The Significance of Trees in Islam

Several trees are particularly significant in the Qur'an:

• Date Palm (Nakhl) – A symbol of sustenance and resilience.

• Fig (Tin) – Represents abundance and fertility.

• Grapes (Inab, A’nab) – Mentioned over ten times as a sign of divine generosity, diversity in creation, and the rewards of Paradise.

• Pomegranate (Rumman) – Described as a fruit of Paradise, its complex structure is a testament to divine design.

• Olive (Zaytun) – A symbol of purity and divine blessings. In Surah An-Nur (24:35)—one of the most profound and mysterious verses of the Quran—divine light is compared to the olive tree, which is referred to as The Blessed Tree.

The Significance of Trees in the Story of Moses in the Qur'an

Surah Ar-Rahman (55:6) states that stars and trees exist in continuous prostration to the Creator. Their very existence constitutes a continuous form of divine remembrance.

The Shajeratan Mubarakah (Blessed Tree), specifically the olive tree mentioned in Surah AnNur (24:35), symbolises divine attributes: light, healing, continuity, and wisdom.

The 28th chapter of the Qur’an, Surah Al-Qasas (“The Stories”), verses 20-50, provides a vivid account of Prophet Moses’s journey, including his escape, marriage and commence of his prophecy in which trees play the roles of "Physical Mercy" and "Spiritual Revelation".

After fleeing Pharaoh’s assembly, an exhausted Moses arrived in Midian. Following his act of kindness in assisting two daughters to water their flock, he found refuge under a tree’s shade. In this moment of physical and emotional exhaustion, Moses turned toward the shade and made the humble prayer:
“O my Lord, surely I have need of whatever good You send me.”
which was answered, and led to his encounter with Prophet Shu’ayb (Jethro), marriage to one of his daughters, and ten years of safety and family life. The tree thus represents God’s physical mercy (rahmah), providing literal shelter and becoming the site where Moses’ prayer transformed his life circumstances.

Ten years later, while traveling with his family near Mount Sinai (Mount Tur), Moses saw a fire from afar and approached it. On the right side of the blessed plot of the valley, he encountered a tree that became the medium for the Divine Voice itself. The Qur’an records this pivotal moment:

“When he came to it, he was called from the right bank in the blessed plot where was the tree: ‘O Moses, I am Allah, Lord of the Worlds.’”
(Surah Al-Qasas, 28:30)

God chose a living tree as the channel of revelation, making it the bridge between the infinite and the finite, the upper world and the lower world, Creator and creation. At this sacred tree, God bestowed upon Moses two miraculous signs to authenticate his prophetic mission:

His wooden staff became a living serpent, manifesting divine power through natural material; and his hand emerged shining white without blemish, symbolising purity and divine proof.

The Qur’an celebrates the tree in Moses’s story through a complete spiritual arc: the tree begins as Shade for an exhausted man and culminates as Speaker for the Creator. This transformation illustrates how the natural world can serve as both physical sustenance and spiritual conduit for divine energy.

Listening as a sacred spiritual discipline is such profound act as Trees, with their silent, master the art of listening to their environment, receiving messages from soil, water, and the changing seasons.

In Islam, God is As-Sami’ (The All-Hearing). Listening, therefore, is not a passive activity but a sacred spiritual act. Just as trees listen constantly to their environment, humans are called to practice sacred listening as a spiritual discipline.

“With listening we can make peace. Achieving lasting peace requires the patience of trees.”