The State of your Heart 1

- Missed the beginning - 

People think good Akhlaq is limited to being jolly and tolerant of people all the time. But it is something applicable to a wide range of circumstances. Think of it as the manifestation of the teachings of the Qur’an in a person; the protocol of a believer. And the only way we can benefit from the teachings of the Qur’an is if we have Eeman in our hearts.

Any time you find perversion in Eeman, you find perversion in Akhlaq. And Eeman is linked to the spiritual health of our heart, because it is the vessel that carries Eeman.

1)      We’ll be asked about the Qur’an and how we implemented it.

2)      The standards we need to display as individuals who seek to bear the Qur’an need to be far superior than that of the average person.

 

When Allah described the character of the Prophet ﷺ in the Qur'an he said:

HADITH: Aisha described the Prophet ﷺ saying, "His character was just (a reflection of) the Quran." (Muslim, Abu Dawood, Ahmad)

We need to do our best to emulate this lofty standard of character, and only in doing so will we find success. We don’t want to memorize the Qur'an without it having any effect on our Akhlaq and life. 

Many people start with a good intention and then it becomes stagnant. It becomes a chore, or a social event, and this is the wrong approach in studying the Qur’an.

We need to constantly assess the state of our hearts. If the Qur’an hasn’t made chastity, for example, beloved to you, and everything that opposes it hated to you, then you need to identify the problem within you and address it.

Introspection and purification are acts of worship which are a means to the pleasure of Allah. And it’s not something we just do once and leave, it’s something we need to do constantly. We need to work on purifying our hearts till our last breath.

When we say improvement we aren’t talking about a drastic lifestyle change, but small changes that make you a better person than you are now.

Newly practicing Muslims tend to come across as harsh because they don’t understand the wisdom and purpose behind what they are trying to implement.

The Salaf perfected the actions of the limbs, but to them, the worship performed by the heart was far more important than it is to us.

E.g. We perform prayer with our limbs while our hearts are negligent. What was of greater importance to them was the connection to Allah through that action.

This is the reason we perform acts of worship; so that our hearts can be rectified and submit to Allah.

Allah said in (2:21):

And He said in (2:183):

So we don’t fast merely for the sake of fasting; we fast in submission to Allah. Taqwa is in the heart, but it is apparent in our actions and speech.

What relevance does this have to the student of the Qur'an?

1) If we understand what we are meant to achieve through acts of the limbs, then our hearts become rectified, and our relationship with Allah and the Qur'an becomes more wholesome.

2) In addition to this, we are faced with trials. Allah said in (29:2):

When you have a rectified heart and a deep relationship with Allah and His book, you have solid ground to stand on. Many people lose hope and belief in Allah when the smallest trial comes because they are attached to people, places, etc instead of Allah and His book.

A healthy relationship with the Qur'an is based on a pure heart. Your entire existence should be for one purpose:- to worship Allah with a pure heart.

This is what Allah guides us to in the Qur'an. In (26:88-89):

And He said in (2:2):

And in (17:82):

It is a guidance, a mercy, a healing, for those who have Eeman in their hearts. The extent to which you benefit from the Qur'an is directly proportionate to the Eeman in your heart.

Most people who study Islamic sciences study it in a theoretical approach. And all of that is important to know, but how this knowledge affects the state of your heart, Eeman, and relationship with Allah is what we are after. To worship Allah upon insight.

3) It is the place which Allah examines

Hadith: "Verily Allah does not look to your bodies nor to your faces but He looks to your hearts," (Muslim)

What most of us do is that we are extremely, almost abnormally, concerned with the appearances of our faces and in contrast we have a complete and utter neglect of the heart. The face is something people look at, whereas the heart is what Allah examines. This is how messed up our priorities have become. And it's the saddest thing when this neglect is seen in the people of the Qur'an. A pure heart is the foundation of sound faith. It allows us to benefit and implement what we study in the Qur'an.

