A Muslim Reading of Mark 13:24-37
Farah El-Jayyousi
Mark 13:28-31
28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he[a] is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Upon reading this passage, my mind was immediately drawn to a chapter of the Quran named “The Fig,” but I was unsure initially of how it might relate to indigenous struggles in Palestine or here on Turtle Island. That is, until I delved into the meaning a little bit more. In one translation, the chapter reads as such:
“By the fig and the olive ˹of Jerusalem˺, and Mount Sinai, and this secure city ˹of Mecca˺! Indeed, We created humans in the best form. But We will reduce them to the lowest of the low ˹in Hell˺, except those who believe and do good—they will have a never-ending reward. Now, what makes you deny the ˹final˺ Judgment? Is Allah not the most just of all judges?” (Quran, Chapter 95 - The Clear Quran by Dr. Mustafa Khattab)
So what lessons are we meant to learn from the fig tree? In this chapter of the Quran, the fig tree represents Palestine, the land of Jesus (peace be upon him). Fig trees are resilient, able to grow and thrive even out of solid rock. They give and bear fruit with healing properties even after enduring torturous conditions. There are fig trees older than the state of Israel. The state of Israel routinely uproots fig trees while Palestinian farmers rush to replant them again and again. Why? While uprooting fig trees is a function of settler-colonialism in Palestine, planting them is a function of settler-colonialism on Turtle Island.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows
We do not know when we will be taken to account. I wonder, will we find ourselves asleep, with empty hands and no work to show? Will we be caught unawares, enjoying the fruits of others’ labor? Five times a day in the adhan, we are called to “hasten to success.” But what is success? The Arabic word, falāh, derives from the root verb “to farm.” In other words, success in the spiritual sense comes through hard, honest work where the outcome is unknown and beyond our control. When that hour comes, that final Judgement, will we have succeeded? Will we have kept awake? Will we have calloused hands or at the very least hands active in prayer to show for ourselves?
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Farah is currently a Muslim member of the Community of Living Traditions in Stony Point, NY. She is also a poet and an artist. Farah is working towards a Religious Leader certification through Ribaat, an academic program that offers courses in the Islamic sciences for Muslim women.