Here is a detailed explanation of Surah Ibrahim (Chapter 14), Verse 26, as presented in the style and methodology of Tafheem-ul-Quran by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
Quranic Verse (Arabic Text)
وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ اجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ الْأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍ
Translation
“And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree: it is torn up by the root from the face of the earth; it has no stability.”
Tafseer (Explanation) from Tafheem-ul-Quran
This verse is the second part of a parable presented in verses 24-25. To fully understand verse 26, it is essential to see it in its immediate context.
The Context (Verses 14:24-25):
“Do you not see how Allah sets forth a parable of a good word? It is like a good tree, whose root is firm and whose branches are in the sky. It yields its fruit every season by the leave of its Lord.”
This “good word” is the fundamental creed of Islam: “La ilaha illallah” (There is no god but Allah). It represents the entire system of belief, thought, and life that emanates from this declaration.
Explanation of Verse 26:
1. The “Evil Word” (كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ – Kalimatin Khabeethah):
- In direct contrast to the “good word” (the doctrine of Tawhid), the “evil word” refers to Shirk (associating partners with Allah) and Kufr (disbelief).
- It represents any false creed, ideology, or system of life that is founded on the rejection of Allah’s sovereignty. This includes polytheism, atheism, materialism, and all man-made ideologies that place someone or something in the position that belongs to Allah alone.
- The word Khabeeth means impure, foul, corrupt, and evil. It signifies something that is inherently bad in its essence and consequences.
2. The Parable of the “Evil Tree” (كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ – Kashajaratin Khabeethah):
- Just as the “good word” was compared to a strong, fruitful, and stable tree, the “evil word” is compared to its exact opposite.
- This “evil tree” is described as being “uprooted from the earth’s surface” (اجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ الْأَرْضِ). This is a powerful image of something that has been completely torn out, leaving no trace behind. It has no connection to the soil, no source of nourishment, and no foundation.
- The phrase “it has no stability” (مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍ) is the core message of the parable. A tree that is uprooted cannot stand firm. It will be blown away by the wind, rot, and perish.
The Deeper Meaning and Wisdom (Hikmah):
Maududi, in Tafheem-ul-Quran, explains that this parable illustrates the fundamental nature of Truth and Falsehood in the world:
- The Nature of Falsehood (Batil): Falsehood, no matter how widespread or powerful it may appear for a time, has no inherent stability or permanence. It is like a tree with shallow or rotten roots. When a storm comes (a test, a logical argument, a historical challenge, or the divine decree), it is easily uprooted and destroyed. It cannot withstand scrutiny or the tests of time.
- Lack of Foundation: The ideologies of Kufr and Shirk are not rooted in the eternal truth of reality. They are based on human whims, desires, superstitions, or flawed logic. Therefore, they provide no real peace, security, or lasting benefit to humanity. They are inherently unstable and destined to collapse.
- A Historical and Future Reality: The Quran points to this as a universal law. Look at the great empires and civilizations built on falsehood—they all crumbled. The Pharaohs, the ‘Ad and Thamud, and in modern times, ideologies like colonialism based on racial superiority or atheistic communism have all shown their inherent instability and collapsed or are in the process of decay.
Contrasting the Two Parables:
Feature Good Word (Tawhid)
Feature Good Word (Tawhid):State Firmly rooted, stable. Divine Revelation. Nourishment Constant (by Allah’s leave).Result Continuous good fruits. Endurance Eternal, withstands storms
Evil Word (Shirk/Kufr)
Uprooted, unstable, No fruit, only ruin,Source Human Fabrication,endurance : None Temporary, collapses easily
Conclusion:
This verse is not just a beautiful analogy but a profound declaration of a cosmic principle. It offers a powerful reminder to believers that they should build their lives, societies, and ideologies on the solid foundation of Tawhid, which alone provides true stability and everlasting fruit. Simultaneously, it serves as a warning and a consolation: the systems of falsehood that seem dominant are, in reality, like an uprooted tree—devoid of any lasting power and destined for annihilation.
This explanation captures the core insights from Maulana Maududi’s Tafheem-ul-Quran, emphasizing the ideological battle between truth and falsehood and the ultimate fate of both.
