Protecting the Seed - Class 2 of 5 (The Birth and Growth of Iman)

 Lecture 2 of 5 on The Birth and Growth of Iman - Gambia July 2025 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

No Bilahman Shaitan always lah wahman alwahim Alhamdulillah al Biladamin Hamdan Ywafi Nam or Yuk Mazida U Salat Wasalam Al Akim al Atam Al-Muttalazim Alla Sayyidina or Mulana Muhammadin Wala Alihi was selling the slime and kasiola. So yesterday we spoke about the complex process by which Iman enters the heart and resulting in the birth of Iman in the heart. So that's what we spoke about yesterday and and the gradual growth of that Iman like uh from being a sprout and the heart slowly, slowly growing. What we want to talk about today is um the multiple dangers that surround the individual at this point because your Iman is still very young, very tender. Um therefore it is very vulnerable. And so many case um forces of destruction can impact it very negatively, or can even maybe able to harm it very um reparably harm it. So at this point alhamdulillah now it so happened that we are here in this village and you know we see around us uh nothing but you know young life that are growing that people have put their seeds in the soil. And we see all around us those seeds have uh broken out and uh they start to grow. And uh at this point all the villagers their main concern is the safety of these their crops because you have many different um agents of destruction, whether it's birds, whether it's uh domesticated animals or it's cattle. So they have to constantly be on the watch to make sure that these young plants are not destroyed until they get to a certain point when they are beyond destruction now. They are beyond danger. So that point that's sort of beyond danger is what the Quran uh describes as uh when Iman is written on the heart. When it's written, then that means that it's not reversible anymore. It's beyond the danger of recant. And the example finds God give us always, this is the beauty of Quran, real stories that represent these two, these ideas. Things that happen happened for real. And in this case, he gave us the story of Sinamus Ali Sadus. Uh when he left his people, his his community, the community of believers, and uh to go attend an appointment with God. And what the Quran is telling us that at this point uh faith was not fully established in their hearts. They are still prone to danger, and that's what exactly happened after he left. They got com they are confused. Somebody came up with wrong ideas and confused them and put them off the track. That was Samuel, God mentioned him in Taha by name, but today we we have the same story in Solatwood. So that is that clearly indicates that Iman was not yet in most of them, but of course in our own was there, and some and some few people who were beyond at this point level of Iman was so less a small group. Penny was still sort of in terms of Iman, were still infants, still babies. So they were they were misled by Samarit, Samarie's ideas, of course, to the point that they began to worship something material, something visible, something touch touchable. So that's uh a very clear example of what can happen, especially when the the supervisor, the the farmer, so to speak, uh, goes away from his farm, leaves his farm unattended. First of all, there has to be a farm a farmer who looks up the harm, husbands the the farm. And the second thing is that the farmer must uh abide within his farm, within his young plants, must not leave them out of sight. Otherwise, the moment he leaves, you know, aliens of destruction will come and destroy them. So it has to be lots of patience. If you have been a farmer, you will know. You have lots of patience from the time that you see you plant your seed to the time that you harvest your crop. So you have to you have to stick around. You have to watch. You have to be vigilant. That is the um the famous line of poetry. They use it as a uh as the as to highlight the importance of uh if you have a flock, it's the same idea when you have a flock or you have a crop or you have a a farm. The idea is to is to nurse life, um, life here, true life, life of Iman, and let it grow until it reaches a point of beyond uh beyond compromise. If you graze your flock in an area which is very which is infested with lions and you know wild animals. So you're raising your your you're grazing your cattle in that kind of environment. And then you happen to sleep on a man the moment you sleep, the walla, then the wild animal, the lion and so forth, are the ones who are going to now look after your cattle. And that is gonna be a very miserable result. So once you are grazing, especially if you are in a very hostile environment, you have to constantly be on the alert. You have to constantly be on the water, you can sleep, you cannot be distracted because you have a big frost and a man in your hand. God planted the seeds and appointed you to watch over them. God watches over them. Does he need to send messengers or prophets on any of that? Uh he can watch directly. And do you see that what you cultivate? Are you the one who plant them or we plant them? God said, Well, I'm being the planter, but is one who plants Iman, as I said, we discussed yesterday uh in this heart. But then he gives, and as part of his wisdom, he delegates the responsibility of looking after this, uh, what is planted to another human being. So that's what we call a teacher. That's what exactly the role of a teacher as all prophets and messengers is, is to be able to look after what God has planted until you know to be the human uh watchman over the divine feel over God's farm. And if they fulfill their job properly, then they will God will reward them now for being good keepers and and good watchers. So here they said in that critical stage of their development, said that Musa left them, and the first thing when he came to God, God said, Musa, why did you leave your people in haste? Because the people are not yet ready to be on their own without you being among them. God of course can watch them, he's the one who is taking care of Musa himself. God can watch them, but that's bad, because this life God has created things, has created cause and effect. But we call means that he has delegated the the the watching and and and supervision to another human being to take care of another human being. Like Zachariah, I said Wakafala has Zachariah. When God planted the seed that's known as Issa in the womb of uh Maryam, God has put Mariam in the care of Zachariah. So Wakafala has Zachariah, and Zachariah was attended to her, super supervisor, became her mentor and teacher. As I said, this is the only role of a teacher is the supervision of this iman, this young plant in the heart of uh believers that God has put on the under his or her care to watch them and make sure that anything that is detrimental to their development to stop that. So that's why when Zachariah once came in to see, to check on Mariam and found this food that she's eating as a JJ. That is, he has to ask why do we get the food from? Lest the food is something that is obtained in a non-halal way. So that would definitely be detrimental to this young amen that is in your heart if you eat haram. So all things that are detrimental to that development is there, you need to make sure that it doesn't happen. Stop that. So yeah, Madame Anna Laki Hada, Madam, where do you get this from? She explained, and he had no objection. She said, if it's from Allah's presence, because Allah can and Allah provide for whom he pleases, then that was it. There's no danger, there's no problem. So this is the lesson God gives us in the story of Sina Muzaam and his people.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

