before they grow into trees. However, after these saplings become mature trees, then there is no longer any need to give them special attention, rather, they will survive by themselves.

Also, after planting saplings, it is necessary to trim them so that nobody is harmed by their branches or the leaves that fall from them. There are several Shar’i precautions that must be observed in this regard too; one of which is that a sapling should not be planted on another person’s land without the permission of the owner. There are many areas throughout Pakistan where one comes across many empty plots, and they are usually owned by people, therefore, if you wish to plant something on this land, then it is necessary to take permission from the owner first. This is because it is not permitted in the Shari’ah to make use of another person’s possessions without their permission. One should not plant a tree after seeing somebody’s empty plot of land and think that they are doing them a favour, because it is possible that the very thing that they are considering to be a favour, it could become a source of difficulty for them later.

For example, if a person has left his land empty because he wishes to build a house on it and then somebody plants trees on it, when he comes there after 4 or 5 years to build his house, removing the trees will become a very big problem for him, because the roots of the tree would have spread far and deep into the ground after such a long time. Likewise, it is necessary to be cautious when planting saplings or trees on land that is Waqf; among those lands is also a land of a Masjid. If someone planted a tree in that land before the Masjid was built, then there is no harm, as it was planted before the area was made Waqf. However, once an area has been made Waqf for a Masjid, now it is prohibited to plant a tree there. It is not permitted to plant trees like this in small Masajid where the space is limited.

Good intentions can also be made at the time of planting trees, so that a person can attain benefits in the Hereafter alongside the benefits in this world. Let us listen to some intentions: