The Sweetness & Fruits of Iman - Corrected Khutba

Why? Because it is the true religion and when you embrace it or when you believe in it, it will establish roots in your heart. Also has that. So we confirm.

The Hadith of Heraclius

And this is also proven in a very beautiful hadith, which for time's sake we'll summarize, but it's a beautiful hadith from Sahih Bukhari where basically the emperor of Rome at the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the single greatest superpower on earth was Rome. It's like America today; there's intellectual and political consensus for the superpower, but in those times it was the Roman Empire.

And the Caesar of Rome at that time his name was Heraclius. His name was Heraclius. And Heraclius, unlike most politicians in our time, was actually a learned intelligent man. He was a sensible person who understood the scriptures, who was a practicing, believing Christian. Heraclius was a scholar of Christianity, which is a rare combination to be a scholar and a politician. In fact Heraclius was like that.

In fact in our times it's rare to be intelligent and a politician, but that's a different story. Especially in America, I don't know if you live in America but that's a different story. So Heraclius was a scholar as the emperor of Rome.

The Prophet ﷺ writes him a letter. And he invites him to Islam. And he's amazed. What is this new religion? I've never heard of it. What is this new religion that he's talking about? So he tells his ministers, He tells his ministers, go look in my kingdom. Are there any Arabs present right now trading? And so they look and lo and behold, there is a caravan from Mecca at the very time in the kingdom. And it is headed by none other than Abu Sufyan, who later becomes Muslim, at this time he's not a Muslim. And it's Abu Sufyan, because he's part of the Umayyad dynasty later on. Abu Sufyan.

And so Heraclius tells this caravan to come to his palace. Now they've come to trade. So they've come to trade. They had no clue they were going to be investigated and interrogated. So they come, long story very short, Heraclius asks Abu Sufyan a series of questions. 10-15 questions.

Of them, do you know this man? Is he of a noble lineage of Mecca? Has he ever claimed anything like this before? Has he ever lied? Were any of his ancestors kings? Were his followers? Were the people who come to him? And Abu Sufyan kept on responding. Have you ever... Is he always winning? Is he always losing? What's going on? Abu Sufyan answered all of these questions.

Of the things that Heraclius asked Abu Sufyan, he said, do you know his lineage? And Abu Sufyan said, yes, his lineage is the most noble of all. We don't have any lineage that is higher than that. One of Abu Sufyan's answers to all the questions at the end, Heraclius explained why. I'm going to put the end in the middle to show the story.

Heraclius said, I asked you about his lineage and you told me he was of the most noble lineage. He said, this is how all the prophets of God are. Their families are noble families. They are good lineages. They

don't come from obscure, unknown backgrounds. Respectable families. Everybody knows who they are.

I asked you about his followers. You said his followers are the weak and the poor. The lower level of society. He said, this is the case with all the prophets of God. That the lower class follow them. Not the upper class.

You asked me about, or I asked you about his honesty. You said he's never known to be a cheat or a fraud or a liar. So I say, he has never lied about gold and silver. Do you think he's going to lie about God and the Hereafter? If he hasn't lied about dollars and pennies, do you think he's going to lie about something bigger than this?

I asked you about who wins and loses. You said, sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. The Prophet ﷺ doesn't have his plot at this time. Okay, so after the Prophet ﷺ. So sometimes he wins, sometimes we win. And he says, this is the struggle of the prophets. But eventually they all win. This is the struggle right now. But eventually they all win.

Then he said, I asked you about his followers. Do they ever leave the faith? And Abu Sufyan said, no, they have never left the faith. In other words, people don't come in and out. It's a one-way traffic. Everybody comes in, no going out. Watertight. It doesn't happen that people leave. Abu Sufyan said, nobody leaves.

I asked him, he responded, this is the reality of Iman. Truth is Iman. If it enters into the heart, it never leaves after that. This is a testimony of a non-Muslim scholar who was the emperor of Roman times.

And at the end of all his questions, I didn't tell you all of them, he said, if what you are saying is true, this is the predicted prophet that Jesus Christ told us about. I didn't think he'd be from Arabs. I thought he'd be from the Jews. I thought he'd be from the Jews, the circumcised race. But you're telling me he's from the circumcised race? So he is from the circumcised race. I thought he would be of these Jews. And if what you are saying is true, then he shall control the very land under my feet eventually. And indeed, that's exactly what happened.

The land under his feet was called Constantinople. And for centuries, the Ummah was trying to get it. For centuries, battle after battle. Until 1453 CE, Muhammad al-Fatih. Muhammad al-Fatih. Muhammad is the proper Turkish name. But who is Suleiman al-Fatih? Suleiman is his son. So Muhammad, or the Turkish Muhammad al-Fatih.

Muhammad al-Fatih finally conquered Constantinople, and he changed the name to Istanbul.

Branches Reaching the Sky

Okay, so what Heraclius has said? In any case, the point being, getting back to the parable, Allah says,

- His branches are towering in the sky. What is the imagery of branches towering in the

sky? What's the reason of this? Why is Allah saying branches towering in the sky? What is the symbolism of branches in the sky? Help me out here.

