A brief exegesis of Surah Teen

 

A brief exegesis of Surah Teen

 

By the fig, by the olive.

 

By Mount Sinai.

 

And by this city of peace

 

Indeed, We have created man in the best manner

 

Then We returned him to the lowest state of the low,

 

Except for those who believe and do good works, for them is an everlasting reward.

 

Then who denies you after this regarding the religion or the Last Hour and reward and punishment)?

 

Is Allah not the Greatest of all the rulers?

 

O seeker of the subtleties of gnosis of the Lord Almighty!  Be aware that the fig (Teen) is one of the delicious fruits of this world.  It has no seed and is all eatable.  It is as if this fruit is one of the fruits of paradise.  It is like that person who is all good and there is no evil in that person.

 

The words Teen and Zaitoon (fig and olive) suggest 2 mountains of Makkah, and not the fruits (alone).  This is supported by the words: .

 

Due to the relation between figs and olives and the mountains (on which they grow), these fruits are mentioned and the intent is those places where they grow.  This is to show that those mountains are honored because of it.  (O seeker) if you look closely, you will understand that this is not the only reason for the honoring of the mountains.  Instead, it is due to some other reason.  Those mountains are the abodes of the Prophets and the saints, the (most) pious servants of Allah Most High.  It is the place where they were born….the place where the blessings of the Lord Almighty would come to them, the place where angels would descend with mercy. 

 

Thus, the honor is due to the reason that they lived there and are buried there.  That land became blessed due to their presence.

 

Mount Sinai is that sacred valley whose name is Tuwa.  It is a famous mountain.  Hadhrat Moosa (May peace be upon him) had seen the radiance of the Lord Almighty from afar in the form of a fire.  He thought it was fire and came to get some.  When he reached that spot, all he saw was a tree of radiance, no fire.  It was not fire but radiance, which appeared to be fire from afar.  From this tree, a voice spoke to Hadhrat Moosa (May peace be upon him):  I am the Lord of all worlds.

 

Almighty Allah has described this incident in Surah Taha: 

 

He saw a fire and said to his people, ‘Stay here––I can see a fire.  Maybe I can bring you a flaming brand from it or find some guidance there.’  When he came to the fire, he was summoned, ‘Moses!  I am your Lord. Take off your shoes: you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa.  Surah Taha (20:10, 11, 12)

 

The inward aspect of this is that the shoes mean the world and the hereafter.  When someone is admitted to the presence of the Lord Almighty, that person shouldn’t bring any other wish other than the vision of Allah Most High and the desire to remain close to Him.  That person should be mindful of nothing other than Allah Most High.  That’s why Allah Most High commands using the metaphor of removing shoes.

 

Then, Almighty Allah said:

 

And I have chosen you (for Propehthood), so listen to what is being revealed to you with absolute attentiveness.  Verily, I am Allah.  There is none worthy of worship other than Me.  So always worship Me and establish Salaat for the sake of My remembrance.  Surah Taha (20:13, 14)

 

The city of peace (Makkah) is the birthplace of the Seal of the Prophets, Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  It is the place of the heavenly journey, the Me’raj, of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  It is the place where the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was declared a Prophet for the whole of mankind.

 

It is the place where the radiance was unveiled of which Allah Most High has spoken metaphorically in Surah Noor:

 

Allah is the Light of the heavens and earth. His Light is like this: there is a niche, and in it a lamp, the lamp inside a glass, a glass like a glittering star, fuelled from a blessed olive tree from neither east nor west whose oil almost gives light even when no fire touches it–light upon light- Allah guides whoever He wills to His Light.  Surah Noor (24:35)

 

Human beings have been created in the best stature.  Due to some considerations human beings were then veiled from the gnosis of their reality and sent into a world which is the lowest of all worlds.  That the Prophets, saints and other pious persons are from the progeny of Adam is a shining testimony that from the highest spiritual realms to the lowest one, humans are the leaders and the center of attention.

 

[Excerpted from Tafseer Surah Teen by

Hadhrat ‘Allama Ibrahim Adeeb

(May Allah shower His Mercy on him)]