While he was away, um receiving the the tablets from God, here you know that's fitna that is uh raging in his community, the community that was split, was divided between Samri leading one group and Sina Harun leading another.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

So Sinawadan Sinnna Musa came back at he found this horrible scene where people are making tawaf and adoring uh the handicraft of their own hands, something they created with their hands and they are and they worship it.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

So because he was so upset that he wasn't able to control himself, he just threw down the tablets because he knows the the the the the fatal danger of this on their iman on that's why wait threw the the the tablets, the tablets that just God was God just told him a little while ago that you must hold tight under these tablets.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Well, as he says that anger makes you forget, yeah. Anger makes you forget. When he gets angry, you forget. In the fit of anger, he forgot. And that's why he let go of the tablets. And was and was because he thought that Harun did not follow his instructions and did not because when he before he left, he said to him that be my khalifa among my people. So he did took some precaution by leaving somebody to be in charge, somebody who can, but he was not able to control them. Wasleh and be righteous and don't follow, he already warned him, the path of those who spread corruption. Well, the U.S.DIDIN. Then, but they didn't listen to Sidna, as he said to Senna Musa, you know, don't attack me. Because they they almost killed me myself. Well anyway, this is uh a vivid example of uh the danger, the peril that one is when you are in in the initial stage of your of your of your faith, of your belief. You are yet your belief is yet growing. You have to be in this stage, you are really the best example you can give is you are like uh an expectant mother. The same thing, the same idea, because something is growing inside you, but it's in an invisible uh level. You have uh the made the way that an expectant mother is careful of everything because he knows that they're carrying something that is uh very vulnerable, the same thing you have to be you have to be careful, extremely careful not to compromise the iman, the this new born entity in you, don't expose it to danger until it reaches a non-return point. Which God called when it is written, that what when it's written, that's what God describes in different places in the Quran and Kareem.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

This case in the case of the companions of the Prophet because they weren't through the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

