A Diva and her shrubs.......

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” ― Beverly Sills

Today is a blessed Friday so I thought that I should do one charitable act today. Today, of all days, I decided to set aside my comfort and get dirty, I  really mean literally dirty. What am I rambling about? Planting vegetable and trees. Yes, today I decided to enter the garden domain and plant some shrubs. What prompted me to do such a thing? Well….. one, is seeing an empty patch of land at the corner of my office, which has become quite an eye sore to me and I feel that something beneficial should be growing out of the land. Plus, seeing it empty day in day out, was driving me crazy!

           

Two, it is this Hadith…

“Anas also reported that the Prophet said, "If a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a charitable gift (sadaqah) for him."

(Bukhari) 

According to this Hadith, if the tree that we planted grows and provide food for any human or animal or even a bird, then we will get reward from it. It’s like an investment fund for the Hereafter. The best thing is our capital investment for this, is just the cost of the plant or seed and not RM5000 or RM10,000 but, the returns are far more lucrative than our ‘dunya’ investment fund. The only set-back is you can’t cash in your investment before Hereafter. Once the investment is made, then it will last the lifetime of the tree or plant and it might even outlive you! If you choose to cut down the tree or uproot the plant in the future, then your ‘investment’ will be terminated immediately.

So back to my story, after pleading for ‘outside’ help came to no avail, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Armed with tiny spade, earth, pots and seeds, I set out to the back to start my little ‘project’. My staff gave me a skeptical look but said nothing.

O.M.G.!!!! Gardening is back breaking! I only had to dig and shovel 5 rows of plots and already I can hear my bones crackling! O.M.G.! O.M.G. I now have renewed respect for farmers. How do they do this day in day out? It is a truly back breaking job. All this while we take for granted the vegetables that we eat are always available at the supermarket, nicely packed, not knowing how difficult it is to sow and plant it!

“The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "No one has eaten better food than that obtained through the hard labor of his hands."
Riyadh-us-Saleheen, Hadith 543

I mean, this is literally what we call ‘hard earned money’! (I’m not referring to me but the farmers). I can’t even begin to imagine what their lives are like. It must be very exhausting to do this every day and they do not have a choice not to. After all, this is their ‘rizqi’. I now have renewed respect for the work that they do, to provide us with raw materials to eat. Without farmers, we would not have any food. No vege, no cow, no beef, no milks, no chicken, no eggs, no wheat , no flour..Well…….you get the idea..

I admit that I am used to some degree of comfort in my line of work and I have never worked in a farm before so I can’t really say that I’ve work to my bones. I have plucked some fruits from my dad’s orchard but I only lasted for 1 hour before running into the house to shower to get rid of the dirt. Sigh! I’m just not cut for the outdoor…..but credit must be given to me for trying …right??

Anyway, I survived the whole ‘project’ ordeal and managed to plant all the vegetables and fruit plant without any mishap. I shall be keeping a close eye on my ‘little babies’ and pray that they grow and bloom into wonderful plants. I don’t intend to dig anymore holes or plant anything else for now as I feel that I need some time to recover from this little adventure. One thing for sure, I will never look at a cucumber or long beans, the same again…

“That man can have nothing but what he strives for; That (the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight: Then will he be rewarded with a reward complete.”

(An-Najm 53:39-41)