This tree is believed by many to have provided shelter to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) 1400 years ago. Many people call it the only living Sahabi tree. The Blessed Tree is an Atlantic Pistachio tree. It is located in the northern deserts of Jordan, on the old trade route between Mecca and Damascus. Caravans used to travel by this route.
In Islam, the events of the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) serve as a moral guide for people. They are collected in the Hadith & in the Seerah which tells his life story. One episode in the Seerah tells of the meeting of the Prophet as a young boy & the Christian Monk Bahirah.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a young boy of age 9 or 11 when he was traveling by caravan, with his Uncle Abu Talib towards Syria for trade. When Bahira, a Christian Monk who was retired in solitude in a cell nearby, saw the caravan arriving, he was astounded to realise that a little cloud was moving over the heads of some of the travellers in the caravan, protecting them from the scorching sun. He was also very surprised to see the branches of the tree sink down to the caravan that sat down under it to have a rest.
Bahira had read an old manuscript in which the arrival of a new Prophet was announced & he had the clear intuition that he would meet him during his lifetime. He believed those little miracles were confirming that the arrival of the Prophet was coming soon. as Bahirah watched the caravan of Arabian merchants from Makkah passing by, he observed a young boy being shaded by clouds wherever he went. He at once understood significance of the boy and invited the caravan for a banquet.
It was under the shade of the this tree, the Monk Bahira foretold about the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH). The Blessed Tree in Jordan is a place of pilgrimage, with many Muslims visiting the tree every year.