Allah planted this iman in this heart in the heart of this men and women. And of course, it started in Mecca. This prophet started in Mecca, and they were constantly uh he was tried in Mecca, the Iman, until they moved into into Medina, and we see that the Prophet was always with them, does not leave them out of sight all all the time in Mecca, only once he went to Thaif and left them, and then since then no, he's been with that's why they call them Sahabs, they're always in his company, and he was always in their company. And Islam Miraj, when he left to go and meet God, that took place in Mecca, it took place uh in a very short time, also. He left after Isha, he came back fire, so it was not an absence that can anything can happen. So that must happen for 40 days. It's a very long time. So that there was enough room enough for Shaitan to come in and put ideas in Simon's mind and then you know create havoc in this young flock, this young uh nursery.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

But that doesn't mean that they still have very serious trials. We see that in the in in the in the story of Wudaybiya.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

We see how their iman was tried to the core. Because on that occasion, Hudaybiya is when the year the year seven of hijrah of migration of the Prophet from Mecca to Medina, they went based on the dream that God had shown the Prophet, that he's going to enter Mecca and then do your umrah. and save your head and and so forth and so safely and without any hindrance. So on the strength of that dream, he they he mobilized uh the companions, they all get ready to go for Makh. The Muha the the the Muhajirin, those who are from Mecca, they they miss their their their if you know if you if you know Maker then you know how to how Mecca is is something to be missed. So they still they are in Madina but they miss Makkah they are their home their hometown their birthplace so when he said that we're going to go to Makkah they are excited so now and with they came all the way close to Mecca who is very close to Makkah and there they were they are blocked by the Meccans you can't enter and otherwise you're going to be a blood shed and so forth. So anyway the mother resolved itself down into drawing an agreement between the two sides.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

So that means that no umrah this yeah you have to go back go back no umrah you can't enter Mecca that was hard to the point that some were began to have questions as after ten years of Iman after twelve years because at this point seven years in Medina it was more than ten years in Mecca so God talks about that in Suratul Fatih one of those people that tried most in this occasion was in Omar it was it was very hard for him especially some of the terms of the agreement apparently seems to be to him that we are accepting conditions that are not fair why should we accept such conditions if we are on the truth so he went to Sennabubakar he said to him that are we not on the truth he said yes are they not on the falsehood he said yes he said is he not the messenger he said yes he said why then we do we accept this kind of terms and conditions said now bagar says to him that and he said one many others they always come to say now bagar knowing that he's very close he's closer to the Prophet than everybody else he said I believe that he's messenger of Allah and stick to him stick to him al Zimkirza he said I then he but he as you know he's very strong you know he he even there get his promise a lot repeating the same thing I will not know the truth he said yes I don't know the falsehood he said yes and he had the messenger always said yes he said why do you accept you know humiliation in our deen why do you accept something that is un dishonorable unbefeating he said and Al Rasulullah the messenger of Allah and God my Lord will not neglect me to go says he said until now every every time I give Sarah just for that my my my daring to talk hopefully Allah forgives me to speak so daringly but anyway so it was it was uh just to tell you that it was still with their Iman at this point they were still very tried to point that some began to have doubts you know have second thoughts about Islam about the validity of their faith and so forth but what it's not it's not anyone else God God said no you can go back they didn't even have a choice they don't have a choice I don't leave you a choice so you can be able you can be a believer or you can know that um zama whom calm attack wa can waha ways that he forced them God he compelled them to abide by the word of Taq compel them that means they cannot they can't they can go back their past but it's a non-return point their Iman is completed in their hearts it's written even if they want to go back God will not let them go back so it's not a matter of choice anymore it's God who made you love Iman and make you not love and he made them force them to abide by the word of Taqwa and they were and they are it is people and those who are befitting of it what did he say to say what did he say for example another community of believers but whose eman he did not reach that point it was it was the choice was theirs you want it or you don't want it so Sendung says to his people and null Zimkumla and nul zimkumuha all my people am I going to force you to to take the Rahm of Allah if you don't want it so there's no ilzam in this case and use the word rah because if the Iman is written then the Rahma is written this goes hand in hand what does Rahmar be written for you means that God has irreversibly committed that he will never punish you that you are entitled to his mercy forever.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

That's what we mean Rahma is written for you in correspondence to Iman be written for you. Iman is written Rahma is written so the Sahaba's Brahma was written for them at this point. That's what God is at the point when Hudebiya took place Iman was written their hearts and corresponding Rahma ti was at the kula shay first aktu had Rahma encompasses everything but I will I will write it make it binding for those who have taqwa and off as and they believe in our signs.

