Hannaanaa
How the palm trunk (the trunk of the date tree) complained when they made a mimbar for the Prophet (saw).
Hannaanaa is the sound of distress made by a baby camel when it is seperated from it's mother.
You see, there were so many people who wanted to hear him and see the blessed face of the Prophet (saw) had learnt against to talk to the people.
Gently, the prophet (saw) talked to the palm trunk in clear language.
"What is the matter, dear friend! What do you want?"
It said:
"I cannot bear the parting from you. i was your support and now you have run away from me to the mimbar."
The Prophet (saw) said:
"Do you wish to be made a date-palm, so that the people of the East and the West can gather fruit from you? Or do you want Allah to make you a cypress tree in the world, so that you remain everlastingly fresh?"
It replied,
"I wish to live forever with you"
The Prophet (saw) assured the trunk that it would be with him in Janna.
When the palm trunk droed up and died, it was buried there and a pillar was raised it it's memory. The pillar is within the mihraab of Masjidun Nabi in Medina.
There are three types of pillars (sutun) in Masjidun Nabi:
1. Half red and half white - These are the pillars in Riyadhul Janna ( the piece of Janna) - the area between the mimbar and the grave of the Prophet (saw).
2. Red with golden edge on the bottom half - These used to be palm trunks and were also part of the original masjid but not in Riyadhul Janna.
3. All red - These were added after the wafat of the Prophet (saw)