Behold, we were in a desolate wilderness (Barr Aqfar) 1 wherein there was not a single soul of Allah's creation.
And behold, there was an ancient tree upon which the length of epochs and ages had passed; its trunk had decayed, its branches had withered, and its leaves had dried. I marveled at the magnitude of the tree, and my Master—may His Might be exalted—looked at me while smiling.
Then my Master said to me: "Arise, O Jabir, and greet the tree, and ask it about its state." Jabir said: I rose to do what my Master commanded me until I reached the tree. I greeted it and said to it: "O tree, why do I see you in this state in which you are?"
It replied: "And upon you be peace. Be my intercessor unto my Master." I said to it: "In what matter shall I intercede for you?" It said: "O Jabir, know that my Master used to come to me every forty mornings and sit by me; then I would turn green, sprout leaves, and bear fruit. But since I lost [the presence of] my Master, I have been in this state you see. So be my intercessor unto Him, by the right He holds over you."