SPEAKER_00 30:56

I'll make it written for them and those are who alasulan those who follow the messenger the unleash that they find also Matubhan written in Torah and the gospel written also it's the written mercy so the so we see that the the just the danger of the it's not just Iman being landing in your heart and begin to grow it re that iman needs protection and supervision until it comes to that point.

SPEAKER_01 31:48

Becomes a huge tree that's what we mean by written becomes it's like a sprout a young shoot it it came out and then the stock begins to get stronger and goes up and becomes stout and becomes fully towering into the sky that means that so Iman becomes like that and it becomes it goes beyond destruction. Shaitan cannot do anything and that was the condition in which the Sahabas were at the point when the Prophet left them when he passed away they were now beyond destruction their Iman is written their Rahma is waiting for them as well the farmer now is admiring the feel if you are a farmer you know how the kind of joy you feel the day that you see all your feel everything now is ready for harvest you finally your hard work has paid off to see the result with choice at this point that's it your job is done you can go back to God this very sort of evokes the last scene according to Ibn Masud that the Prophet before he passed away so that's Allah Allah at the end he wasn't able to come to prayer because he was sick so he said that one last fajir while they were in prayer they saw that because he is he goes from his house into the mouth that is straight so he just removed the cotton just look to look at them now they are they are praying so he said that so he just moved the garden and they and they all know this that he's looking at them said he said almost our prayer broke you know our prayers they are so excited so Alhamdulillah he looked at them he was happy he knows that now all his hard work has got off now they are safe nothing can destroy them now and that was happening so yeah those are the people that he has written Iman in their hearts and supported them with this with a roah with a spirit from him so at this point you see we can see that not only the Iman is written that means beyond destruction but world also will strengthen that Iman with a spirit from him we'll assign that individual a spirit that will support them and help them and be with them alhamdulillah as no as as we know with there's no such a such a you know what happened worship idols and that never happened among the Sahabas that never happened but there was no chance for that to happen that was one time and that was after fat Mecca but there are new there are new people who join Islam who are not yet uh well established and um before Islam there used to be uh a a tree a big tree that the people of Mecca and that area they used to come gather around that tree every year and they hang their weapons on it the it was believed that it blesses their weapons and so forth they call that and what so when they came by this tree some of them they said that Prophet said can you can you you give us a tree like the tree that they used to you know venerate and that and what they said they said. Allah you are telling me what Musa's people said to Musa give us a a God and to worship as they have a God to worship when they came by a nation after they left Egypt they came by a nation who are worshipping some idols and they said to Musa make an idol for us like they have an idol and so they still have don't have a very clear idea about who God is so it takes time. But anyway inshaAllah this is just a continuation of our lesson from yesterday on the one hand the birth and the growth of Iman on the other hand the protection the supervision the tending to that it Iman requires until it reaches a point of non-reversal a point whereby it is it is safe from destruction completely.

SPEAKER_02 38:57

So even though the Iman was written for the Sahadas we know that even amongst the closest of sahadas after the passing of the Prophet broke out and they were even fighting each other so how do we understand what's happening there from the perspective of the iman being written and um this being you know a protection for them so those were matters of opinion it never reached to the point of their Iman.

SPEAKER_01 39:33

Their iman was solid that was both sides.

