Palm trees

We arrived back in Cairo in the night, where the noise of the car and the polluted air embraced us as children who had missed their parents. But we still felt the clay underneath our nails and saw the gentle waving of the palm trees before our eyes. There may be many meanings to the saying, “It is good to know the truth, but it is better to speak of palm trees. Allah took the tree as a symbol, as we can read in the Quran: ‘’Seest thou how Allah cites a symbol: “A good word is as a good tree, its roots set firm and its branches in heaven, giving its fruit at every season by the leave of its Lord’? Allah cites symbols for men that they may reflect’’ Quran XIV: 24-5[2] 

The palm tree provides us with a symbol of what good words look like. Good words are firm as trees, their meaning elevated above the mundane earth. A good word is as wise as a tree. In general, nature is wise, and if we speak about nature, we may become wise too. Another relationship between the quote and the Quran is the Quranic emphasis on speaking the truth. One who knows the truth must speak it, whatever the consequences. If good words bear similarities with palm trees, we may interpret the quote as saying that one who knows the truth must speak it.

 

Gifts

However, since the quote is Arabic and not necessarily Quranic, these interpretations are speculations. What the quote represents for me is the importance of knowing and appreciating the world directly surrounding us. Many educated people use their knowledge to develop things that effectively destroy the world. Those who invented nuclear weapons, plastic, and mass production; those who destroy the natural habitat of animals, plants, and humans alike by distracting as much oil and gas from the earth as possible; those who continually find more advanced ways of growing animals as quickly as possible to get as much meat as possible with the least cost possible; knowledge, -or the truth- is not necessarily wisdom. On the contrary, knowledge is being used in the least wise of ways. The root of this may be our lack of appreciation for palm trees.

Palm trees represent the wisdom of nature. Its roots are entangled with the soil of the earth, finding stability in the heart of Mother Nature. Nowadays, human beings seem to try to detangle themselves completely from nature, but we are all part of the same core, and to this core we shall return. Resisting our connection with the natural world, in which we grow, blossom, and decay, in which we live and die, has already brought us to the brink of extinction. But the same core that holds the palm tree in its grip can give us stability if we allow it. The palm tree grows its fruits patiently and then spreads them out over its surroundings, where those in need thankfully feed from them. If we take the time to choose our actions and words wisely and spread them out over the earth as gifts to those who need them, the world will be a beautiful place.

The good will come

After some time in the city, Cairo got into my veins again. I had seen more cars than trees, more soda than fresh water, and more buildings than desert hills. Then, an orange paper package arrived in my mailbox. I unwrapped the straw and saw the tiles and vase I made with my own hands. They were wrapped in orange paper and smelled like the flower of Egypt, the lotus. I thought of the palm trees again, about the sand-colored houses decorated with drawings, and about the desert and its vast emptiness. A piece of all of that was in my hands. The city makes you feel far away from nature, but here in my hand was a connection between there and here, between the girl from the city and the girl from the earth. The tiles reassure me that everything is alright and that there are more important things in life than the small hassles of everyday life. In the vase, I put fresh flowers and put them where I can see them every day. Nature teaches patience. Everything dies, but new things come to life. What is hurt or broken grows back with time. In empty spaces, new and wonderful things grow. Where one creature leaves, another takes its place. As long as your feet find stability on the ground and you throw off your actions and words when they are ready—in other words, as long as you take the palm tree as the symbol of your wisdom—the good will come. The good will come.