Gharqad Tree will hide Jews in the last struggle between Jews and Muslims: There is a hadith that states, “You will fight against the Jews and you will murder them till even a stone would say: Come here, O Muslim, there is a Jew, so kill him.” Does this imply that in Islam, killing Jews is a noble deed?
This story is detailing a specific miracle that will take place close to the end of time. It is not a narrative from which a legal conclusion can be drawn. In other words, this narration serves more as a description than as advice. Because of this, the experts included this account in their writings about sufferings at the end of the world and portents of the hour. They did not note it in the legal punishment records.
According to another account, this is a group of unbelieving Jews who are followers of the False Messiah, a person who would claim to be God. These Jews don’t even respect their own religious texts, much less Islam. According to what Jesus (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
أَنَّ الدَّجَّالَ خَارِجٌ قَالَ وَمَعِي قَضِيبَانِ فَإِذَا رَآنِي ذَابَ كَمَا يَذُوبُ الرَّصَاصُ قَالَ فَيُهْلِكُهُ اللَّهُ حَتَّى إِنَّ الْحَجَرَ وَالشَّجَرَ لَيَقُولُ يَا مُسْلِمُ إِنَّ تَحْتِي كَافِرًا فَتَعَالَ فَاقْتُلْهُ قَالَ فَيُهْلِكُهُمْ اللَّهُ
The False Messiah will emerge and I will have with me two bars, so when he sees me he will melt away like the melting of lead. Allah will destroy him until the stone and the tree say: O Muslim, underneath me is an unbeliever, so slay him. Thus, Allah will destroy them.
Source: Musnad Ahmad 3546, Grade: Sahih
The believers will battle these particular Jews, not all Jews, and will get assistance from Allah in the form of miracles. The distinction between righteous and sinful Jews is emphasized explicitly in the Quran.
Allah said:
لَيْسُوا سَوَاءً مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ وَمَا يَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَن يُكْفَرُوهُ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالْمُتَّقِينَ
They are not all the same; among the People of the Scripture is a community standing, reciting the verses of Allah during periods of the night and prostrating in prayer. They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and hasten to good deeds; and those are among the righteous. Whatever good they do – never will it be removed from them; and Allah knows the righteous.
Surah Al Imran 3:113-115
Allah praised the Jews who uphold Moses’ teachings in another verse:
وَمِن قَوْمِ مُوسَىٰ أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَبِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ
Among the people of Moses is a community which guides by truth and by it establishes justice.
Surah Al-A’raf 7:159
Muslims have been urged to act politely and respectfully around these peace-seeking Jews and, in fact, all persons of other religions.
Allah said:
لَّا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ إِنَّمَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَأَخْرَجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ وَظَاهَرُوا عَلَىٰ إِخْرَاجِكُمْ أَن تَوَلَّوْهُمْ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُمْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion – He forbids that you make allies of them; and whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
Surah Al-Mumtahina 60:8-9
An influential Quranic scholar named At-Tabari analyses this verse as follows:
لَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمَّ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ جَمِيعِ أَصْنَافِ الْمِلَلِ وَالْأَدْيَانِ أَنْ تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتَصِلُوهُمْ ، وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ
Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion – including all the sects, creeds, and religions – that you behave righteously with them, maintain good relations with them, and act fairly with them.
Source: Tafseer At-Tabari 60:8
The Prophet took extra care to treat the Jews kindly because of this. One day, for instance, a Jewish elder’s burial procession passed by the Muslims as it traveled past. Out of respect for his humanity, the Prophet rose to his feet. ” It is a Jew”, someone said. The Prophet thus said:
أَلَيْسَتْ نَفْسًا
Was he not a soul?
Source: Sahih Bukhari 1250, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi
Following the Prophet’s advice, the companions were keen to treat their Jewish neighbors well because doing so is a fantastic way to earn Allah’s pleasure.
According to Mujahid:
كُنْتُ عِنْدَ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو وَغُلاَمُهُ يَسْلُخُ شَاةً فَقَالَ يَا غُلاَمُ إِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَابْدَأْ بِجَارِنَا الْيَهُودِيِّ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ: الْيَهُودِيُّ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ قَالَ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُوصِي بِالْجَارِ حَتَّى خَشِينَا أَوْ رُئِينَا أَنَّهُ سَيُوَرِّثُهُ
I was with Abdullah ibn Amr while his servant was skinning a sheep. He said: O boy, when you finish up, then start with the Jewish neighbor. A man there exclaimed: May Allah correct you! He replied: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, recommending that we treat our neighbors well until we thought that he would order us to make them our heirs.
Source: Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 128, Grade: Hasan
Gharqad Tree will protect Jews
A Popular Hadith states that:
“The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.”
Reason for planting Gharqad Trees in Israel
In fact, Jews have begun planting Gharqad trees throughout Israel in the seized regions because they are aware that Islam is correct and that there would eventually be a conflict between them and Muslims.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to comprehend the meanings of the Gharqad tree hadith in the context of the entirety of Islamic tradition. This account will be used out of context by violent extremists and anti-Muslim activists to foment animosity between Jews and Muslims. We pray that Allah will thwart them by bringing peace to Jews and Muslims in order to provide us with protection from their corruption.
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