Tree of Mount Sinai (23:20)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا خاتم النبيين

Prayers and peace upon you, Seal of the Prophets

وَشَجَرَۃً تَخۡرُجُ مِنۡ طُوۡرِ سَیۡنَآءَ تَنۡۢبُتُ بِالدُّہۡنِ وَصِبۡغٍ لِّلۡاٰکِلِیۡنَ 

And a tree which springs forth from Mount Sinai; it produces oil and a sauce for those who eat

(Surah 23, Ayah 20)

The Mufassirin interpret the tree which springs forth from Mount Sinai literally, usually identifying it as the olive tree. But the specific mention of Mount Sinai compels one to reflect deeper on the meaning of this tree. Mount Sinai is of course the location from where Moses went into communion with God and received from Him the Tablets and the Torah. That was a momental moment in history that forever changed the course of humanity. It seems odd that Allah would mention the favor of olive oil—not to belittle its benefit—when His favor of a Scripture containing a divine law and guidance is undoubtedly so much greater. Therefore, should we not understand the oil and sauce being produced from the tree that sprung forth from Mount Sinai as referring to the fruits of law and morals that remain the basis of Islam from which the Believers eat?

Allah says,

وَطُوۡرِ سِیۡنِیۡنَ

وَہٰذَا الۡبَلَدِ الۡاَمِیۡنِ

And Mount Sinai

And this safe City

(Surah 95, Ayat 2-3)

Al-Balad al-Amin is universally understood to mean Mecca. It could be as though Allah is saying “Mount Sinai, and that is this safe land (Mecca)”. Most Muslims, along with Jews and Christians, locate Mount Sinai in the Sinai Peninsula, situated in modern-day Egypt. However, there is a theory worthy of consideration postulating that Mount Sinai is actually somewhere in Arabia. Paul of Tarsus explicitly states that Mount Sinai is in Arabia (Galatians 4:25). Moses sought refuge in Midian when he fled Egypt after manslaughtering an Egyptian. Midian was generally in the lands of northeast Arabia adjacent to the Sinai Peninsula. While I personally continue to believe that Mount Sinai is that mount historically identified as such in the Sinai Peninsula, upon which today stands a small Musalla and a Christian chapel, the idea that Mount Sinai is somewhere in modern-day Saudi Arabia should not be so casually dismissed.

But what if Mount Sinai is actually deeper into Arabia, and is in fact none other than Jabal al-Nur, the Mount of Light, in Mecca upon which the Angel Gabriel first appeared to the Holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم

It would certainly be another remarkable similarity between the two Prophets Moses and Muhammad عليهما السلام