The Story of the Three Branches
The Story of the Three Branches
In a large, tall tree with many branches, the branches were boasting about the number of flowers and fruits they had, and each one was bragging about the number of birds that visited it to eat its fruits and build nests on it.
There was a wide, strong, and sturdy branch that boasted, “Every day, about a thousand birds visit me to eat from my fruits.”
The second branch, which was less sturdy than the first, replied, “But the birds leave you after eating your fruits and come to me. They have built their nests on me and have settled in my heart. They feel safe with me.”
The third branch was silent in embarrassment because it was fruitless, dry, and no birds visited it. The other branches of the tree laughed at it and whispered among themselves, “It is a dry branch with no leaves for shade and no fruits for the birds. It is a branch with miserable and little luck.”
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One day, the branches woke up to the sound of the woodcutter’s strong ax. The woodcutter was hitting the tree hard, wanting to use its wood. The strong woodcutter was earning his living by cutting tree branches and selling them in the city.
The birds flew away in fear and abandoned the branches, leaving the branches themselves unable to move or act. With the sunset, the upper part of the huge tree fell to the ground, surrendering itself to God, its Creator.
The woodcutter began to cut the branches into small pieces so that he could sell each piece separately.
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When he looked at the thin, dry branch, he realized that it was useless for carpentry, so he threw it aside and said to himself, “Who will buy this dry stick from me!”
He took the first strong branch and the second less strong branch and sold them to the carpenter. He took the rest of the small branches and sold them to the baker as firewood for bread.
As for the thin, hopeless branch, he left it in the forest, believing that it was useless.
As for the tree trunk, it remained standing in the forest, mourning its branches. Every time a singing bird passed by, it called out to it, “Oh bird, who has left my branches, tell me about their condition?”
The birds refused to answer and continued to fly and search for a tree full of branches where they could build their nests and feed on its fruits.
The story of the three branches and the fate of the dry branch
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one day, the kind and strong hand of a shepherd picked up that dry branch. The kind man used the branch to herd his sheep and lean on. The branch disappeared from the place, and the tree became sad. It did not know the news of its branches and began to cry:
“Even the dry branch that is useless has left me, and I no longer know its news or to which land it has traveled!”
One day, a woodpecker hoopoe passed by, looking for a tree to peck on its trunk for a warm home for the winter. The tree said to him:
“You will not peck your home on me unless you bring me news of my branches that the woodcutter took.”
The kind hoopoe agreed and flew high in the sky, asking all the birds about the condition of the branches of that tree and what time had done to them.
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The hoopoe kept asking and asking, and it was delayed a lot. The tree became sad and regretted its condition and said to itself, “The hoopoe would have consoled me with its life on me, but I have lost the present with the past and I deserve to live in this loneliness.”
A few days later, the kind hoopoe returned according to his promise to the tree.
The tree was very happy when it saw him and greeted him, saying, “Oh kind hoopoe, you are most welcome. Forgive me for what I burdened you with, and I give you good news that I have given up on that condition of mine.”
The hoopoe laughed and answered her with confidence, “Don’t you want to know the news of your branches and what time has done to them?”
The tree said, after surrendering its matter to God, “I don’t care much anymore.”
The story of the three branches in which the hoopoe returned
The Story of the Three Branches
The hoopoe was fascinated by what he had known about the three branches and insisted on telling the news to their mother, the tree.
The hoopoe approached, comforting her, “Oh great tree, I have come to you with the full news… As for your strong, lush branch, the woodcutter sold it to the carpenter.
And the carpenter made an idol out of it and sold it to an old woman who lives at the top of the hill…
As for your second branch, the woodcutter also sold it to the carpenter, and the carpenter made a wool carder out of it and sold it to the wool merchant.
And the wool craftsman is now working with it to card the wool.”
The tree said sadly about its branches: “I wish I did not know what happened to them.. What a miserable fate they have!”
So the hoopoe asked her, smiling: “Don’t you want to know what happened to your dry branch?”
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The tree looked at him sadly and said:
“If my beautiful branches have suffered such a painful fate, what about the dry branch?
It is useless.. It must have fallen as firewood in one of the city’s ovens!”
The hoopoe shook his head in disapproval of what she said and replied:
“No, that was the fate of your small branches that used to laugh and whisper and gossip about him..
But your dry branch has become a staff for the prophet of God Moses..
And the miracles of God and His favor have been bestowed upon it.”
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The tree wept with happiness and thanked God for preferring it over the rest of the trees by choosing its branch and preferring it over the rest of the branches.
The tree welcomed the hoopoe and asked it to live with it for the rest of its life and thanked the hoopoe for the great news.
The hoopoe built a nest for itself on the blessed trunk and lived on it for the rest of its life.
The Story of the Three Branches and the Educational Objectives
1. People should not be judged by their appearance, but by their actions.
2. Pride can lead to downfall.
3-Do not reproach your brother for what Allah has afflicted him with, for perhaps Allah will favor him over you in something you do not know.
4- Do not boast about the number of your admirers, because they will leave you at your first fall.
5- A mother never forgets her children, no matter how far they go or how long they are gone.
6. If God sends someone to comfort you in your time of need, do not burden him with your problems.
The Story of the Three Branches is written by Zubaida sha’ab
The Story of the Three Branches is translated by Amal Ahmad
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