SPEAKER_00 39:36

They may have conflicting ideas and that may eventually lead to some type of a conflict um physical conflict but it never affected their Iman that's why somebody um tried to speak ill of Senali to to Senai trying to kind of play on the difference between them look our difference never go to our Iman at least a believer it's a moment we have a difference of opinion but it's not to the point of our Iman we we and we all know that we are like Muslim so yes I mean believers can have defense of opinion yeah because that's a matter of knowledge so they don't have this even level in terms of knowledge but they are at the at the level of Iman you know they are that's that they are solid that's that's the syntax yeah that's why God says that we in ta ifatani minel muminina if two parties of believers fight it in deny one any other stand to be a non-believer bring compromise reconciliation between them it's like we said we spoke about yesterday that a believer can commit can can sin the difference between the believer sinning and a non-believer sinning is that a believer sins while his heart is constricted because he doesn't like sinning but other compels him yes so this so the same thing in that case Imam then there is a so things actually transgressed when the Hawakish came about because they made it about yeah yeah then yes that is what is wrong the Kawar's point of view that's completely just to call you know other believers as a kufar because because with all the diff with all the fight between the people of Shaman Araq and Alice Kampans and Amawiya he never ever called them that nobody ever said that in both camps brothers who have transgressed against us a little bit you called this is this is what this is the new be there now quite because somebody did not I don't know how are they the people who entered Islam and was it firmly rooted or that's uh well people who have no proper guide so to see what was it that they wanted they wanted to interview the Quran on their own. That was the problem yes and says that and to den to deny the agent the human agency in terms of understanding of Quran so they they came up with this idea la hukma illalilla but somebody has interpreted Quran does not Dr. U by him anyway so these are the those are the only misguidance that that began to grip.

SPEAKER_03 43:38

Yes um so you mentioned the word was completed for the Sahaba um is this the kind of you mentioned also that towards the latter end of the point of the same life there were Muslims journey that were not of course didn't have the kind of progression in the journey that Um exactly. So even at the time that for like when the Prophet passed Silas and was the work completed on like those kind of the foremost of the Sahaba and then the kind of the many of them still had and then they became then the gardeners who then would keep the kind of like a kind of exponential growth and you like kind of help the explained.

SPEAKER_01 44:31

That's what happened exactly. It was it was those core that's a core group of Sahabas who were you know perfected in their image. So they are the ones who helped the rest as you know even Masoul came a teacher and kufa, you know, Senali exactly. So they helped the others to also attain to uh the completion of Iman, but through them. Yeah. So you you just you need that core. That core is not there, then it's just gonna be a problem. So Naisus community, that's what happened. That call wasn't there. He passed away because only two three years. It takes longer to form people, you know, completely in more than three years. So he passed away and and you know, his whole region has been mixed up with Paul came and just created all the fitness. You will see that uh um and and I think I'm uh one of the yes, one of the hajj that's a normal maybe the last hajj or one before last yeah he had rumors people are talking about, you know, they're going to make sure that so and so will become the next khalifa. So and so he won when he had those rumors, he wanted to address the issue. Um told him that he said no. He said, you know, in this gathering, hajj my car, you know, there are people from all over, and most of them, you know, their iman is still very weak, where it's not fully grown, and they will not be able to grasp the meaning of what you're going to say and have a proper interpretary there. You say leave it when we go back to Medina, you know, where in all the Sabbath they really you know then you know say whatever you want, they will they will get you right, you know. So anyway.

SPEAKER_03 47:20

So every successful community needs, of course, uh it's open to everyone, but yeah, but a core group, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:27

And it's a core group, sorry, who are completely have have a full perception of the deeper understanding of of the religion, deeper understanding of the religion. So God, that's what God says about, talks about in Surah to Taubah at the end of Tawba. Um the Fakahufi D or in the recommendation. Let uh every every community have a group and um taifa tum. If only uh a taifa, yeah, uh from every group. A taifa should be there, and that that you can that is delegated to go and have a deeper study of the deen and come back. And but anyway, so that taifa has to be there. And so that taifa that saved the deen, as you see, you know, uh still there are many dangers that that one uh came to attack Islam. But the Sahabas were there, you know, they took care of it. And you know, and they pass it on and tape in, and then also Alhamdulillah until it then was completely established and and beyond beyond destruction about Ham that if I do that one Allah Muhammad Allah Muhammad Allah Sayyidina wanna be Muhammad the Slim Alhamdulillah, you know, he may kill.