Ṭūbā (Arabic: طُوبَى, lit. 'blessedness') is a tree which grows in Jannah (Arabic: الْجَنَّة, Paradise, Garden) according to Islam.

The term is mentioned in the Quran in ar-Ra'd sura, verse 29 ("Those who believed, and work righteousness, Tuba is for them and a beautiful place of (final) return") as well as in several ahadith.^[1]

The female given name Tuba (also spelled Tooba or Touba) derives from the name of the tree and is widely used in the Muslim world, especially in the Arab world, Pakistan and Turkey.^[2]

The city of Touba, Senegal, is said to be named after the tree.

Ahadith

The tree is mentioned in the collection of ahadith by Sahih al-Bukhari and others.

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There is a tree in Paradise (which is so big and huge that) if a rider travels in its shade for one hundred years, he would not be able to cross it." (Sahih al-Bukhari 3251)

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "In Paradise there is a tree in whose shade a rider could travel for a hundred years without crossing it. Recite, if you wish: ‘In shade long-extended’ [al-Waaqi’ah 56:30]" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3252)

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Tooba is a tree in Paradise, one hundred years big. The clothes of the people of Paradise are made from its calyces (outer casing of its flowers)." (Reported by Ibn Hibbaan; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3918)

‘Utbah ibn ‘Abdin al-Salami said: "A Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and asked him about al-Hawd (the cistern). He mentioned Paradise, then the Bedouin asked him, ‘Is there fruit there?’ He said, ‘Yes, and there is a tree called Tooba.’ The Bedouin asked, ‘What tree of this world does it resemble?’ He said, ‘It does not resemble any tree of your land. Have you been to Syria?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘It resembles a tree in Syria called al-Jawzah (walnut) which grows on one trunk then spreads its branches higher up.’ The Bedouin asked, ‘How big is its trunk?’ He said, ‘If one of the camels of your people was to go around it, it would not complete one circuit before its neck broke of old age and exhaustion. The Bedouin asked, ‘Are there grapes there?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He asked, ‘How big is a bunch?’ He said, ‘The distance a crow could fly without stopping in a month.’ He asked, ‘How big is one grape?’ He said, ‘Does your father ever slaughter a he-goat from his flocks?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘And does he skin it and give the hide to your mother, and say, "Make me a bucket"?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ The Bedouin asked, ‘Is one grape big enough to satisfy me and my family?’ He said, ‘Yes, and your whole tribe.’" (Reported by Imaam Ahmad).

See also

• Plants in Islam
• Tuba (given name), a given name derived from the tree
• Touba, a city in central Senegal sometimes said to be named for the tree
• Sidrat al-Muntaha, a lote tree that marks the end of the seventh heaven in Islam
• Zaqqum, a tree in hell
• Tree of life, an archetype in many mythologies and religious

References