الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينة ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا، ومن سيئات أعمالنا ، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، وأشهد أن سيدنا محمداً عبده ورسوله ، اللهم صلِّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه  ومن تبعه إلى يوم الدين 

In past talks, I proposed that the reason for the “Decline of Muslims” is their failure to  taken advantage of the outstanding teaching tool that Allah embedded in the Quran to expand the cognitive capacity of the Muslims. 

In one of these talks, I discussed a metric that Allah has set in the Quran to assess our level of knowledge and the ability to use our brain.  This metric is based on measuring the level of understanding of the “Amthal” which can be translated as similitudes, parables, and metaphors.  Allah says regarding the use of these Amthal:

وَتِلۡكَ ٱلۡأَمۡثَـٰلُ نَضۡرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ‌ۖ وَمَا يَعۡقِلُهَآ إِلَّا ٱلۡعَـٰلِمُونَ (٤٣(

“And these “Amthal” We put forward for mankind, but none understands them except the knowledgeable.” (Al-Ankabut 29:43)

وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّـهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

 “Allah sets forth “Amthal” for the people in order that they may take lesson.” (Ibrahim 14:25)

وَتِلۡكَ ٱلۡأَمۡثَـٰلُ نَضۡرِبُہَا لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (٢١)

“Such are “Amthal” that We set forth to the people so that they may reflect.” (Al-Hashr 59:21)

In the process of developing the character of early Muslims, the Prophet (PBUH) also used the Amthal, the similitudes, to teach his companions the character of a true believer.  In this talk, I’ll inshallah present two of these similitudes.  In one similitude the prophet (PBUH) compared the true believer with a specific insect and in the second he compared him with a specific tree. 

I encourage you to measure your character against these two similitudes.  This is important because many Muslims just slog through life without examining their level of belief which is the engine that drives their behavior and shapes their character.  Auditing our own belief to identify the needed improvements should be an essential part of our journey to attain the higher level of belief and to develop the most perfect character.  After all, the Prophet (PBUH) summarized the exclusive purpose of his mission by saying:

“إنّما بُعثت لأُتمم مكارم الأخلاق”

“I haven’t been sent except to perfect the noble manners.”

Understanding this key purpose of the religion of Islam, the great Hanbali Imam “Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (ابن قيم الجوزية) (1292- 1350 CE / 691 AH–751 AH) summarized the religion of Islam by saying:  

الدّين كله خُلق ، فمن فاقَك في الخلق ،فاقَك في الدّين.

All the religion is good character, so whoever surpasses you in good character surpasses you in religion.

To teach the companions an example of good character, the Prophet gave the similitude of a perfect believer with a bee.  Abdullah ibn Amr reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

في مسند الإمام أحمد عن عبد الله بن عمرو قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : “وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ ‏ ‏مُحَمَّدٍ ‏ ‏بِيَدِهِ إِنَّ مَثَلَ الْمُؤْمِنِ ‏ ‏لَكَمَثَلِ النَّحْلَةِ أَكَلَتْ طَيِّبًا وَوَضَعَتْ طَيِّبًا وإن وقعت على عود نخر لم تكسره “.

“By the One in whose hand is my soul, the believer is like a bee that only eats that which is pure and wholesome and produces that which is pure and wholesome, and when it lands on a weak branch it does not break it.” [Ahmad, Al-Baihaqi]

The Prophet (PBUH) mentioned three qualities of the Bee that should be key qualities of the true believer.

