A.J. Arberry, my personal favourite.
Yusuf Ali translates it as "And if all the trees on earth were pens and the ocean (were ink), with seven oceans behind it to add to its (supply), yet would not the words of Allah be exhausted (in the writing): for Allah is Exalted in Power, full of Wisdom." 31:27
As salamu alaykum,
ReplyDeleteYusuf Ali's comment on 31:27
"Words of Allah": his wonderful Signs and Commandments are infinite and cannot be expressed if all the trees were made into pens, and all the wide Ocean, multiplied seven times, were made into ink. Any Book of His Revelation would deal with matters which man can understand and use in his life: there are things that man can never fathom. Nor would any praise that we could write with infinite resources be adequate to describe His power, glory, and wisdom.
Wa'alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah,
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Jazak Allah khayr for posting Yusuf Ali's commentary on the ayah. Subhan'Allah, it's one of my favourite ayahs of the Qur'an -- it spoke to me in a special way when I first seriously began to practice the deen.
Liam: Barak Allahu fi kum for the feedback. As for updating your blog :) My personal stance on blogging is not to let it consume too much of your time...rather, when you see something of benefit, post it on your blog because someone may come across *your* blog and benefit by it (just give credit to where you find the piece)...and then when you have time, write personal posts/reflections etc.
May Allah bless you all. Amin.
Wassalam,
Salikah
Wow.
ReplyDeleteWhat would we make out of Redwoods that would be better than leaving them be anyway?
Wa'alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah,
ReplyDeleteMujahideen Ryder: InshaAllah, I'll check it out.
DA: Subhan'Allah, I agree...unfortunately for many people nowadays, money is all that matters...wood is money (furniture, houses)...and apparently, history and rarity, muchless 'ibaadah, all mean nothing.
Ya Rabbi. Ya Rabbi!
Salaams,
ReplyDeletethanx for this blog, just found - you might also like my photoblog's Redwoods category - i got photographs of the trees, along with other aspects of the forest ecology.
Altaf
Wa'alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah,
ReplyDeleteMasha'Allah! Jazak Allah khayr for the link to your photos of the Redwoods.
Allahu Akbar.
Wassalam,
Salikah