The Source of Sweet and Bitter Fruits
Allah’s decree and destiny plan are like two branches of a vast tree that contains both good and evil. Man must be extremely careful while wandering around this tree. Consider good and evil as two fruits coming from two branches of a tree. The fruit of one branch is sweet, the fruit of the other is bitter. You should abandon that forbidden climate and homeland where the branch with bitter fruit extends! If you stand on the side of the sweet fruit, your sustenance and strength will come from it. Avoid going to the other branch and eating its fruit, lest its bitterness destroy you. Tasting the bitter fruit is not just a suffering that ends on the tongue, but a destruction that spreads throughout the entire body.
Seeing Allah as the Agent of Both Branches
The believer should observe Allah’s absolute power behind every event in the universe. Good and evil are actions of Allah, Exalted and Sublime; both have Him as their originator and course. If you listen and take precautions, you will be safe from all calamities, finding forgiveness, security, and comfort. For calamities and various tribulations come from this bitter fruit. If you eat the sweet fruit, its sweetness spreads throughout all regions of your body and you benefit and are happy with it. Safety is near it and stands with it.
Ways to Protect Yourself from the Poison of Suffering and Obedience
Whoever ventures into the forbidden region of the bitter branch by his own desires violates the divine boundary. If you submit to Allah, Exalted and Sublime, by adhering to His command and ending your prohibition, if you surrender to His destiny, He will protect you from evil and bestow goodness upon you. He protects you from all evils in religion and world. Therefore, there is no good in staying away from this tree and not knowing its fruits; the important thing is to know how to stand on the right branch. The obedient believer is aware that even trials that seem bitter in this world are actually a divine remedy that saves him from the torment of the hereafter.