1/ The first quality is that the bees don’t land on anything they find, they are very selective and only land and eat from the best flowers. They pick the best flower by sensing its sweetness and scent.    A true believer does not engage in any business, he only chooses businesses that are pure, lawful, and legal.  He is very careful not to feed himself and his family except of what is pure and healthy.  For the true believer, everything he takes as sustenance for his body and mind; the food he eats, the money he earns, the books he reads, the sounds he listens, are pure and wholesome.  Abu Huraira (RA) reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

فعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنَّ اللهَ طَيِّبٌ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا طَيِّبًا، وَإِنَّ اللهَ أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، فَقَالَ: {يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا، إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ} [المؤمنون: 51] وَقَالَ: {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ} [البقرة: 172] ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلَ يُطِيلُ السَّفَرَ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ، يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، يَا رَبِّ، يَا رَبِّ، وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَغُذِيَ بِالْحَرَامِ، فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذَلِكَ؟ ” رواه مسلم.

“O people, Allah is pure, and He only accepts what is pure. Verily, Allah has commanded the believers as He has commanded His Messengers. Allah said: “O Messengers, eat from wholesome foods and act righteously, for I know what you do (Al-Munenoon 23:51). And Allah said: “O you who believe, eat from wholesome food We have provided for you,” (A-Baqara 2:172). Then, the Prophet (PBUH) mentioned a man who traveled far, becoming unruly and dusty and he raises his hands to the sky, saying, “O Lord! O Lord!” Yet his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he is nourished by the unlawful, so how can he be answered?” (Muslim)

2/ The second quality that the Prophet (PBUH) identified for the bee is that whatever it produces is good and the bee produces two things, both are very beneficial. 

First, a bee excretes honey that is very beneficial for mankind as Allah said regarding bees:

ثُمَّ كُلِى مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ فَٱسۡلُكِى سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلاً۬‌ۚ يَخۡرُجُ مِنۢ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ۬ مُّخۡتَلِفٌ أَلۡوَٲنُهُ ۥ فِيهِ شِفَآءٌ۬ لِّلنَّاسِ‌ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَةً۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (٦٩)

“Then eat from all the fruits and go along the pathways of your Lord that are made easy for you. There comes forth from their bellies a drink of various colors in which there is healing for mankind. Surely, in that there is assign for people who reflect.” (Al-Nahl 16:69)

A true believer must always be evaluating his contributions to the society and that he should always seek and engage in activities that produce something beneficial for the mankind.  Whatever comes from a believer must be good, even when he speaks, his speech must be good and beneficial.  Abu Hurairah narrated that the messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:

روى الشيخان عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ جَارَهُ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ ضَيْفَهُ »

“Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbor and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his guest.”  (Bukhai and Muslim)

Second, when a bee lands on the flowers to eat, it gives more than it takes. It transfers the pollen from one flower to another and this is how most plants have been capable of reproducing for millions of years. Therefore, a believer must always bring benefits and adds values to places where he gains some benefits.  He must give more than he takes, and he must ensure the survival and growth of companies he is associated with.   

A true believer will always be beneficial to others.  Ibn Omar reported that a man came to the Prophet (PBUH) and asked:  Who is the person most beloved to Allah and what deed is most beloved to Allah?  The Prophet (PBUH) said:

عن ابن عمر: أن رجلًا جاء إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال: يا رسول الله، أي الناس أحب إلى الله؟ وأي الأعمال أحب إلى الله؟ قَالَ أَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَنْفَعُهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ وَأَحَبُّ الأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ سُرُورٌ تُدْخِلُهُ عَلَى مُسْلِمٍ أَوْ تَكْشِفُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً أَوْ تَقْضِي عَنْهُ دِينًا أَوْ تَطْرُدُ عَنْهُ جُوعًا وَلَأَنْ أَمْشِيَ مَعَ أَخِيهِ فِي حَاجَةٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَعْتَكِفَ فِي هَذَا الْمَسْجِدِ يَعْنِي مَسْجِدَ الْمَدِينَةِ شَهْرًا وَمَنْ كَفَّ غَضَبَهُ سَتَرَ اللَّهُ عَوْرَتَهُ وَمَنْ كَظَمَ غَيْظَهُ وَلَوْ شَاءَ أَنْ يُمْضِيَهُ أَمْضَاهُ مَلأَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَلْبَهُ أَمْنًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَمَنْ مَشَى مَعَ أَخِيهِ فِي حَاجَةٍ حَتَّى أَثْبَتَهَا لَهُ أَثْبَتَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَدَمَهُ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ يَوْمَ تَزِلُّ فِيهِ الأَقْدَامُ)  المعجم الأوسط للطبراني(

“The most beloved person to Allah is the one who is most beneficial to people. The most beloved deed to Allah is to bring happiness to a Muslim, or to remove one of his difficulties, or to forgive his debt, or to feed his hunger. If I would walk with a brother regarding a need is more beloved to me than secluding myself in this mosque (n Medina) for a month. Whoever swallows his anger, Allah will conceal his faults. Whoever suppresses his rage, even though he could fulfill his anger if he wished, Allah will secure his heart on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever walks with his brother regarding a need until he secures it for him, Allah Almighty will make his footing firm across the bridge on the day when the footings are shaken.” (Al-Tabarani)

3/ The third quality of the bee is that when it lands on a branch, no matter how weak, it will never break it.  The bee is light and nimble and does not harm the delicate petals of the flower.   True believer should be gentle and kind in all his dealings, he does not harm or destroy any human, animal, or plant that he interacts with. Allah says regarding true believers:

وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمۡشُونَ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ هَوۡنً۬ا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلُونَ قَالُواْ سَلَـٰمً۬ا [سورة الفرقان:63]

“The slaves of the Beneficent are those who walk upon the earth humbly, and when the foolish ones address them, they reply: Peace” (Al-Furqan 25:63)

Like a bee, a true believer never hurt those whom he is associated with.  Abdullah ibn Omar (عبد الله بن عمر) reported that Prophet (PBUH) said:  

يقول الني صلى الله عليه وسلم كما في الحديث الصحيح: «المُسْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ المُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ»

“The Muslim is the one Muslims are safe from his tongue and his hand”. (Bukhari)

This hadith is often interpreted to mean that a Muslim should not hurt or abuse other Muslims.  But this is a narrow interpretation.  The hadith means that a Muslim should never tarnish the honor or credibility of other Muslims even if he does not hurt them directly.   If a Muslim hurts non-Muslims, his actions will implicate all Muslims and even implicate the religion of Islam and by this no Muslim will be safe from his actions. Therefore, the Prophet (PBUH) warned every Muslim about his responsibility to protect the image of Islam by saying:

أنت على ثغرة من ثغر الإسلام فلا يؤتين من قبلك )  ورد في الأثر(

“You are a guard at a gate in the fort of Islam don’t let Islam be attacked through your gate”. 

Also, the bee is a light visitor at any flower, when the believer visits a friend, he should be light in his visits and never cause the host any burden or embarrassment.  A believer always informs in advance whom he is visiting and select the time convenient for the person being visited and to never stretch his welcome.   The Prophet (PBUH) said:

عن عبد الله بن عمرو رضي الله عنه قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ” زر غباً ، تزدد حباً ” [رواه الطبراني] .

“Visit infrequently to be loved more.” (Tabarani)

There are many traits a believer can learn from the bee such as the dedication in her job.  A bee flies tens of miles every day to fulfill its responsibility in the most perfect and efficient manner.   But one very important trait of bees that is very essential for any Muslim community is unity.

A typical bee colony is made up of 30,000 – 50,000 honeybees living inside a self-constructed enclosure, every bee within the colony works for the good of the hive to help it function perfectly.  Honeybees are interdependent, they rely on each other to create a working hive.  Therefore, the unity of the bees is something that Muslims can learn from because it is an essential command from Allah who said:

(وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعاً وَلا تَفَرَّقُوا) [آل عمران:103(

(وَلا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمْ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَأُوْلَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ) [آل عمران:105]

“And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and do not be divided.” (Al-Emran 3: 103)

“And not be like those who became divided and fell int disputes after the clear proofs had come unto them. For such there is a grave punishment.” (Al-Emran 3:105)

