 لنحتدي ألولاً حدان الله وصل الله على سيدنا حبيبنا مولانا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم ربشرح لي صدري ويسر لي أمر وحل لبتة من لساني يفكفوا قولي أمين الله سبحانه وتعالى تلزص القرآن لم تر كيف درب الله مثلاً كلمة طيبة كشجرة طيبة أسلوها ثابت وفرأها في السماء تؤتي وكولها كل حين بإذن ربها ويدرب الله الأمثال للناس لعلهم يتذكرون This is found in the 14th chapter of the Quran in a verse that I've been sort of thinking about for the last few weeks now in various contexts and one of the in the miracles of the Quran is its ability to continue to speak to us and to continue to unveil new meanings as we ponder verses even if there are verses that we have visited in the past but when we do so with a new perspective or something that is occurring in your life or something that you're experiencing that the Quran reveals itself or reveals its meaning in a way that you perhaps before had not contemplated and none of us are scholars or experts with regards to extrapolating law and true import from these verses but of course the Quran speaks to us as individual people as lay persons we don't need the interlocutor we don't need the intermediary of a scholar or a theologian to explain to us the verses of the Quran not in all cases and certainly if we are trying to find solace and comfort in the Quran we don't need the experts to sort of come in and inform us of what the meanings are of course if you have a legal opinion or a theological question and certainly you go to the experts but oftentimes I think that we somehow feel that the Quran is not approachable or that the Hadith or the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is not approachable it's so technical I need either I need like a handbook or I need an expert who can kind of guide me or can tell me what the nuances of the meanings are and while that is true to an extent and in particular context we cannot ever see ourselves as being divorced from the Quran or our tradition because we aren't smart enough or we aren't technically savvy enough or we don't have a full understanding of the breadth of the Islamic tradition in order to be able to pick up the Quran and read it to find solace and comfort and meaning to our lives so I say that to just by way of sort of anecdotal but also by way of telling us that oftentimes as I said we tend to view scripture the Quran specifically as this unapproachable text that needs to reside on the top shelf of our home gathering dust because we aren't expert enough or we don't have the requisite knowledge or the expertise to engage in the book of Allah and this is a misnomer the Quran should have its ability to speak to us and to engage us and to engage us as lay people not all of us are experts nor will all of us ever become experts and when it comes to the technical issues yes you rely on the experts but it should never serve as a roadblock for you to engage in the book of Allah for us to engage in the book of Allah so this verse that Allah SWT gives a metaphor here ألم تر كيف درب الله مثلا الله is literally striking us with a metaphor درب as literally striking us with a metaphor an analogy مثال كلم الطيبة كشجب الطيبة that the good word is like the good tree now there are multiple meanings of this according to Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه one of the most authoritative commentators of the Quran he says that the كلم الطيبة the good word is the كلمة is the لا إله إلا الله is the كلمة كشجر الطيبة that the good tree is the believer the believer who believes in the كلمة who believes that Allah SWT that that is the good tree and then Allah SWT and that's according to the commentary of Ibn Abbas and so if we follow that commentary through let's look at what the verse continues to say because then what the verse then does is it delineates it qualifies right the requisite qualities of that good word excuse me of that good tree of that tree of that believer إن شاء الله hopefully you and I it's providing us what should be our salient features if the كلمة if the belief in لا إله إلا الله has truly taken root in our hearts then we will be the good tree and so if you're the good tree then the tree has certain qualities and Allah lists those qualities أسلوحة ثابتون وفتوحة في السماء its roots are deep within the earth its roots are firm it's roots أسلوحة ثابتون في الأرض that its roots are firm within the earth the في الأرض I'm adding commentary it's not part of the verse of the Quran وفتوحة في السماء and its branches they reach towards the heavens and then Allah continues and he says that this tree so you have two qualities already the roots, the branches that reach towards the heavens and that it continues to bear fruit by the permission of its Lord by the permission of Allah in all seasons in all seasons this tree bears fruit so these are the three salient features of a believer of a Mu'min one who in his or her heart resides the roots of the kalima the kalima the belief that there is no God except Allah and so let's focus on these three salient features its roots are firm within the earth a tree can stand or can potentially withstand wins up to hundreds of miles an hour because its roots are firm within the earth its roots are firm it is not shaken it is not uprooted by calamity by tribulation by its environment by tragedy it is not uprooted it may falter right a tree bends in the wind in fact if it doesn't have the ability to bend in the wind what happens it snaps you have to have the ability to bend yes you're going to falter yes you're going to sway based on tragedy based on circumstances based on what you're going through what you're