Masjid al-Shajarah

There are a number of incidents where trees and other objects miraculously testified to the Prophethood of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ throughout his life. One such incident occurred at the location where Masjid al-Shajarah stands today. Affan Ibn Muslim I narrates:

Once, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was at al-Hujun, deeply distressed. He prayed: ‘O Allah! show me today a sign, after which I shall not care, whoever of my people might doubt me.’ Suddenly, a tree on the mountain road to Madinah was seen. He called it. It came cleaving the earth till it reached him and greeted him. Then he commanded it and it returned.’ At that moment, he declared: ‘I care not now whoever of my people might doubt me.’
[Narrated in Kitab al-Ṭabaqat al-Kabir]

A similar account was reported by al-Hasan ibn Ali I who said:

There is a report that the Prophet ﷺ complained to his Lord about his people who were causing him concern. He asked for a sign by which he would know that he had nothing to fear. It was revealed to him, ‘Go to this wadi which has a certain tree in it and call a branch of it. It will come to you.’ He did so, and it came, splitting the earth in a furrow until it stood in front of him. He detained it as long as Allah willed and then told it, ‘Go back as you came,’ and it returned. He said, ‘O Lord, now I know that I have nothing to fear.’
[Narrated in Bayhaqi]

Another is narrated by Anas ibn Malik I who states that Jibril was also present. He says:

One day, Jibril S came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he was sitting in a sorrowful state with his face soaked with blood because some of the people of Makkah had struck him. He said: ‘What is the matter with you?’ He said: ‘These people did such and such to me.’ He said: ‘Would you like me to show you a sign?’ He said: ‘Yes, show me.’ He looked at a tree on the far side of the valley and said: ‘Call that tree.’ So he called it, and it came walking until it stood before him. He said: ‘Tell it to go back.’ So he told it, and it went back to its place. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘That is sufficient for me.’
[Narrated in Sunan ibn Majah]

Other Incidents

There are also other incidents where trees testified to the messengership of the Prophet ﷺ.

Before Prophethood

Stones and trees greeted him on the nights just before the commencement of his prophetic mission, saying, ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah.’ The Prophet ﷺ said:

Verily, I know stones in Makkah that used to greet me before I was sent as a messenger.
[Narrated in Sahih Muslim]

Bahira, a Christian monk from Syria showed immense respect to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and immediately recognized him as a Prophet when seeing him. Speaking to his uncle, Abu Talib, he said:

Your nephew Muhammad is the Leader of the entire world, a Messenger of Allah, and has been sent as a mercy for all the worlds. I have witnessed trees and rocks bowing to him and clouds providing shade for him. He also bears the Seal of Prophethood between his two shoulders.
[Narrated in al-Tirmidhi]

Trees Testifying to Bedouins

Abdullah ibn Umar I reported:

We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a journey and a bedouin came up to him. The Prophet ﷺ asked, ‘Bedouin, where are you going?’ He replied, ‘To my family.’ He said, ‘Do you want something good?’ The man asked, ‘What is it?’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘That you testify that there is no god but Allah alone without partner and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.’ The Bedouin asked, ‘Who will testify to what you say?’ He replied, ‘This mimosa tree.’ It advanced from the edge of the wadi, furrowing the earth until it stood before him. The Prophet ﷺ asked it to testify three times and it did so and then returned to its place.
[Narrated in al-Darimi, al-Bayhaqi and al-Bazzar]

Abdullah ibn Abbas I narrates:

A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, ‘How shall I know that you are a Prophet?’ He said, ‘If I were to call this date cluster from this palm tree, would you bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allah?’ So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called it, and they started to fall from the tree until they fell towards the Prophet ﷺ. Then he said, ‘Go back,’ and it went back. So the Bedouin accepted Islam.
[Narrated in al-Tirmidhi]

Another incident involving a bedouin also took place. Buraydah ibn al-Husayb I reported:

A bedouin asked the Prophet ﷺ for a sign and he said to him, ‘Tell that tree that the Messenger of Allah calls it.’ The tree leaned to the right and left, in front and behind, pulled up its roots and came splitting the earth, dragging its dusty roots until it stood before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. It said, ‘Peace be upon you, Messenger of Allah.’ The Bedouin said, ‘Command it to return to its place.’ It returned, dropped its roots and was still. The bedouin said, ‘Give me permission to prostrate to you.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If I had commanded anyone to prostrate to anyone, I would have commanded the woman to prostrate to her husband.’ The bedouin then said, ‘Give me permission to kiss your hands and feet.’ He gave him permission.
[Narrated in al-Bazzar]

Tree Testifying to the Jinn

Abdullah ibn Masud I narrated:

I accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ towards al-Hujun until we reached Abu Dhub. There, the Prophet ﷺ marked a boundary for me, saying, ‘Do not cross it.’ Thereafter, the Jinn descended upon him like locusts. He recited the Quran aloud, causing them to fall and stick to the ground until they were invisible to me. They demanded, ‘Who are you?’ He answered, ‘A Prophet!’ They questioned, ‘Who will testify for you?’ He pointed to a tree, which came forth dragging its branches and making sounds, testifying to his prophethood before retreating. Requesting provision, the Prophet ﷺ offered the Jinn bones and animal fodder. Astonishingly, they found the bones softer than meat and the fodder sufficient for their beasts. Henceforth, the Prophet ﷺ prohibited the use of bones and dung for cleansing after relieving oneself.
[Narrated in Tafsir ibn Jurayj]

The area where this incident took place is where Masjid al-Jinn stands today, close to Masjid al-Shajarah.

