The Trees And Fruits Of Paradise
(i) Its trees and fruits are of many kinds and everlasting
The trees of Paradise are abundant and good and of many kinds. Allah has told us that there are grapevines, datepalms and pomegranate trees in Paradise, as well as lotus trees and acacia trees:
“Verily, for the muttaqoon, there will be a success [Paradise], gardens and grape yards” [78:31-32]
“in them [both will be fruits, date palms and pomegranates” [55:68]
“And those on the Right Hand – who will be those on the Right Hand? [They will be] among thornless lote-trees, Among Talh trees with fruits piled one above another, In shade long-extended, By water flowing constantly, And fruit in plenty” [56:27-32]
The lotus tree [ad-Sidr] is a thorny plant, but in Paradise it will be thornless. at-Talh [acacia tree] is a tree of Hijaaz, a kind of ‘idah [a fair sized thorny shrub], but in Paradise its fruits will be ready to eat, with no effort required.
What Allah (swt) has told us about the trees of Paradise is only a small part of what Paradise contains. Hence Allah told us
“In them [both] will be every kind of fruit in pairs” [55:52]
Because of its abundance, people will be able to leave what they want and take what they want:
“…and therein they will call for fruits in abundance and drinks”. [38:51]
“With fruits, any that they may select” [56:20]
“Verily the Muttaqoon shall be amidst shades and springs, And fruits – such as they desire” [77:41-42]
In short, Paradise contains all kinds of fruits and other joys that one’s heart could desire:
“Trays of gold and cups will be passed round them, [there will be] therein all that one’s soul could desire, all that the eyes could delight in, and you will abide therein forever” [43:71]
Ibn Katheer spoke very cleverly about the greatness of the fruits of Paradise, and concluded that by means of understatement, Allah (swt) conveyed the abundance and greatness of those fruits. He said, “The lotus tree [as-Sidr] does not bear any fruit other than some insignificant, inferior fruits, and it is thorny. The acacia tree [at-Talh] is only used for shade in this world [not for fruit] but in Paradise there will be many of them, growing beautifully, and bearing such abundant fruit that a single fruit will have seventy kinds of taste and colour that resemble one another.
So how do you think the trees that are grown for their fruit on earth will be in Paradise, like apple trees, date palms, grape vines and so on? How do you think the flowers will be? In short, there will be what no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart can comprehend and we ask Allah (swt) to grant us some of this, by His Grace” [an-Nihaayah, 2/262]
The trees of Paradise bear fruit constantly, unlike the trees of this world, which bear fruit only at certain times or seasons. The trees of Paradise always bear fruit and offer shade:
“The description of the Paradise which the Muttaqoon have been promised! -Underneath it rivers flow, its provision is eternal and so is its shade” [13:55]
“And fruit in plenty, whose season is not limited, and their supply will not be cut off” [56:32-33]
The supply is continuous and the people of Paradise are never denied. one of the delights that the people of Paradise will enjoy is finding that its fruits are similar in appearance, but different in taste:
“Everytime they will be provided with a fruit therefrom, they will say, “This is what we were provided with before”, and they will be given things in resemblance [ i.e. in the same form but different in taste]” [2:25]
The trees of Paradise are of rich and lush foliage – “With spreading branches” [55:48], and they are intensely green – “dark and green [in colour]” [55:64]. The intensity of the colour is because of the density of the trees in Paradise.
The fruits of the trees will be low-hanging, in easy reach of the people of Paradise:
“Reclining upon the couches lined with silk brocade, and the fruits of the two Gardens will be near at hand” [55:54]
The shade of these trees will be as Allah (swt) says:
“..and We shall admit them to shades wide and ever deepening”. [4:57]
“In shade long-extended” [56:30]
(ii) Some of the trees of Paradise
The Messenger of Allah (saw) told us wondrous things about some of the trees of paradise which indicates that they are so amazingly huge that trying to imagine them makes one’s head spin. We shall quote some examples here:
(a) A tree whose shadow it takes one hundred years to cross.
