Trees and Fire: Duality in Theology

It is quite interesting to ponder upon nature and its behavior. It is almost as if the wild imitates us, homo sapiens. It mirrors our behaviors, and tells us much we do not know about ourselves. Nature is a metaphor, a mirror, per se, it is the external monologue that speaks on the truth of humanity. Another connection is the relation between nature and the scriptures that reflect upon it, such as the Quran and its frequent mentions of nature, specifically the quotes that illustrate trees transforming to fire, and the sort. This particular essay will be focused on Surat Al-Waqi'ah verses 71-72 and the metaphors we can infer from the verses to widen our spiritual perspective and enlighten our higher consciousness.

Surat Al-Waqi'ah verses 71-72 are translated to state: "Did you consider the fire which you kindle?- Did you make its tree grow or was it We Who made it grow?" This verse, at its base level, can be understood as a questioning from God to the humans on their powerlessness in his presence. An obvious riddle - do you see his glory, or are you too busy basking in your vanity, forgetting He who blessed you with riches and beauty? This verse will most likely be presumed as such, however, one must pose the question: Is there a secret in this case?

Trees and fire, and the holy scripture (Quran) that spoke of them. Why is this so significant? The verse is quite clear in its meaning - yes - but is there more to it? The Quran urges us to question, so I beg the question: what is it of trees and fire? After a prolonged period of being in deep thought or, to be honest, a few seconds after reading the verse, I recognized a sense of truth in it, not just about humans and their forgetfulness of their lord, but about duality in this world, and its perfect metaphor - trees and fire. The Quran illustrates this beautifully, and although not directly stated, speaking of trees and fire could be an indicator that the verses mean more than what meets the eye.

Time for the analysis. Trees and fire are the most perfect metaphor for duality in this world. Think yin-yang, masculine and feminine, etc. To further explain, trees in their essence are healing, provide us with shade, and with fruits, etcetera. In contrast, although fire can be used for good, it is a symbol of danger, of war, of fear, and when we closely look at the matter, there is no fire without trees - at least in this world, they are intertwined. The point in saying this is that, just as beautiful trees can stimulate rapid fire, there is a transformative element between good and bad that resides in this world. As trees symbolize good, and fire symbolizes bad, or at least a potential catalyst for catastrophe, as they work together, they symbolize the fact that good and bad exist together in this world. Good and bad are intertwined in this realm, and they cannot exist without each other.

After theorizing, one can begin to realize, the reason for this could be that the divine is signalling that this world is neither good alone nor bad alone, it is a realm of ups and downs, just like the heart beats that symbolize life, signs are everywhere. Linear means dead. The case of trees and fire is just one in many. However, trees and fire are signs for much more. In this last theory, I want to ask: what differentiates fire and trees from eachother, other than their basic nature?

Theory two: What differentiates trees and fire from one another? Trees grow slow and steady, fire is rapid, and that is the focal point I aim to focus on. In the religion of Islam, there is a saying that states, Steadiness is from God, and hastiness is from the devil. What this indicates in the case of trees and fire is that - fire is a symbol, quite literally, of the devil, and trees are a symbol of the heavens. To conclude this paragraph, I would like to state that, just as fire and trees work together in this world, they separate in the hereafter (Islamic point of view), and also stress the fact that they could both be used as a means of good in this world.

In conclusion, nature has many secrets - secrets that we can unravel just using our consciousness to question and hypothesize as the great minds of the past did. Trees and fire are one in many metaphors, and we can learn from their nature our own. Work towards elevating your knowledge of nature, and you will begin to see how it reflects on your being.

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Written by Raghad Elwali