Reaching sunlight. Right, okay. Reaching sunlight is going to a source of light. It's going to something that basically gives life in this sense. So Iman will bring you up. What else? Being powerful.

Very good. Allah says in the Quran that the tree branches are going up to the sky. Even a skyscraper doesn't go to the sky. Nothing can hide a tree that goes to the sky. What does that show? It shows that when you have Iman, even if you try to hide it, you couldn't hide it. Meaning what? Meaning when you have Iman, it will manifest itself in your life. In your actions. In your statements. In each and everything that you do.

It will show itself. You cannot cover it up like the tree branches in the sky. You cannot cover it up. When you have Iman, it will manifest itself. All the way. You can't hide this tree. God will show this Iman.

Another meaning of branches going to the sky. And by the way, of course, this is a common misconception that many Muslims have. If you go to them and they're not very good Muslims, they're drinking, doing something wrong, not praying. He says, but the Deen, Allah, my Iman is over here. Allah knows.

You see, if this Iman were here, it would be shown here. If this Iman were here, really, you would see it by the tree pointing to the sky. But because there's no Iman here, you don't see it here when he's doing this. It's absent. If he had Iman, he wouldn't be doing those things. And that's the whole point of the Quran as well.

That Iman is more than just abstract conceptual belief. It's more than just theoretical, I believe this, I believe this, I believe this. It's more than that. Because if it was there, it would be shown here.

Allah another point of going up to the sky. What else is there to this? What other benefits do we get? Reaching up to Allah. Going to Allah. High. Taking you up. High and high.

Another is, imagine a tree. Put it in your mind. Allah wants you to think about that. Imagine a tree whose branches are all going to the sky. What do you see? It's beautiful. It's luscious. It becomes a landmark. People give directions by landmarks, right? People literally look up to tall things. Literally.

So when you have Iman, you will be looked up to in this world and in the Hereafter. You will become a person whom others find comfort in. What is a tree with large, huge branches? It's a place for shelter. A place where when it's rainy, sunny, nothing, you go under it, right?

Similarly, such a person in his community will become a person whom others turn to for support. Who others may benefit from. He becomes a source of blessings for the community when his Iman is so large and strong. Right? Similarly, like the tree going all the way up here. And again, to Allah.

The point being, you know all that I have said, brothers and sisters, it's common sense. Allah says, I want you to think about this parable. How few of us have ever sat down and thought about it. You know, this is a symbolism. Allah is giving us a symbolism we understand. And in fact, this is even a summary. You should think about the symbols. Think about more and more about why Allah has been teaching everything.

The Fruits of the Tree

The last point that we'll mention, and I'll open up the floor for questions, inshaAllah, about anything. Not necessarily just this topic. The last point that Allah mentions in the Quran, He says,

- This tree, it gives its fruit by permission of its Lord at all times. What is the imagery here? Something obvious, another a bit deeper.

What is the imagery here, the first thing that comes to mind? Time and time again, what? Allah says,

- it gives its fruits throughout the year. Meaning there is never a dry season for Iman, there is never a non-fruitful season. Each and every season, whenever you are, you can pluck fruits from this tree and do good.

You see, if you have the tree of Iman, you are feeling down, you are feeling low, you need a boost, you can get this fruit immediately. Because you don't have to wait for a season, you don't have to store it in the freezer, it's there with you all the time. You can get this fruit and replenish your soul, nourish yourself.

Another point, Allah uses the plural. It's

(fruits), and the scholars derive from this, the plural is not just the plural of quantity, that you have 20 apples or 50 apples, it's the plural of quality as well, that you have apples and oranges and pears and bananas basically, on the same tree. And this is of the most profound images that the Quran gives of Iman.

That the fruits of Iman are many at all times. Not just one fruit. You have many different fruits at all times to benefit from. And the actual fruits of Iman are more than we can enumerate. Much more. But I'll just list 5% of them quickly without talking too much about it because time is limited, but to give you an idea.

The Fruits of Iman

Of course one of the fruits of Iman is Jannah itself. Without Iman you cannot enter Jannah. Paradise.

Another fruit of Iman is that Iman saves you from the fire of hell, and the two are not synonymous. Because it is possible that a person, for example enters Jahannam and then enters Jannah after a period of time. But if you have a certain level of Iman, you bypass Jahannam and go straight to Jannah. That's our goal. Our goal is to enter Jannah. Without going to Jahannam.

Another fruit of Iman is that a mu'min will always find comfort in his Iman. And that's why I said a mu'min cannot be clinically depressed. A mu'min will always find comfort from his Iman.

Of the fruits of Iman, a mu'min is never terrified of anything in this world. If there is death, Allah would have decreed death. There is nothing to worry about regarding death.

Of the fruits of Iman, is that Iman lifts you up. Spiritually. Lifts you up metaphysically. In the sense that, as Allah said,

"Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees." And all of these points have evidences. I'm not talking about all of these without evidence. But all of these points have evidences.

Of the fruits of Iman, you will be lifted up. Meaning, in this world, people will come to you, benefit from you. You will be lifted up.

