Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Opening
Social media friends whose hearts are always shaded by Allah’s mercy, have we ever thought about why some human utterances remain alive, are read, and transform millions of souls even though the speaker died hundreds of years ago? Why do their words seem to possess eternity? From a spiritual-scientific view, the Qur’an unveils this secret through an exceptionally beautiful botanical analogy. True, honest, and sincere words [Kalimah Thayyibah] are likened to a perfect tree. This tree has an extraordinary foundation system: its roots plunge deep into the earth’s core, its trunk stands firm towering up to the sky, and it is never selfish because it always produces the fruit of goodness in every season by its Lord’s permission. Sincerity of intention in the heart is its secret root, while the change in human behavior in the world is its sweet fruit.
Let us feel the coolness of this verse from Allah SWT in our chests:
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ. تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا
“Have you not considered how Allah presents an example: a good word is like a good tree, whose root is firm and whose branches reach into the sky, producing its fruit all the time by permission of its Lord.” [QS. Ibrahim: 24-25]
The eternal impact of good words also aligns with the saying of Rasulullah ﷺ about the investment of reward that will never cease:
إِذَا مَاتَ الْإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثَةٍ: إِلَّا مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ، أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ، أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ
“When a person dies, his deeds end except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that is benefited from, or a righteous child who prays for him.” [HR. Muslim]
2. Lessons and Message
The great message for us, dwellers of the virtual world: Never underestimate a single good sentence we type or speak. When you write a positive comment, share advice, or comfort someone who is down with sincerity, you are planting the seed of an eternal tree in the heavens. Do not focus on how many “views” or “likes” you get in this world, but focus on how deep the roots of your sincerity are embedded before Allah
.Let us look at the heart-wrenching story behind the writing of the most authentic book on earth, Sahih Al-Bukhari. Imam Bukhari spent 16 years collecting hadith, and every time he was about to write a hadith into his book, he would bathe, perform wudu, and pray two rak‘ahs of istikharah to guard the purity of his intention. In his old age, he was even expelled from his hometown due to slander and died in sorrowful solitude in a small village. To the worldly eye, the end of his life seemed tragic. Yet, because every single word of hadith he wrote was grounded in a sincerity that pierced the sky, his book is eternal. Today, more than a thousand years after his death, millions of Muslims around the world every day say, “_Rawahu Al-Bukhari_” [Narrated by Al-Bukhari]. His body has long decayed into the earth, yet the “tree” of sincere words he planted continues to bear fruits of reward that flow abundantly into his grave every second.
So we can understand this relaxed and with a smile, let’s imagine two people planting something in their yard. The first person plants a high-quality Date Palm or Teak Tree. Planting it takes struggle, it’s cared for with the best fertilizer, and it doesn’t grow big instantly [this is like sincere words that require inner ikhlas]. The second person, because he wants to quickly look successful in front of the neighbors, doesn’t want the hassle of planting. Instead, he buys a colorful Imported Plastic Tree with blinking lights, then sticks it in the ground [this is like words that only seek virality, sensation, and human praise]. At first, the neighbors are stunned, “Wow, that tree is so aesthetic, so Instagrammable!” But when a tornado and thunderstorm come in the evening, that plastic tree flies off to who-knows-where, its lights short-circuit, and it leaves behind trash that’s embarrassing [this is like sensational content that quickly vanishes with time]. Meanwhile, the real teak tree still stands firm, growing even stronger against the wind, and later his children and grandchildren can enjoy its fruit and shade.
The funny thing is, on social media we’re so often proud to show off our “blinking plastic trees” that have no roots, just for temporary praise, when in fact when the storm of life’s tests comes, that content can’t save our mental state or our reward!
3. Conclusion and Closing
Friends, in conclusion, let us become farmers of the heavens on social media. Make every status, video, and keystroke a good word [Kalimah Thayyibah]. Remember Allah’s analogy: the strong root in the earth is your sincerity, and the branch reaching the sky is the blessing from your words. Retire from creating content that divides or merely chases rootless instant sensation. Let us invest the rest of our lives in planting trees of goodness whose fruits we will still harvest in the grave and the Hereafter, when our phones and social media accounts have long been deactivated by the world.
. والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie
