The Ocean of the Quran

A verse by verse explanation of The Ultimate Scripture

Al-Najm – Verse 14

عِندَ سِدرَةِ المُنتَهىٰ

By the Lote Tree of the ultimate boundary.

EXEGESIS

Sidrah (lote tree) is the shajarat al-nabq,‎[1] or the Christ’s Thorn Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi). The feminine tāʾ at the end indicates the singular, meaning what is spoken of is one, specific lote tree.‎[2] The tree is mentioned as one of the types of trees in paradise in 56:28.

Muntahā (ultimate boundary) comes from intihāʾ, meaning the end of something. Here it refers to an end point.

Lote Tree is in an iḍāfah (possessive) construct with the word muntahā, as denoted by the article ‘of’ in English. There are a few possibilities as to what this might mean:

  1. Place (makān). Like saying ‘the mosque of London’. In this case, it means the Lote Tree that is located at the final terminus, or the ultimate boundary.
  2. The Lote Tree is added to what it contains, like saying ‘the book of medicine’,‎[3] or paradise of bliss (26:85), which does not mean a specific place of bliss, but that place which contains the state of bliss. In this case, the Lote Tree is situated at the place where ‘terminus’ and finality is achieved, like the boundary of reason, for example.

EXPOSITION

We are told that the second time the Prophet saw Gabriel in his true form happened By the Lote Tree of the ultimate boundary, when he was on his journey during the Night of Ascension. We know little with certainty about this tree. From the descriptions mentioned in the following sections, we understand that this tree represents an end point and boundary beyond which lies that which defies description. The next verse suggests that this tree is located in jannat al-maʾwā. For more on that place, see the commentary on the next verse.

There is a narration from Ibn Abbas regarding the Prophet on the Night of Ascension: ‘When he reached the Lote Tree of the ultimate boundary and they reached the veils (ḥujub), Gabriel said: “Go forth, O Messenger of God! It is not for me to go further than this place. If I were to go forth a fingertip’s length I would be burned.”’‎[4]

There are many narrations similar to this. It is significant in several regards. Firstly, it suggests that the Prophet was of higher spiritual rank than even Gabriel. Secondly, that even Gabriel in all his illustriousness, was nothing compared to the indescribable majesty of God. Thirdly, this can be understood to support the fact that this and the previous verses were talking about Gabriel. After this point Gabriel gets left behind and the Prophet proceeds alone to witness the great signs of God.

There are many different things that the exegetes have mentioned about the Lote Tree:

  1. It is located in the sixth heaven, and it is the ultimate boundary (muntahā) of all that rises up to heaven.‎[5]
  2. From Kalbī, it is a tree located to the side of the Throne of God, in the seventh heaven, which is the ultimate boundary of the knowledge of every angel.‎[6]
  3. From Ibn Masʿūd and al-Ḍaḥḥāk, it is the ultimate boundary of everything that ascends to heaven, and everything that descends from above it from the decree (amr) of God.‎[7] In this way it is the mid point between the Throne of God and earth.
  4. From Muqātil, it is the tree of Ṭūbā.‎[8] This is in reference to an understanding of the verse, those who have faith and do righteous deeds – happy are they and good (ṭūbā) is their [ultimate] destination (13:29).
  5. The spirits of the martyrs rise up to it.‎[9]
  6. Tustarī, Thaʿlabī, and others say it is the ultimate boundary of the knowledge of every knower,‎[10] meaning none but God knows what is beyond it.
  7. Related to the previous point, Rāzī argues that it means ‘the farthest reach of bewilderment’. In other words, the Prophet saw Him when he reached the point at which the intellects of every intelligent being would be confounded. Rāzī follows this by saying that ‘seeing’ is the ultimate form of knowledge and the fact that the Prophet could see clearly while at the Lote Tree of bewilderment means he never succumbed to confusion. Considering this in the light of verse 16, When there covered the Lote Tree what covered it, Rāzī argues that the bewilderment was then covered or overcome by ‘sight and certainty’.‎[11]

There are many other fantastic or figurative descriptions given of the tree, such as it being covered in silk or velvet, or towering over the heavens so large that one could ride for a hundred years under its shade and not come out, or with the streams of paradise flowing out of its base, and so on.‎[12]

Ṭabarī mulls over various opinions and says they are all valid and there is no reason to prefer one over the other, and it could even mean all of them. He concludes that the best to say about it is that it is as God has described it.‎[13]

The reality is that we do not know with any certainty what exactly is meant by the Lote Tree and the exegetes do not really present any evidence for their different views. The enigmatic nature of the description is however quite purposeful. It fits in with the atmosphere of mystery that the verses are meant to create and this feeds directly into the main theme of spiritual eminence being a thing which cannot be known with certainty to external onlookers. This understanding is aided by the next verse that also gives us a cryptic description of the Lote Tree.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

  1. From the Prophet: ‘I saw on every one of its leaves an angel standing, praising God.’‎[14]
  2. From Anas ibn Mālik, that the Prophet said: ‘I then mounted Burāq‎[15] and he took me to the Lote Tree of the ultimate boundary, and behold, its leaves were like the ears of an elephant and its fruit like huge beams.’‎[16] He then said: ‘When it was covered – by the decree of God – by what it was covered with, it changed, and no one can describe its beauty.’ He said: ‘Then God revealed to me what He revealed.’‎[17]

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Regarding the possessive (iḍāfah) construct of sidrat al-muntahā, there is also another opinion regarding it, namely that it means ownership, like when it is said ‘the book of Aḥmad’. In this case there should be an omission here and the verse would mean: the Lote Tree that is the final destination. The final destination would of course be God, like in the later verse, That the terminus (muntahā) is toward your Lord (verse 42). Naturally, the attribution of the tree to God would be to signify its greatness, like describing the Kaaba as the house of God.‎[18]

Finally, there is the question as to why the tree is specifically said to be a lote tree. Māwardī says that this is because the lote tree has three qualities: it casts a long shadow, has tasty fruit, and a good smell. He says the tree is then a simile for faith, which is comprised of speech, action, and intention. The shade is like actions because they extend forth, the taste of the fruit is like the action that is hidden within, and the aroma is like speech since it is apparent.‎[19] While nice, this is obviously highly speculative.

[1] Tibyan, 9/426; Tabari, 27/32.
[2] Mizan, 19/31.
[3] Razi, 28/244.
[4] Manaqib, 1/155.
[5] Tibyan, 9/426; Baghawi, 4/305-306.
[6] Tabrisi, 9/265; Zamakhshari, 4/421.
[7] Tabrisi, 9/265; Tabari, 27/31. See also Suyuti, 6/125.
[8] Tabrisi, 9/265.
[9] Tibyan, 9/426; Tabrisi, 9/265.
[10] Tustari, p. 156; Tabari, 27/31; Thalabi, 9/142.
[11] Razi, 28/244-245.
[12] For some of these see Tabari, 27/32-33.
[13] Tabari, 27/32.
[14] Tabrisi, 9/265.
[15] Burāq is the horse which the Prophet rode on the Night of Ascension.
[16] In Arabic qilāl, which refers to the planks on which grapevines are hung.
[17] Tabari 27/32; Muslim, 1/101. See also Bukhari, 4/249.
[18] Razi, 28/244.
[19] Māwardī, al-Nukat wa al-ʿUyūn, 5/396.