This is an excerpt from one of Tariq Masood’s speeches. Its translated more or less meaning.
In Sahih hadith one companion is planting a tree. Prophet (saw) asked him what are you doing? He replied ‘I am planting a tree.’ Prophet (saw) told him how do you know whether this tree will be of any benefit to you or not? After 5 years it will give you fruit, what guarantee do you have that you will live past 5 years?
In this incident, planting a tree is being discouraged. What to do with this world? Planting seeds, trees, what the point of doing all of this?
I was travelling. I was guest at someone’s house. People of that place love poetry. On pillow these lines of poetry were written:
‘Man cannot foresee the time of death
Unable to predict next moment, yet plans for lifetime’
I told my guest don’t put poem like this on a pillow :) How can someone sleep properly? They will be worried whether I am going to get up or not. Poem is really good but this is not right place.
So Prophet (saw) discouraged planting tree. One cannot predict what the next moment and you are planning ahead.
If anyone read this hadith will he allow someone to erect a building? A tree will atleast provide you fruit after 5 years and shade. He will say building is not permitted in Islam this will be created after 20 years. In this hadith one deduces that planting a tree in Islam is discouraged.
This is the danger of half knowledge. On the other hand:
Anas reported Allah’s Messenger (saw) as saying Never does a Muslim plant trees or cultivate land and birds or a man or a beast eat out of them but that is a charity on his behalf. (Muslim)
That even after someone dies the person planting the tree will keep earning rewards for this. Let alone humans benefiting from that tree even if birds eat from it then also that individual planting the tree will earn rewards. What are we learning from this hadith? Are we being encouraged or discouraged in planting trees? We are being encouraged in planting trees.
What then is difference? The first hadith person is planting tree solely for his own benefit. He is planning for the next 5 years. What is his purpose? His own stomach (benefit). Second hadith is not only oneself, humanity and benefit to Allah’s creation.
This ‘tree’ is an example. I often say in Quran and Sunnah principles are derived from certain examples. For example in Quran it says you cannot say ‘uff’ to your parents. Meaning is not ‘uff’ per say it means don’t be of any harm to them. What is the principle? One is forbidden to harm them. One example of providing harm is to say ‘uff’ to them. Now someone can say there is no mention in Quran on swearing to parents, it only says ‘uff’ but swearing to them should be okay. Wouldn’t this be incorrect?
So this ‘tree’ is an example. Because from this tree many benefits are derived. If you plant a tree it will contain several fruits, each fruit will contain seeds that has ability to grow into several other trees. People will receive shade, more oxygen there are lot of benefits that come with the tree. So in hadith the meaning is not exclusive to just the ‘tree’. Any form of work where the benefits are exponential for which you being alive is not needed. Plant such a ‘seed’ that will benefit others after which even if you die the benefits will accrue.
You tell me, one tree that is benefiting humans and also animals its considered such an act of virtue so what about a doctor who is actually good doctor will he/she not be more beneficial than a ‘tree’? There is lot more benefit from that doctor compared to the tree. Accounting knowledge that Allah gave to Yusuf (as) the benefits of which are hundred times more than the tree, he literally saved whole community from being destroyed. He (as) also saved his own family.
https://sheikhonderun.wordpress.com/...r-goals-part1/