Rukana the Wrestler

Rukana ibn Abd Yazid I was renowned as the most skilled wrestler among the polytheists. He was undefeated in countless bouts. However, despite his physical prowess, he harboured animosity towards the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. One day, their paths crossed in Makkah.

The Prophet ﷺ addressed him, “O Rukana, are you not afraid of Allah, to whom I call you to testify?” Rukana, defiant yet intrigued, replied, “If you prove that your words are true then I will submit to you.” Undeterred, the Prophet ﷺ posed a challenge, “If I knock you to the ground, then will you believe what I say is true?” Rukana, confident in his strength, retorted, “O Muhammad, if you are able to defeat me, then I will believe you.”

The wrestling match commenced. To Rukana’s astonishment, he found himself on the ground in each round. Thrice the Prophet ﷺ effortlessly overpowered him, fulfilling his promise. Despite witnessing the undeniable miracle, Rukana stubbornly persisted in disbelief, attributing the Prophet’s ﷺ extraordinary strength to sorcery.

In a final attempt to open Rukana’s heart to the truth, the Prophet offered ﷺ another demonstration. Commanding a nearby tree to approach, it obeyed, cleaving the ground as it moved until it stood in front of him. Then he said, “Return,” so it returned. Yet, Rukana’s heart remained hardened, dismissing the miracle as mere trickery.

Despite the Prophet’s ﷺ invitations to embrace Islam, Rukana clung to his disbelief. Uttering words of disappointment, the Prophet ﷺ parted ways, leaving Rukana in a state of bewilderment. Eventually, Rukana embraced Islam around the time of the Conquest of Mecca, acknowledging the truth he had once resisted.

Trees Shield the Prophet ﷺ

Jabir ibn Abdullah I reported that the Prophet ﷺ went to relieve himself but could not see anything with which to shield himself. He says:

We accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until we reached a spacious valley. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went aside to fulfil his need, so I followed him with a container of water. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ looked around but did not find anything to conceal himself with. Then he saw two trees at the edge of the valley. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went towards one of them and took hold of a branch from its branches, saying, ‘Come to me with the permission of Allah.’ It bent towards him like a trained camel, obeying its owner, until he reached the other tree and took hold of a branch from its branches, saying the same thing. It obeyed him likewise until both trees were close enough for him to join them together. He then said, ‘Stand back by the permission of Allah.’ They separated, leaving each standing on its own.
[Narrated in Sahih Muslim]

Usama ibn Zayd I reported:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said during one of his raids, ‘Is there anywhere?’ meaning a place to relieve himself. I said, ‘The wadi does not have any place in it for people.’ He said, ‘Did you see a palm tree or a stone?’ I replied, ‘I saw some scattered palms.’ He said, ‘Go and tell them that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commands them to come to his aid.’ He told me to say the same to the stones and I did so. By the One who sent him with the truth, I saw the palm trees coming near each other until they joined. The stones came together until they became a heap behind the Prophet ﷺ. When he finished, he told me, ‘Tell them to part.’ By the One who has myself in His hand, I saw the trees and stones part and return to their places.”
[Narrated in al-Bayhaqi and Abu Ya‘la]

The Crying Date-Palm Tree

After migrating to Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ would deliver Friday sermons leaning against a date palm trunk in Masjid al-Nabawi. After some time, the companions asked the Prophet ﷺ if they could build something that would allow him to be clearly seen and heard by the congregation in the mosque. Jabir ibn Abdullah I narrates:

A woman asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Should I build something for you to sit on? I have a slave who is a carpenter.’ He replied, ‘Yes, if you like.’ So she had that pulpit constructed.
[Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari]

When the Prophet ﷺ left the palm trunk for the pulpit, the palm trunk began to wail and shake out of grief as if it was about to explode. Jabir narrates:

When it was Friday, the Prophet ﷺ sat on that pulpit. The date palm trunk near which the Prophet ﷺ used to deliver his sermons cried so much so that it was about to burst.
[Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari]

The Prophet ﷺ then descended from the pulpit and consoled the tree trunk by embracing it. Speaking to it gently, he offered it one of two choices:

Choose if you want me to plant you in the place you were in and you will be as you were before. Or if you want, I can plant you in Paradise, and you can drink from its rivers and springs, and your growth will be good; you will bear fruit, and the friends of Allah will eat from your fruit.
[Narrated in Sunan al-Darimi]

After hearing this, the palm trunk chose paradise and calmed down. Jabir narrates:

It cried like a child and the Prophet ﷺ descended (from the pulpit) and embraced it while it continued moaning like a child being quietened. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘It was crying for (missing) what it used to hear of dhikr near it.’
[Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari]

This event was witnessed and narrated by many companions.