Firm Root
\r\n Ibrahim (Abraham) - Chapter 14: Verses 24-25 (partial)
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"A good word is as a good tree: its roots firm and its branches in the sky. It brings forth fruit in every season, by the Leave of its Lord. God sets forth parables for mankind, that haply they may remember."
A good word is understood to refer here to the formula of the shahadah, "There is no god but God" and a good tree can be a reference to the date palm. Like the date palm, which is firmly rooted in the earth, so too is the meaning of the shahadah firmly rooted in the hearts of the people of Tawhid. Al-Razi refers to this same reality by saying that when the tree of knowledge is firmly rooted in the land of one's heart, one becomes stronger and more complete, thereby enabling "fruit" to issue forth from its "branches" in abundance. This tree of knowledge, which is rooted in the land of one's heart, thus has "branches" that are in the sky; that is, it has forms of knowledge that reach the Divine realm. This tree thus brings forth fruit in every season, which is to say that the soul of a person who is firmly rooted in knowledge develops a spiritual disposition through which it produces "fruit" perpetually in the form of beautiful words, righteous actions, a state of humility, self-effacement, weeping, and lowliness.
\r\nCompiled From:
\r\n "The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary" - Seyyed Hossein Nasr