The Lote Tree
عِنْدَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَىٰ {14}
At Al-Sidrat Al-Muntaha[1] [53:14]
حدثنا موسى بن جعفر قال وجدت بخط ابى رواية عن محمد بن عيسى الاشعري عن محمد بن سليمان الديلمى مولى عبد الله عن سليمان قال سئلت ابا عبد الله عليه السلام عن قول الله تعالى سدرة المنتهى وقوله اصلها ثابت وفرعها في السماء
Narrated to us Musa Bin Ja’far who said that he found in the writing of his father, reporting from Muhammad Bin Isa Al-Ashary, from Muhammad Bin Suleyman Al-Daylami the retainer of Abdullah, from Suleyman who said:
‘I asked Abu Abdullah-asws about the Words of Allah-azwj the Exalted: At the Lote Tree [53:14], and His-azwj Words: its roots are stable and its branches are in the sky [14:24].
فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله والله جذرها وعلى ذروها وفاطمة فرعها والائمة اغصانها وشيعتهم اوراقها
Imam-asws narrates that Rasool-Allah-saww said: ‘By Allah-azwj, I-saww am its root, and Ali-asws is its height, and (Syeda) Fatima-asws is its trunk, and the Imams-asws are its branches, and their-asws Shias are its leaves.’’
قال قلت جعلت فداك فما معنى المنتهى قال إليها والله انتهى الدين من لم يكن من الشجرة فليس بمؤمن وليس لنا شيعة
‘I said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you-asws, what is the meaning of ‘Al-Muntaha’?’ He-asws said: ‘To it, by Allah-azwj, ended the Religion. One who is not from the Tree, is not a Momin, and isn’t a Shia of ours-asws.[2]
[1] (the Lote Tree) Usually translated
[2] Basaair Al Darajaat – P 2 Ch 2 (Rare) H 2