A prophet burns palms and plants!

The reply to the misunderstanding:

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First: The messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to order the army to be beneficent and reformer, and not to corrupt the earth. This is proved in the following:

1 – Abu Dawood's Sunan, no. 2247. Anas Ibn Malek narrated that the messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Go in Allah's name, trusting in Allah, and adhering to the religion of Allah's messenger. Do not kill a decrepit old man, or a baby, or a child, or a woman; do not be dishonest about booty, but collect your spoils, do right and act well, for Allah loves those who do well".

2 – The prophet (PBUH) ordered people to plant palms even when it's the last day on earth. This is mentioned in Ahmad's Musnad, no. 12512. Anas Ibn Malek narrated that the messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "If it's the last day on earth (day of resurrection) and one has a palm shoot in his hand, he should plant it if he can".

3 – The prophet prohibited burning people alive with fire. This is mentioned in the Correct Bukhari, chapter (One shouldn't torment others by Allah's way of tormenting {hellfire}), no. 2794. Ekrema narrated that Ali burned some people and this news reached Ibn Abbas, who said, "Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the prophet (PBUH) said, 'Don't punish (anybody) with Allah's Punishment.' No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.' "

And it's narrated in Ahmad's Musnad, no.15457 that the prophet (PBUH) said: " No one should torment others by fire except Allah".

4 – Allah, the Almighty, prohibited (in the Quran) corruption, and clarified that He doesn't like it. This is mentioned in several verses:

1 – {And when he goes away, he strives throughout the land to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and animals. And Allah does not like corruption} (The Cow:205).

2 – He, the Almighty, praised the good men when they said to Qarun: {But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters"} (The Stories:77).

Thus, these were Muhammad's (PBUH) commandments for his companions, not to corrupt the earth…

Second: Allah, the Almighty, defended His prophet (PBUH), when He clarified that what Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions did was by His permission, and that it wasn't an act of corrupting the earth. Allah, the Almighty, says: {Whatever you have cut down of [their] palm trees or left standing on their trunks - it was by permission of Allah and so He would disgrace the defiantly disobedient} (The Gathering:5).

In the Jalalin Interpretation: Whatever you have cut down O Muslims of palm trees "or left standing on their trunks" means that you had two options. He "would disgrace" by letting the Muslims cut down the palm trees, "the defiantly disobedient" means the Jews who objected cutting down the palm trees and considered that as corruption.

Third: Someone may ask: why did the prophet (PBUH) burn the palm trees of Bani Nadeer?

The answer: He (PBUH) did so, because when he (PBUH) cordoned them they used the palm trees as shelters and weapons. So, it was logic to burn them, and this is known as "the military necessity", as to pave the way for Muslims and to avoid any bloodshed, and this is mentioned in several biography books such as Al Halabia and Al Raoud and others. It's mentioned in Al Halabia that the prophet (PBUH) burned six palm trees only. Thus, this misunderstanding is completely false according to logic and reason.

Fourth: It's now clear for the reader that the prophet (PBUH) burned the palm trees of Bani Nadeer out of military necessity, as they became shelters and weapons, and it was a must to destroy them to avoid any damages among Muslims, such as: their souls, or provisions. On the other side, when reading the Bible, we will find disastrous manners in wars, such as: destroying trees and palm trees. This is mentioned in the following:
First: The Old Testament:

1 – Deuteronomy 20:16-17:
16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction,[a] the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded
Notice: you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction
2 – Numbers 31:9-10:

9 And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods10 All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire,
Notice: burning the fortresses and houses including palm trees and plants!!

3 – Exodus 34:11-14:
11 “Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites12 Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst13 You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

Notice: The Lord ordered prophet Moses (PBUH) to invade other nations' lands, to destroy their altars, pillars, and Asherim, in addition to the trees, in order to spread his religion….!!

4 – Deuteronomy 20:19-20:
19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you?20 Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
Notice: 19: The Lord orders prophet Moses (PBUH) not to cut the trees which he eats from.
20: The Lord orders prophet Moses (PBUH) to cut the trees which he doesn't eat from to conquer his enemy!!

Second: The New Testament:

It's mentioned that Jesus, the Christ (PBUH) destroyed a fig tree:

1 – Mark 11:11-14:
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

2 – Matthew 21:19:
19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

Now, I need to ask some important questions:

1 – What was the sin of that innocent tree?

The answer: its sin was that Jesus, the Christ (a God as Christians believe to know the future) didn't know the season of figs, so he cursed the fig tree and prohibited eating from it then…

2 – Is there a God who doesn't know the trees season that He created?

3 – Is it a mercy to destroy trees and plants due to not knowing their season?!

4 – Why do the objectors describe Jesus as the God of devotion and mercy, but the Bible mentions that he destroyed trees and plants that were useful for people at his time?!

Written by Sheikh Akram Hassan Morsi
Translation: Professor Islamic translation