Of the fruits of Iman, is that Allah will shelter you with His protection. Allah will lead you to the right path. Allah will shelter you, protect you.

Of the fruits of Iman, is that the angels themselves

- The angels themselves come down and they give you glad tidings basically, not to worry, not to fear, everything will be fine. The angels will come down and do this.

While we are still alive, we will see the angels of death coming or the angels at death coming and that angel will either be surrounded by the angels of mercy, we ask Allah that we be among those people who see that, or the angels of punishment. The angels of mercy, they will come and they will give glad tidings and this will be in this life. In other words, in the last millisecond of this life, glad tidings in this world.

Of the fruits of Iman, is that Iman will act like a light on the Day of Judgment. When Allah will shut off all light, will extinguish the sun, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, and the Quran also mentions this, that the source of light to get to Jannah, will become our Iman. So our Iman will extend and emanate a light. And that light will be able to guide us to Jannah.

The stronger our Iman, the stronger the light will be. And Allah mentions this clearly in the Quran, that Allah says that light will shine in front of them, on that Day of Judgment, and they will be guided to Jannah through that, through that light. And so the more powerful our Iman will be in this world, the more powerful we will be as a flashlight in the Hereafter.

And this will be individual light. Nobody can benefit from the light of another person on that Day of Judgment. Everybody will be enough to himself or herself to use the light in this world to guide themselves to the truth, to the Jannah of the Hereafter.

And the last fruit of Iman that we'll talk about, and there are many fruits. In fact, we can even say that each and every real blessing of this world and the Hereafter grows on the Tree of Iman. And no other way to get that blessing except through the Tree of Iman.

Happiness, contentment, good health, everything of this world and of the Hereafter, it grows on the Tree of Iman. And the only way to obtain fully those blessings is through the Tree of Iman.

The last blessing we'll talk about is actually this one. And that too is only given to the people of Iman. The biggest blessing of Iman, Allah says in the Quran

"Those who do good, they will get Al-Husna." Al-Husna means Jannah. They will get Jannah.

وَزِيَادَةٌ - "and more than Jannah." What could possibly be more, better than Jannah? Allah Himself says more than Jannah.

The Prophet ﷺ told us, what is this more than Jannah? And it is the blessing of looking at the face of Allah. This is something that is even better than Jannah itself. Even more blessing than Jannah itself.

The Prophet ﷺ said, "On that day, faces will be shining bright because they will be looking at their Lord. Because they are looking at their Lord." And the Prophet ﷺ said, "I ask you for the sweetness." He even called it sweetness. "I ask you for the sweetness of looking at your noble, beautiful face." And this blessing is more blessing than Jannah and all that it contains.

And when a person experiences this blessing, then he or she will even forget about Jannah. And even this blessing will be proportional to Iman. The more the person's Iman was, then the more they should be blessed with this blessing. And the less the person's Iman was, the less they should be blessed with this blessing.

But all the people of Jannah, without exception, will be able to look at the face of Allah. And the only people who will be deprived will be those who are destined for other than Jannah or the destination other than Jannah.

And that

- Imam Shafi'i said, the fact that this group that is going to Hell is punished by depriving them of looking at Allah is an evidence that the people of Jannah will be rewarded by this. So this, the verse says, they shall be deprived. So if they're punished by this deprivation, then it follows also by the people of Jannah that they will be blessed with this blessing and this is the single greatest blessing of Iman.

Conclusion

So to summarize what I've talked about: in our religion, Iman is more than just belief. If a person only believes and does not act upon that belief at all, such a person is not a true believer, maybe even less because at least Iblis makes dua to Allah for a little bit, then maybe less. If a person doesn't even do that then he's still not believing.

But if a person believes and acts upon that belief, then this is the one who we say has Iman. And Iman consists of many specific actions of the heart, actions of the tongue, actions of the limbs. We said that the minimum requirement to be a good Muslim is the five pillars of the religion.

If you go beneath the five pillars or you do a major sin then you are not a good Muslim. You are what we call in Arabic a fasiq or a person who has not reached the level that is at least acceptable. But you're still a Muslim.

But if you neglect actions completely, you don't do any good at all, then in this case you have actually gone below the minimum level of Iman. And that's a topic for academic discussion. It's not what is the minimum level.

Other benefits and peace in this world. Optimism, I did mention optimism is a fruit of Iman. The Muslim cannot be always negative and pessimistic but always good natured and cheerful. The Muslim will treat others in a good manner. The Muslim will expect the best from Allah and get the best from Allah. The Muslim will trust Allah. The Muslim will always be great and prepared.

The Muslim will be given might and greatness. I did mention that. The Muslim is proportional to your Iman. That he transfers Iman and Taqwa and guidance and more and that he prepares the person. I don't mind describing this.

May Allah grant us all strong Iman and make us among those who benefit from the fruits of this beautiful (آمین یا رب العالمين - Ameen ya Rabb al-'Aalameen) tree.

All original content from the khutba has been preserved while adding proper Arabic text and references where needed.