How the palm trunk (the trunk of the date tree) complained
when they made a mimbar for the Prophet (pbuh).
Hannaanaa is the sound of distress made by a baby camel
when it is separated from it’s mother.
You see, there were so many people who wanted to hear him
and see the blessed face of the Prophet (pbuh) that the
companions had to build a mimbar for him.
Then they heard the crying of the palm trunk on whom for so
long the Prophet (pbuh) had leant against to talk to the
people.
Gently, the Prophet (pbuh) talked to the palm trunk in clear
language.
“What is the matter, dear friend! What do you want?”
It said:
“I cannot bear the parting from you.
I was your support and now you
have run away from me to the
mimbar.”
The Prophet (pbuh) said:
“Do you wish to be made a datepalm,
so that the people of the East
and the West can gather fruit from
you? Or do you want Allah to make
you a cypress tree in the world, so
that you remain everlastingly
fresh?”
It replied,
“I wish to live forever with you”
The Prophet (pbuh) assured the trunk that it would be with
him in Janna.
When the palm trunk dried up and died, it was buried there
and a pillar was raised in it’s memory. The pillar is within the
mihraab of Masjidun Nabi in Madina,
There are three types of pillars (sutun) in Masjidun Nabi:
- Half coloured and half white – These are the pillars in
Riyadhul Janna (the piece of Janna) – the area between
the mimbar and the grave of the Prophet (pbuh) - A golden edge on the bottom half – These used to be
palm trunks and were also part of the original masjid
but not in Riyadhul Janna. - All coloured – These were added after the wafat of the
Prophet (pbuh)
Excellent Stories Vol 1