Do you not see how Allah compares a good word to a good tree?

 

Speaking good and kind words is welcomed and respected by people. Humans have an inherent need for love and kindness, and words that fulfill that need, easily win over their hearts. Not only are good words an effective way to convey a message, but also serve as a reciprocator of that same love and kindness with which they are spoken to achieve. Everyone is suffering to some extent in their life, both the outwardly affluent and the poor. Everyone human being desires love and affection. Words are, therefore, the most effective method of relieving people of their worries and stresses. As all the guidance humans need come from the Quran, Allah, to show the importance of a good word spoken to people, presents the following analogy in the 24th verse of Surah Ibrahim, 

“Do you not see how Allah compares a good word to a good tree? Its root is firm and its branches reach the sky, ˹always˺ yielding its fruit in every season by the Will of its Lord” 

Allah beautifully compares a good word to a good tree. The comparison to a "good tree" is striking because only those trees that are green and covered with leaves, attract the eye. It can be understood that a good word has a unique attraction which attracts people towards it. The inherent need for love and affection, thus, is fulfilled once good words are spoken to it.

He goes on to say that a good word is like a good tree whose root is firm. A firm root is an indication of strength which allows for the tree, leaves and fruit to grow. Without a firm root, no tree is able to grow and yield fruit. Compared to a good word, this can be understood to mean that a good word makes it way into the hearts of people so effectively that it remains there firmly, and allows for love and affection to grow and develop. Hence, a good word is a starting point or grounds for building relations with people.

As the analogy continues, Allah says that a good word is like a good tree whose branches reach the sky. A tree with upward growing branches is considered to be a healthy and strong tree, possessing the capacity to grow higher, making it distinct from other trees in height and beauty. Compared to a good word, this can be understood to mean that a good word leads to an increase in the love and affection among relationships. Such words spoken by a person makes them distinct from others. A good word, therefore, allows for the growth and increase of love between people, making a relationship built upon such speech distinct from others.

Further on, as the analogy concludes, Allah says that a good word is like a good tree which yields fruit in every season. Now, no tree yields fruit in every season. There is a cycle that every tree follows after which it yields fruit in a specific season. A good word, however, is free from the bounds of time and space. Once it has been planted firm in someone’s heart, and is developed like the branches reaching the sky, it is bound to maintain that love and affection between people throughout the highs and lows of life just like the tree that yields fruit in every season despite the harsh climate.