Compiled by grok
Surah Ibrahim (14:26)
Arabic Text:
وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٖ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ ٱجۡتُثَّتۡ مِن فَوۡقِ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٖ
English Translation (by Syed Abul Ala Maududi):
And the example of an evil word is that of an evil tree, uprooted from the surface of the earth, wholly unable to endure. 14
Tafseer (Commentary) from Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abul Ala Maududi:
(14:26) And the example of an evil word [37] is that of an evil tree, uprooted from the surface of the earth, wholly unable to endure. [38]
- Evil word is the opposite of pure word. It may be applied to everything that is unreal and wrong but here it stands for any false creed that one might adopt as a basis of his system of life, irrespective of whether it be atheism or heresy or disbelief or shirk or idol worship or any other ism that has not been brought by a Messenger.
- And evil word (false creed) has no stability because it is against the law of nature. Therefore, everything in the universe opposes it and refutes it, as if the earth hates it and is ready to spit out its seeds every time they are sown in it, and if some seed succeeds in growing an evil tree, heaven suppresses down its branches. In fact, false creed could never have been allowed to develop, if man had not been given the freedom of choice and respite for work for the sake of his trial. That is why when same foolish people exert to establish a system of life on it, it is allowed to grow to a certain extent, but it produces nothing but harmful results as long as it lasts. And no sooner does it encounter with adverse circumstances than it is thoroughly uprooted from the earth.
The distinction between the pure word and the evil word is so apparent that anyone who makes a critical study of the religious, moral, intellectual and cultural history of the world can perceive it easily. For the pure word has always been the one and the same during the whole history of mankind and has never been uprooted. On the contrary, there have been innumerable evil words but each and every one has been so uprooted that there has remained hardly anything of it except its name in the pages of history. Nay, some of these had proved to be so absurd that if these are mentioned today one wonders how one could have followed such nonsensical things.
There has been another noteworthy difference between the two words. Whenever and wherever the pure word has been adopted by an individual or a community, its blessings had not been confined to that individual and community but had benefited all around them. On the contrary, whenever and wherever an evil word has been adopted by an individual or a community, its evils had spread chaos and disorder all around them.
In this connection, it should also be noted that the parable of the pure word and the evil word explains the same theme that had been explained by the similitude of the mound of ashes that is blown away by the wind of the stormy day (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 18) and of the foam of flood, and the scum of the melted metals. (Surah Ar-Raad, Ayat 17). 14
Ibn katheer and al Tabari
Surah Ibrahim (14:26)
Arabic Text:
وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ اجْتُثَّتْ مِنْ فَوْقِ الْأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِنْ قَرَارٍ
English Translation:
And the example of an evil word is like an evil tree, uprooted from the surface of the earth; it has no stability.
Tafseer from Ibn Kathir:
Allah said next, (And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree) describing the disbelief of the disbeliever, for it has no basis or stability. It is similar to the colocynth tree (a very bitter, unscented plant) which is also called, Ash-Shiryan’. Shubah narrated that Mu`awiyah bin Abi Qurrah narrated that Anas bin Malik said that it is the colocynth tree. Allah said, (uprooted), meaning, was cutoff from the root, (from the surface of earth, having no stability.) therefore, existing without basis or stability, just like Kufr (disbelief), for it does not have a basis or roots. Surely, the works of the disbelievers will never ascend nor will any of them be accepted. 43
This verse continues the parable from verses 24-25, contrasting the “goodly word” (faith) with the “evil word” (disbelief). The evil tree has no firmness, illustrating how disbelief lacks foundation and leads to ultimate failure, with no good deeds accepted by Allah.
Tafseer from al-Tabari (via Tafsir Ibn Abbas, as reported in traditional narrations):
The similitude of a bad saying (associating partners with Allah) is as a bad tree (this refers to the idolater; idolatry is blameworthy and no aspect of it is praiseworthy, just as the idolater is censored and there is nothing praiseworthy about him; it is also said that the bad tree refers to the colocynth which is bitter and useless, and so is the idolater: useless and censored), uprooted from upon the earth, possessing no stability (it has no firmness on the face of the earth; and so is the idolater: he does not have any proof to cling to, just as the colocynth does not have roots which keep it firmly grounded. Moreover, while a person is an idolater none of his works are accepted). 44
Al-Tabari’s comprehensive tafsir often includes chains of narration from early companions like Ibn Abbas, emphasizing the “evil tree” as representing shirk (polytheism) or the idolater, with no stability or beneficial outcome, mirroring the useless colocynth plant that is easily uprooted and bears no fruit.
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