Unity was something that the Prophet (PBUH) emphasized to his companions in many of his saying and informed then that the only mean for destroying the Muslim nation is the division within.  The Prophet (PBUH) who said:

حديث ثوبان رضي الله عنه رواه الترمذي والنسائي و مسلم: أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم سأل ربه عزَّ وجلَّ ثلاث مسائل لأمته: الأولى: ألا يهلكهم بما أهلك به الأمم من الغرق والريح والرجفة وإلقاء الحجارة من السماء وغير ذلك من أنواع العذاب العظيم العام. والثانية: عدم ظهور عدو عليهم من غيرهم فيستبيح بيضتهم. والثالثة: عدم لبسهم شيعاً، واللبس الاختلاط والاختلاف بالأهواء، وقد أخبر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن ربه عزَّ وجلَّ تفضل عليه واستجاب له في الأوليين ومنعه الثالثة؛ لحكمة يعلمها تبارك وتعالى.

“I asked of my Lord, the Glorified and Exalted, three things; He granted me two, but refused me one. I asked my Lord not to destroy my nation with that with which He destroyed the nations before us, and He granted me this to me.  I asked my Lord, the Glorified and Exalted, not to destroy my nation by an external enemy who will triumph over them, and He granted this to me. And I asked my Lord not to destroy my nation by division among themselves through confusion and warring sects, but He refused me this. (Muslim, Tormidhi and Nisa’i)

This hadith is quite interesting because it refutes any claim of conspiracy against Muslims as cause of the disintegration among Muslim countries and it places the complete responsibility on them.   

Pointing out the bee as an example for the true believer is a truly insightful similitude that unfortunately is ignored by Muslims.  Before proceeding to the other similitude of the believer as a tree, there are interesting statistics in the verse in which the bee was mentioned in the Quran.  The only verse in which the word bee was mentioned is verse 68 is Surat Al-Nahl.   Allah said:

وَأَوۡحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلنَّحۡلِ أَنِ ٱتَّخِذِى مِنَ ٱلۡجِبَالِ بُيُوتً۬ا وَمِنَ ٱلشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعۡرِشُونَ (٦٨)

And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: Choose thou habitations in the hills and in the trees and in that which they thatch.”  (Al-Nahl 16:68)

The only Surat in which the bee is mentioned is number 16.    Number 16 is the number of chromosomes in the queen’s egg, and it is also the number of chromosomes in the drone sperm is 16. 

A drone, male bee, hatches from unfertilized eggs and thus it only has 16 chromosomes.  The female bee hatches from fertilized egg and thus it has pair of 16 chromosomes. 

The number of the words in verse 68 in which the word bee is mentioned is 16 words.  Also, the number of the unique Arabic Alphabet used in this verse is only 16 (out of the 28 letter is the Arabic alphabet). 

For those who are interested in the mathematical structure in the Quran, there are other features that are related to number 16:

The number of verses in the Surat are 128 which is multiple of 16 (16 x 8).

The number of words in the Surat are 2080 words which is also multiple of 16 (16 x 130). 

The number of words from the beginning of the Surat to the word bee is 992 which is multiple of 16 (16 x 62)

The number of words from the word bee to the end of the Surat is 1088 which is also multiple of 16 (16 x 68) and 68 is the number of the verse that includes the term bee.

Is there an intentional linkage between the number of chromosomes of 16 and these relationships or is this just coincidental, Allah knows best?  But it seems that the connection is amazing.