experiencing you may have crises of doubt but those crises of doubt those tribulations those trials those tragedies they don't cause the tree to be uprooted because that tree is firm it's firm within the earth it's firm its roots are firm and so while it may shake in the wind right it may shake and bend but it doesn't get uprooted and so oftentimes we mistake faltering or questioning or doubting with being the end all or being a I don't believe anymore or I'm something is wrong with me something is deeply wrong with me if I have doubts or if I question or if I falter or if I sway when it comes to tragedy or tribulation or trials that we face but that's not what Allah is saying Allah is saying that your roots are firm yes but you may sway you may sway but your roots your roots should remain firm another thing about roots brothers and sisters is that roots give that tree its nourishment that tree will continue to feed to nourish itself to enrich itself if its roots are firm if its roots aren't aren't firm then it doesn't get the resources it needs it doesn't get the water the resources that are rich in the soil that it needs to grow and so we must remain remain rooted rooted and connected with Allah and His book and this is why we have to remove pull out all the stops as they say remove any roadblocks between you and the Book of Allah between you and engaging with Allah with begging Allah for forgiveness with asking Allah what truly resides resides in your heart that connection with Allah has to remain because that is how you are plugged in that is how you are connected that is how you are nourished you are only nourished if you are connected and if you are rooted with Allah and the Book of Allah and His tradition and His Noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم we have to remain rooted because that's our only source of nourishment I mean not our only source because of course then the sun also shines on a tree and it gives photosynthesis and we know all about that when we studied it when we were in grade school but it needs all of those factors and so it's roots yes give it nourishment but also it's environment give it nourishment and this is why we surround ourselves or should attempt to surround ourselves in the company of righteous individuals of the sohbah of people who are better than us people who are more connected with Allah that is how we improve our state that is how we continue to be nourished not only by engaging in the Book of Allah for ourselves but by surrounding us by putting ourselves in environments that are nourishing that are enriching that aren't depleting that aren't dry that aren't that aren't void of good qualities that that tree needs to grow and to sustain itself and so that is one of the salient qualities of this tree it's roots and all the meanings of that the second feature that Allah سبحانه وتعالى describes is that its branches reach towards the heavens now remember all of this is a metaphor this is a myth this is an analogy that Allah is giving us but what more could be a more what could be more of a beautiful expression of our outward our actions our أمان on صالحة if the roots are the roots of إيمان and faith then the branches are our أمان on صالحة are our righteous actions that we do that which we perform our إبادة our charity our prayer our fasting our doing of good and virtue those are our branches and what a beautiful metaphor that the branches وَالفَرُ أُوْهَا فِسْسَمَاءَ and its branches are in the sky reach towards the heavens literally because what more do we want what more do we aspire for aspire towards than what heaven جنة our actions literally are begging to reach the سماء are begging to reach the heavens so that Allah will accept them and so our branches are our good deeds but the good deeds of those branches again if we examine a tree our branches are what give fruit our good qualities are good actions that we do that's what that is what bears fruit it is also the branches that enrich the environment around it birds find sanctuary animals live there it provides shade and comfort on a hot sunny day that's what a tree does it nourishes those that it comes into contact with and that is what we are or should be as believers that those individuals who come into contact with us those who engage us at the job or in school or our neighbors or people that we run into at the grocery store they should feel nervous they should feel nourished they should feel a sense of there's something about that person I don't know all the details about where he disappears to on Friday or she disappears to on Friday but there's something remarkable about about that person there's something really special and that is what makes the believer be able to give that sanctuary and comfort to others that is our purpose for existence brothers and sisters is to not only remain rooted in our own faith but also to give forth to those who surround us and the other quality of a tree the last quality that is mentioned in this verse is that it continues to bear fruit regardless of the seasons again it bears fruit right wondrous the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم he saidally wondrous is the affair of the believer Lands requesting wondrous is the affair of the believer that when calamity befalls thatoon that person he thanks Allah or he turns to Allah and when good tidying good times happiness occasions of of bliss and joy when he or she encounters those opportunities then he thanks Allah wondrous is the affair on the believer because regardless of what the environment is presenting it regardless of the season