The Weeping Willow

(This is for you Umm Maymoonah. For your love of willow trees and surah Al Baqarah)

The darkness had arrived. But it didn't make a difference to The Tree. Day and night were the same. The Tree would stand alone. The morning light provided no comfort, except for, of course, the fact that it was essential for the sun to shine sometimes in order to survive. Survival of the fittest, The Tree smiled bitterly to himself. But only The Tree wasn't the fittest. In fact it was barely surviving. Loneliness is a killer......'Your too far out' they would say. 'It's not a proper place for our kind.' Meaning what? Am i not a tree, like you?

He knew the truth. It had nothing to do with the location as their branches reached out far and wide. He knew full well what they meant by 'our kind.' He was of an odd nature compared to them. His branches drooped whilst theirs expanded out. His trunk was hidden by waves of shadow, even if it was to be seen it was crumbled and wrinkled unattractive to the eye. Theirs a deep brown, strong and hard, perfect for climbing. Their leaves green, a forest green. But depending on seasonal change they shone golden and orange and at peak times they jewelled red. Not to forget being decorated with the pink and white blossoms under the crisp spring sky.
And me......Pale yellow fragile leaves, which naturally drooped as the downturn of a mouth would. In the rain they would become brown and give away to nothingness. Nothing but the remains of unwanted mess under shoes squelching in the mud. At my best, my leaves would turn a light shade of green (i rather like the colour) but my fellow trees would still scorn. Ooooh fancy that, faded green, whos known a tree to be of that colour. Indeed you are strange species. Rejected and hurt, i turn away. I have still some dignity left, i do not let them see me weep. I try to lift myself, but to no avail. I am weighed down by my branches. And there i remain. I stand alone again.

But then one early morning, before the morning sun rose, my life changed. Dramatically. Oh i will never forget that day of sweet sounding melody. I awoke like i do; just in time to see the pink horizon. This is my daily dose of hope of a better day. And the Lord above chose today to be that day, Alhamdulillah! (how can i not praise my Lord, the bestower of unexpected bounties). I felt a movement against me. Ok wake up, dream time finish, i told myself, you know in reality there is never any sign of life around me. But there it was again. The shuffling, the exclamations of delight, the warmth of a presence. Allahu Akbar! This was no dream. This was a different kind of motion. Whilst i was trying to figure out what this was, earnestly frowning at this strange visitor. The most beautiful sound came out. If i had a heart it would literally stop. Pleasure was not something i was familiar with, but this i knew to be pure pleasure. I crouched further to be in closer range so i could make out the words. And did they flow out. They carried out to reach the heavens i'm sure. They said
"Alif Lam Mim.
This is the Book, whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al Muttaqoon.
Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As salat and spend out of what we have provided for them, (spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives and also give in charity to the poor and also in Allah's Cause.)"
{Al Baqarah: 1-3}

I knew then what it was. It was The Book that our Lord had blessed the humans with. The divine scipture promised to be protected by God Himself. And i the weeping willow was shelter to the recitor of these beautiful words. Never had any object of nature reached such a status to give refuge to one reading the Qur'an. This person had voluntarily come to me. Out of all the trees, i was the most appropriate location. Why? Because it was the humilty of my branches that stood out against all the upright boastful trees. This person did not want their identity to be known out of shyness. She wanted to be hidden from everything else but Allah as it was Allah's Pleasure alone she was seeking. She knew the angels would surround the recitation at dawn time and she wanted them to go and report to Allah. We knew while the world was sleeping we were awake in harmony. How blessed i felt at that moment. Allah chose the ground under me to bear witness to her faith. In that instance i recalled the story of the tree that cried when the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) moved away from it. I could now empathise the loss it must have felt. This moment, this memory will only die with me and not before.

I no longer wallowed in my loneliness, instead i looked forward to the morning dawn as my beautiful earthling would use my branches to carry out the Words of Allah to the world. Alhamdulillah im am The Weeping Willow, with a new meaning to life.

You can imagine how much the recitation of the following verses delighted me as they rose to the top of my trunk . I felt beautiful like i had never felt before. A true honour for the creation of His Majesty's trees..............
"See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky.
Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord, and Allah sets parables for mankind in order that they may remember.
And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree uprooted from the surface of earth, having no stability.
Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah will cause to go astray those who are zalimun and Allah does what He wills."
{Ibrahim: 24-27}