The Prophet (PBUH) used another similitude to teach the companions the required traits of the believer, but in this case the prophet (PBUH) used the strategy of asking a question.  Abdullah bin`Umar said, “We were with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he said:

عن ابن عمر قال كنت عند النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم  فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم: إنَّ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ شَجَرَةً لا يَسْقُطُ ورَقُهَا، وهي مَثَلُ المُسْلِمِ، حَدِّثُونِي ما هي؟ فَوَقَعَ النَّاسُ في شَجَرِ البَادِيَةِ، ووَقَعَ في نَفْسِي أنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ، قَالَ عبدُ اللَّهِ: فَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ، فَقالوا: يا رَسولَ اللَّهِ، أخْبِرْنَا بهَا؟ فَقَالَ رَسولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ: هي النَّخْلَةُ قَالَ عبدُ اللَّهِ: فَحَدَّثْتُ أبِي بما وقَعَ في نَفْسِي، فَقَالَ: لَأَنْ تَكُونَ قُلْتَهَا أحَبُّ إلَيَّ مِن أنْ يَكونَ لي كَذَا وكَذَا..

‘Among the trees, there is a tree whose leaves do not fall in summer, and it resembles the Muslim, tell me about it.    The people started talking about the ever-green tree, but I thought of the date palm tree, but felt shy to answer when I saw that Abu Bakr and my father did not talk. The companions said: tell us about it, O messenger of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ‘It is the date palm tree.

When we departed, I said to my father: `My father, by Allah! I thought that it was the date tree.’   He said, `Why did you not speak then.’ 

I said, `I saw you were silent, and I felt shy to say anything.’ Omar said, `Had you said it, it would have been more precious to me than anything else.’” (Sahih al Bukhari)

Unlike the similitude of the bee in which the Prophet (PBUH) spelled out three attributes of the bee that Muslims must possess, here the (PBUH) left it to companions to analyze the properties of the date palm tree that makes it a good similitude of a Muslim.  Let me mention a few and I am sure you can come with more to calibrate your character to the qualities of this tree.    

1/ The roots of the date palm are very deep in earth. The deeper the root, the taller it rises.  Similarly, in a believer, the deeper his Eman, the higher his actions that rise to Allah for acceptance.  Allah says:

مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ٱلۡعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًاۚ إِلَيۡهِ يَصۡعَدُ ٱلۡكَلِمُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ وَٱلۡعَمَلُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحُ يَرۡفَعُهُۚ ۥ (١٠)

 “Whosoever desires honor, all honor lies with Allah alone. To Him ascend (all) the goodly words and He uplifts the righteous deed.” (Fater 35:10).

Also, while the root of the believer is on this Earth, he takes his Divine Guidance from the high heavens.

2/ Although the trunk of the date palm is straight and tall, the leaves are bent. A believer may be upright and principled, yet he is humble and never arrogant at the same time. The Prophet (PBUH) said:

عن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏”‏لا يدخل الجنة من كان في قلبه مثقال ذرة من كبر‏”

“No one will enter paradise if he has in his heart an atom weight of arrogance.” (Muslim)

3/ The date palm is an ever-green tree, and it is unaffected by seasonal changes. Similarly, a believer is not seasonal. He doesn’t do good only in the month of Ramadan, but he does good all the 12 months that Allah established as He said:

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّہُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثۡنَا عَشَرَ شَہۡرً۬ا فِى ڪِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوۡمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ

“Indeed, the number of the months according to Allah is twelve months in the book of Allah since the day He created the heavens and the earth.” (Al-Tawba 9:36)

4/ The fruit of the palm tree is dates that are very sweet whether they are fresh or ripe or dried. They have many health benefits. A believer is a beneficial person, he is sweet in his actions and in his speech and his contribution are continuous throughout his life cycle whether he is youth, adult, or elderly.  Believer days are never copy paste.  Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri said:

قال الحسن البصري رحمه الله: ’ما من يوم ينشق فجره، إلا وينادى: يا ابن آدم أنا خلق جديد، وعلى عملك شهيد، فتزود مني، فإني إذا مضيت لا أعود إلى يوم القيامة‘

‘No day breaks his dawn, but it will call: O son of Adam, I am a new creation, and a witness over your deeds, so take full benefits of me because when I go, I will not return until to the Day of Resurrection.”. 

We pray to Allah to give us the wisdom to learn from these two similitudes of the bee and the date palm tree to prefect our character.   

DUA