as it were it continues to bear fruit it continues to thank Allah it continues to engage its Lord that is the wondrous affair of the believer that is what is being described here with this tree as well the tree of the believer is that it continues to bear fruit regardless of the seasons and finally brothers and sisters when we think about fruit we're also talking about posterity we're also talking about future trees that can blossom because if a tree is truly a strong rooted tree and if it continues to bear fruit then where once stood a solitary tree soon you will find a grove and then soon you will find an orchid and soon you will find a forest because that tree enriches the environment around it it bears fruit and those fruit then become future saplings and future trees of their own and so this is the wondrous quality of the believer is that we produce good fruit as even the old testament says right that you shall know a tree by its fruit a good tree bears good fruit a good tree bears good fruit and so what are we leaving behind with regards to our legacy what are we leaving behind for future generations are we inspiring those that are younger than us those that look to us for guidance and for advice and for wisdom what are we leaving behind what is our legacy if you will and finally i want to say not only and i've been focusing on the individual but if i could say that this verse speaks not only as to us as individuals but also to us as a community also speaks to us as an organization as MCC members because these features that are being described here could also describe a strong and thriving institution and organization like MCC إن شاء الله because an organization is strong if it is sustainable right it's strong if it is self-sustaining even better yet if it has the ability to sustain itself and its programming and its institutional legacy by its own self that sustainability factor is a quality of a strong and healthy organization and that is also a quality of that tree sustainability scalability is the second quality of a good and strong organization may this continue may this community and may this organization and this institution continue to grow إن شاء الله I mean may it last for future generations and may it continue to offer more and more programming that is relevant and meaningful for all members and constant and constituents that it serves right scalability third quality of a good and strong organization and much like the tree is intergenerationality it's its ability to be forward looking and its ability to with to outlast the lives of its founding members right every day we lose someone who was a founding member or someone who was dear to our community right but can this organization can this institution outlive this generation will mcc survive not only my children's lifetime but my grandchildren and their grandchildren's lifetime that is the well-being of a muslim organization that is the strength of an organization is its ability to be intergeneration is its ability to think beyond the here and now and finally and last but not least is that every Muslim organization every strong organization should have an identity should have an identity and mcc offers programming and services that form its identity it is what makes this institution unique and special but also a part of that identity and the part of that strength of a muslim organization is its ability to stay in its lane mcc does what it does beautifully with these number of programmings and offerings that it offers it can't be everything for everyone and this is why we have multiple organization and institutions right here in the bay area just think of the bay area alone i and g zaitouna uh care muslim advocates i mean so many muslim are so many organizations sbi other mosques and institutions these are all organizations and institutions that are serving the betterment of the community and please don't be offended if i fail to mention your specific organization every organization serves a function but the strength of that organization and that institution is its ability to know what it adds its value composition and to stay within its lane and not to be everything for everyone because you're going to spread yourself too thin and so that is what makes the health and well well well well being of our institutions that comprise our community and so this verse if we reflect on it it gives us meaning not only for our lives as individual as individuals but also us as a community also us as belonging to a thriving organization إن شاء الله اكولوا خولي هذا واستخروا الله ليولكم وااخرون داوانا الحمد لله رب العالمية إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفر ونعود بله من شرور نفسنا ومن سيات عمالنا ما يهده الله من يهده الله فلا مضللا وما يضل الفلا هاديلا وأشد ولا إله إلا الله واحده لا شريكلا وأشد أن محمد عبده ورسوله يا أيها الذين آمنوا ابتقوا الله حقا تقاته ولا تموتنا إلا وأنتم مسمينون يا أيها الناس ابتقوا ربكم الذي خلقكم من نفس واحدة وخلق منها زوجها وبثا منهما رجال كثيرا ونساءة وتقوا الله الذي تساءلنا به والأرحام إن الله كان عليكم رقيبة يا أيها الذين آمنوا ابتقوا الله وكونوا قولا سديدة يسلحذكم عمالكم ويغفل لكم ظنوبكم ومن يوتي الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوظا أظيما أما بعد ربنا لا تواخذنا إن نسينا أو اخطعنا ربنا ولا تحمل علينا إسرا كماهما أخواء للذين من قبلنا ربنا ولا تحملنا ما لتوخطنا بوعفو عننا وغفر لنا ورحمنا أنزمولنا فانصرنا على القوم الكافرين يا مقلب الخلوب ثبت قلوبا على دينك ربنا أتينا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الآخر حسنة وقنا أضاب النار سبحان ربك رب العزة يا ما يسفون وسلام علي المرسلين والحمد لله رب العالمين وعقيم الصلاة