This is a huge tree, whose true size is known only to its Creator. The Prophet (saw) conveyed an impression of its size when he said that “In Paradise there is a tree which the rider of a swift horse would need one hundred years to pass beneath” [al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab Sifaat al-Jannah, Fath al-Baari, 11/416; Muslim, Kitaab al-Jannah, Baab inna fil-Jannah Shajarah, 2/2176, no. 2828, from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri; see also al-Bukhaari, Kitaab Bid’ al-Khalq, Baab ma jaa’a fi Sifaat al-Jannah, Fath al-Baari, 6/319]
And in the narration of Muslim from Abu Hurayrah and Sahl ibn Sa’d it is said that “In Paradise there is a tree under whose shade a traveller could travel for one hundred years and not reach the edge of it” [Muslim, Kitaab al-Jannah, Baab in fil-Jannah Shajarah Yaseer al-Raakib fi dhiliha mi’ah ‘aam, hadith no 2826, 2827]
(b) Sidrat al-Muntaha
There is a tree in paradise which Allah has mentioned in a clear and unambiguous revelation. Allah (swt) told us that our Prophet Muhammad (saw) saw Jibreel in the form in which Allah created him at that tree. He also told us that it was veiled with something known only to Allah (swt) when the Prophet (saw) saw it:
“And indeed he [Muhammad] saw him [Jibreel] at a second descent [i.e. a second time] near Sidrat al-Muntaha [the Lote-tree of the utmost boundary beyond which none may pass] near it is the Paradise of Abode. When that covered the lote-tree which covered it! The sight of [Muhammad] turned not aside [right or left], nor did it transgress beyond [the] limit [ordained for it]” [53:13-18]
The Prophet (saw) told us about what he saw of this tree:
“Then I was taken up until I reached Sidrat al-Muntaha and I saw its Nabq [fruits] which looked like the clay jugs of Hajar, its leaves were like the ears of elephants, and one of these leaves could cover the whole of this ummah. It was veiled in colours indescribable. Then I entered Paradise, and its lights were pearls and its soil was musk”. [Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer, 4/82, no. 4075, al-Bukhaari and Muslim; see also al-Bukhaari, Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi and Muslim, Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3/18, no. 2861]
(c) Tooba.
This is a huge tree which produces the fabric for the clothing of the people of Paradise. Ahmad Ibn Jareer and Ibn Hibbaan report from Abu Sa’eed
al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Tooba is a tree in Paradise, as big as a hundred year’s journey; the clothes of the people of Paradise comes from its calyces [the outer parts of its flowers]” [Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/639, no. 1985, the isnaad is hasan]
Narrated by Ahmad from ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr, who said, “A man came to the Prophet (saw) and asked, “O Messenger of Allah, tell us about the clothes of the people of Paradise; are they created or are they woven?” Some of the people laughed. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Why are you laughing? Because someone who does not know has asked someone who does know?” Then he turned and asked, “Where is the one who asked the question?” The man said, “Here I am, O Messenger of Allah”. He said, “No, they are produced by the fruits of Paradise” three times” [Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/640]
(iii) The best aromatic plants in Paradise
Allah told us that in Paradise there are aromatic plants:
“[there is for him] rest and provision [Rayhaan – literally – sweet smelling plants, here used as symbolical of complete satisfaction and delight]” [56:89]
In Mu’jam at-Tabaraanee al-Kabeer, a report from ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr whose isnaad is saheeh according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari and Muslim states that the Prophet (saw) said, “The best of the aromatic plants of Paradise is henna.” [SilSilah as-Saheehah, 3/407, no. 1420]
(iv) The trunks of the trees of Paradise are of Gold
One of the wondrous things that the Messenger of Allah (saw) told us is that the trunks of the trees are gold:
“There is no tree in Paradise that does not have a trunk made of gold” [Ibn Hibbaan, at-Tirmidhi, al-Bayhaqee, from Abu Hurayrah, Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer 5/150 saheeh]
(v) How can the Believer increase his share of the trees of Paradise?
al-Khaleel ar-Rahmaan and the Father of the Prophets, Ibraaheem (as) asked our Prophet Muhammad (saw) on the night of the Israa’ to convey his greetings to this ummah and to tell them the way in which they could increase their share of the trees of Paradise. at-Tirmidhi reported with a hasan isnaad from Ibn Mas’oud that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
“I met Ibraaheem…and he said, “O Muhammad, tell your ummah that Paradise is a land whose soil is good and its water is sweet. It is an empty plain, which will be planted with SubhaanAllah, al-Hamdulillaah, and Allahu Akbar” [Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer, 5/34, no. 5028]