This 'Companion' of Prophet Muhammad Is Still Alive, Aged 1,400 Years
A ‘companion’ of the Prophet is believed to still be alive today. However, this figure is not a human being, but an ancient tree known as the Sahabi Tree in the Safawi desert region, near the city of Al-Mafraq, Jordan.
The tree is called a ‘companion of the Prophet’ because it is believed to have once provided shade for the Prophet Muhammad when he was still a child. At that time, the Prophet Muhammad joined a trading journey to the Levant region with his uncle, Abu Talib.
During the journey, the Quraysh caravan stopped to rest beneath a tree standing alone in the middle of the barren desert. The event at that location later became part of a popular story in Islamic history.
According to several accounts cited by the Royal Jordanian website, a Christian monk named Bahira who lived in the area saw the caravan from a distance. He was said to be astonished because he saw a cloud shading one of the caravan’s members.
When the caravan stopped and rested under the tree, Bahira approached them. He observed a young boy in the group, namely Muhammad.
After speaking with Abu Talib and observing a number of signs, Bahira is believed to have concluded that the child would one day become a prophet. He then warned Abu Talib to take good care of Muhammad during the journey.
Over time, the tree under which the caravan sheltered became known as the Sahabi Tree, with the Latin name Atlantic Pistachio. The term ‘sahabi’ refers to a companion of the Prophet, so the tree is often regarded as a living witness to the Prophet Muhammad’s early journey before his prophethood.
The tree’s existence is all the more intriguing because of its location, standing alone amid a vast expanse of dry, barren desert. There are no other trees in the surrounding area, making its presence considered unique.
In the modern era, the rediscovery of this tree was carried out by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan. According to the Royal Archives website, after completing his studies at the University of Cambridge, Ghazi was assigned by his uncle, King Hussein, to work at the Royal Archives of Jordan.
There, he studied various royal historical archives. During his research, Ghazi found an old document concerning a tree in the Safawi area of Zarqa Governorate.
The tree had apparently been overlooked when an inventory of holy sites was conducted during the reign of King Abdullah I. This tree is now believed to be the one under which the Prophet Muhammad sheltered as a child.
Today, the Sahabi Tree has become one of the religious tourism destinations in Jordan. Many pilgrims and tourists from various countries come to see firsthand the tree believed to be more than 1,400 years old and to have been a ‘companion’ in the life journey of the Prophet Muhammad.