In the Name of Allah, The Most
Gracious, The Most Merciful.
What will save us on the Day of Judgement? Are we
favored based on our race or color? No. Then what is it? It is the place in our
body which Allaahsubhanahu
wa ta’alaa made the location of the most valuable
possession of a human being: emaan (faith).
It is your heart.
That
favours you in the sight of Allaah subhanahu wa ta’alaa is the state of your heart. What will save
you on the Day of Judgement is qalbun saleem— a
sound heart.
Let’s get started and find out about the amazing
position of the heart in Islam and learn the secrets of a productive heart.
This is the week’s central ayah: So have they not traveled
through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear?
For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which
are within the breasts. [Quran, 22: 46]
The Significance of the Heart
In order to start moving in life you first need to
have knowledge; with that knowledge you can define if something is important or
not. Then it is up to you to make the move. The Prophet salallaahu ‘alayhi wa
sallam said about your heart: Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh which,
if it be sound, all the body is sound and which, if it be diseased, all of it
is diseased. Truly it is the heart. [al-Bukhaaree,
Muslim]
Allaah ‘azza wajal informed
us in the Quran about the “heart” (generally qalbin Arabic). For example, the word naas (people, mankind) is used 241 times, but the
word “heart” is used no less than 137 times.
What is the State of Your Heart?
The state of your heart will decide what you do
with your knowledge. Will you benefit from it by practicing it or not?
For example, if you hear an ayah of theQuran or a
hadith, does it make you feel you want to practice it straight away or does it
not have much impact on you? Whatever the answer is, it will tell you about the
state of your heart.
Sins have an effect on your heart; they can cause
your heart to be sealed so that the light of knowledge doesn’t reach it anymore
and the ayaat of Allaah don’t affect you anymore. May
Allaah ‘azza
wajal protect us from this.
There are many diseases we find in our hearts, like
jealousy, envy, greed, lust, and showing off. Our aim should be to strive to
purify our hearts and turn back to Allaah with a sound heart. Once a wise
man made this dua: ‘ O Allah purify my heart from anything but You.’
The Heart and the
Mind
When you say the word ‘Think!” most of us point to
our heads, right? How many of us point to our hearts when we say “Think?” The
Messenger of Allaah sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam said, “Taqwa is here,” and he pointed to his
chest. [Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, Ahmad]
Subhanallah, one of the functions of the heart is ta’aqqul (understanding). Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa gave us a heart to comprehend, to reflect,
and to reason. That brings us back to the central ayah: and have hearts by which to reason .
. .
Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullaah said that many doctors and philosophers have
said that the mind is in the brain, so we think and understand with our brains
and not with our hearts. He then said that the centre is actually the heart.
Ibn Katheer said: The
arrogant philosophers say that the mind is in the brain. [Tafsir ibn Kathir vol 4 p.508]
To believe, to disbelieve, to
understand, to comprehend, to have tranquility, to feel
confusion, to have tawakkul and
to have khushoo’ are all functions of your heart.
Different Names for “Heart” in
the Quran
In the Quran, Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa uses different words to describe the
heart; qalb,
fu’aad and sadr.
Qalb is the general word for heart and the root
word means something that turns around, something that changes easily. When
Allah (swt) refers toemaan and the diseases of the heart, He uses the
word qalb.
Fu’aad comes from a root that means “burning” or a
flame and is used when the heart is inflamed with emotion. A beautiful example
is when Allah describes the state of the heart of the mother of Musa alayhi salam: But there came to be a void in the heart (fu’aad)
of the mother of Musa. [Quran, 28:10] Imagine how her heart was inflamed
with emotions while she put her newborn, suckling son in a river!
Sadr means “chest.” When Allaah ‘azza wajal refers to secrets or motives, He uses the
word sadr, like in Suratun Naas: The one who whispers in the hearts of
Mankind. [Quran, 114: 5]
See how understanding the words of
the Quran open a door to a whole new
world of meanings for you?
You Do With YOUR Heart?
Now the question is, what is your heart attached
to? Is it attached to your house, your money, your favorite tv show, or to
those special moments you spend with the Quran and
reading about the Prophet ﷺ
Allah ‘azza wajal says: . . . when the only one who
will be saved is the one who comes before Allah with a heart devoted to
Him. [Quran, 26:89]
How can you train your heart to become devoted and
sound? I came across this beautiful list of the signs of a devoted and sound
heart and I pray you will be as inspired as I was!
But before examining your own heart, take this
extremely important step: askAllaah ‘azza wajal by His beautiful names to purify your heart. He
is Al-Wahhaab (The Giver), so ask Him to give you a pure
heart. He is Al-Qareeb(The Close One), so ask Him to make your heart
close to Him. He is Al-Wadood (The Ever-Loving), so ask Him to fill your
heart with love for Him. It’s as simple as that.
Now it’s time to test yourself on the
signs of a pure and devoted heart!
§
· It continues to push its companion
until he turns to Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa and repents.
§
· It doesn’t grow tired of the
remembrance of Allah subhanahu
wa ta’alaa or His worship.
§
· If it misses out on an act of obedience
it feels a pain that is more severe than the pain felt when losing money.
§
· It finds sweetness and delight in
worship greater than any delight from food and drink.
§
· If it enters salah, its worries and troubles from this worldly
life leave it.
§
· It is stingier with its time being
wasted than a miser’s stinginess with his money.
§
· It is more concerned with a good deed
being performed correctly and accepted than the actual deed itself.
Homework:
Memorize and use this beautiful Qur’anic dua in
your daily life:
Who say, Our Lord, let not our hearts
deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You
are the Bestower. [Quran, 3:8]
Website: Understandquran.com
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