Lote tree

:"This article is about the mystic tree in Islam. For the actual Southern European tree, see "Celtis australis.

The Lote Tree is not an actual tree on Earth, but a mystical Islamic metaphor concerning the uppermost boundary in knowledge a human being can possess concerning God. It comes from the Qu'ran chapter 53, An-Najm (The Star), verses 10-18 and alludes to Muhammad's night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then through Heaven. "The Lote Tree of the furthest boundary," as it is called, is believed to be the furthest anyone can travel in Heaven in their approach to God; beyond this none can pass. The following are the Quranic verses from which this term is derived (cite quran|53|10|end=18|style=nosup):

10 So did Allah convey the inspiration to His Servant (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey.
11 The (Prophet's) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw.
12 Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he saw?
13 For indeed he saw him at a second descent,
14 Near the Lote-tree beyond which none may pass:
15 Near it is the Garden of Abode.
16 Behold, the Lote-tree was shrouded (in mystery unspeakable!)
17 (His) sight never swerved, nor did it go wrong!
18 For truly did he see, of the Signs of his Lord, the Greatest!

The following is an excerpt from a non-Quranic Sufi narration of the Prophet's encounter with the Lote Tree:

The Prophet and Gabriel travelled once more until they reached the absolute limit of the created intellect, named sidrat al-muntaha: "The Lote-Tree of the Furthest Boundary." There they saw nothing which the tongue could describe. The effect of the sight they beheld on the Prophet is a secret which took place in his heart. A sound came to them from above which dissipated some of the Prophet's astonishment. At that time he saw a large tree which does not resemble any of the trees of Paradise, a tree without description, covering all the Paradises, heavens, and universes. The trunk of the Tree was a huge angel named Samrafil. The Prophet could see nothing else besides it. It grew from an infinite, unimaginable, indescribable ocean of musk. The tree had an infinite number of branches, created from a heavenly element that has no name in a created language. The distance between one branch and another was five hundred thousand light-years. On every branch there was an infinite number of leaves. If all the created universes were placed on a single one of these leaves they would disappear, like an atom disappears inside an ocean of water. On every leaf sat a huge angel in a multi-colored light. On his head was a crown of light and in his hand a staff of light. Written on their forehead was the inscription: "We are the inhabitants of the Lote-Tree." Their praise was: "Praise be to God Who has no end." Their names are the sarufiyyun or Seraphim, "The Secret Ones," because they are created from the absolute secret of their Lord.

(The preceding excerpt was taken from: http://www.naqshbandi.org/library/angels/angels_13.html)

The Non-Sufi version ( Ahl-us-Sunnah The mainstream Muslims)

Sidrat al-Muntaha, by which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw Jibreel when he was taken up into the heavens

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And indeed he (Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw him (Jibreel) at a second descent (i.e., another time), near Sidrat al-Muntaha (the lote tree of the utmost boundary, beyond which none can pass), near it is the Paradise of Abode, when that covered the lote-tree which did cover it! The sight (of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) turned not aside (right or left), nor did it transgress beyond (the) limit (ordained for it). Indeed, he did see of the Greatest Signs of his Lord (Allaah)." [al-Najm 53:13-18]

The phrase translated here as "when that covered the lote-tree which did cover it" is explained by the hadeeth narrated by Imaam al-Bukhaari from Abu Dharr, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "It was covered in colours, I do not know what they are…" According to a hadeeth narrated by Abu Sa’eed and Ibn ‘Abbaas, he said: "It was covered by the angels." According to a report narrated by Muslim, he said: "When it was covered with whatever covered it by the command of Allaah, it changed, and none of the creation of Allaah could describe its beauty."

In the famous hadeeth about his Mi’raaj (ascent into heaven), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that when Jibreel took him up into the heavens, he went through from one heaven to the next by the command of Allaah, until he reached the seventh heaven. He said: "Then I was taken to Sidrat al-Muntaha; its fruits were like the pitchers of Hajar and its leaves were like the ears of elephants. He said, ‘This is Sidrat al-Muntaha’…" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3598).

The reason why it is called Sidrat al-Muntaha is stated in the hadeeth narrated from Ibn Mas’ood by Imaam Muslim: "There everything that comes up from earth stops (yantahee), and it is taken from there, and there everything that comes down stops, and it is taken from there." Al-Nawawi said: It is called Sidrat al-Muntaha because the knowledge of the angels stops at that point, and no one has gone beyond it except the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

It is the tree at which the knowledge of every Prophet who has been sent and every angel who is near to Allaah stops. What lies beyond it is unseen; no one knows it except Allaah or the one to whom He tells it. It was said that this is the ultimate destination of the souls of the martyrs.

The fruits described in the hadeeth are well known: they are the fruits of the lotus tree. Al-Khattaabi said that the phrase "like the pitchers of Hajar" meant that they were big like pitchers; this is something that was known to the first listeners, which is why this analogy was used. Hajar is a place-name. The phrase "its leaves were like the ears of elephants" is also indicative of huge size.

http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=1920&ln=eng

From the Sunnah:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw Sidrat al-Muntaha (a lote tree of the utmost boundary over the seventh heaven beyond which none can pass), by which he saw the Paradise of Abode, as it says in Saheeh al-Bukhaari (336) and Saheeh Muslim (237) who narrated the hadeeth of Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) which tells the story of the Isra’ (Prophet’s Night Journey). At the end of this hadeeth it says: “Jibraa’eel took me until we reached Sidrat al-Muntaha, which was covered with colours, I do not know what they are. Then I entered Paradise and saw that its domes were pearls and its soil was musk.”

http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=14526&ln=eng