Allah says in the Qur’an, in Surah Ibrahim:
تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ اللّهُ الأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
Translation: Have you not seen how Allah has given the parable of a beautiful kalimah, like a beautiful tree whose roots are firmly established, and whose branches tower in the sky? … Allah sets forth parables for mankind in order that they may remember. (Surah Ibrahim, verse 24-25)1
Look at all the images embedded in this metaphor. Trees produce fruit, wood for houses, shade, shelter.
And more then that–oxygen! Trees are the fundamental building block of the ecosystem!
“roots are firmly established” means strength and stability. Think of hurricanes–when they hit, they uproot weaker trees. Trees with good roots remain firm. Eman is like that–it keeps you firm. And like the tree, once eman enters the heart, it doesn’t leave. (Consider the scholars–never in the history of the ummah has one left the deen. Scholars of other religions leave them all the time–for Islam. A hafidh never leaves Islam. Even non-practicing Muslims never doubt their faith. Those who leave, they were never really, truly Muslims.)
“Branches tower in the sky” shows that the larger the tree, the more benefits–the more oxygen, the more shade, the more fruit.
May Allah give us understanding of His parables and allow us to remember them. Ameen.
(1) Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Light of Guidance. University of Toronto, Toronto. March 2006.