Our goal should be to gain the pleasure of Allah in this world and the next.

HADITH: When the people of Paradise say, “You (Allah) have given to us what You have not given to anyone among Your creation,” Allah will say to them: “Shall I not give you something better than that?” They will say, “What is it? Have You not brightened our faces, and admitted us to Paradise and saved us from Hell?” Allah will say, “I bestow My pleasure upon you, and I will never be angry with you after that.”[Al-Mufhim lima ashkala min Talkhees Kitaab Muslim (7/60, 61)].

 

 

How do I purify my heart? 

In order to make your house presentable, you take out all the rubbish, conceal flaws (like cracks on the wall), and then decorate and beautify it. This is what we need to apply to our hearts, because it's the place Allah looks at. 

The following are steps which we should work on simultaneously, not one after the other.  

 

1) Take out the rubbish

There are certain emotions and feelings which may cross your heart, but you must not allow any space in your heart for them. 

E.g. Riyaa, holding grudges, etc. 

Shaytan was known for his worship, and he worshipped until he reached the stage of the Angels in the heavens. It took just one incident to lead him to eternal damnation. We might think we don't have problems in our hearts, but one incident might set off something or create something that did not exist previously. One trial can bring out any illness in your heart.

"Before you beautify something you need to clean it" - Ibn AlQayyim

You might be memorizing the Qu'an and praying Qiyam AlLayl but if you allow envy and  jealousy to ruin your heart then you are doing it wrong. This doesn't mean you stop these acts of worship, rather aim to increase while working on cleaning your heart at the same time.  

Scholars related purification of the heart as an occupation for the rest of your life. There will be never be a point you will be done with it. It is not even specific to a certain group of people; its for everyone. 

Hadith: Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet ﷺ said, “Beware of envy, for it consumes good deeds just as fire consumes wood or grass.”  (Abu Dawud 4903)

This hadith applies to everyone.

E.g. You hear a friend attaining something good in this world and as soon as you hear about it you feel a little envious. Your job is to fight that thought and feeling; don't let it brew in your heart. Make dua, ask Allah to protect her blessing, protect you from this evil feeling, and give you something better. Allah is able.

Its so easy to dismiss this and tuck this rubbish under the sofa and claim you've cleaned yourself, but during tests and hardship the reality of whats in your heart will come out and the fake walls come crumbling down. Be persistent upon removing any detrimental feelings and spiritual illnesses of the heart.

We have to be honest with ourselves.

 

 -> Rid yourself of love of the Dunya

Train yourself to reduce this world in your heart. The more you love this world, the more your heart gets attached to it, and this gives rise to more sicknesses of the heart.  

 

->  Seek knowledge 

Learn about the diseases of the heart in order to be able to identify it in yourself. 

 A pure heart is a heart that is filled upon Tawheed. Learn what constitutes Tawheed, what nullifies it, what perfects it, what Shirk is, etc. to remove all traces of Shirk.

It might sound complicated but all it requires is a moment for you to reflect. Have a critical eye and be honest with yourself. Ask Allah for help in doing so.

 

 

2) Conceal flaws and Organize

There are feelings which you dont want to eliminate it completely, but conceal from people.

E.g. You dont want to eliminate anger from your system completely, because there are times when you need to be angry for the sake of Allah. You dont want to show it to just anyone. Anger is beneficial in the right time and place, so you dont want to get rid of it like arrogance, pride, envy.

 E.g. Protective Jealousy. A man must have this for his female family members and everyone should have this for our Deen, in upholding the sanctity of our Shar'iah. 

Allah says in (7:26):

 

Taqwa protects the Awraat of the heart, just as clothes do for the body.  Showing the Awra of your heart out of place should leave you remorsful and embarrased. Conceal them through Taqwa. A person who has more Taqwa is more likely to control his anger.

Taqwa is attained through submitting to Allah and worshipping Him through the acts of worship He enjoined upon us. And this entails both the heart and limbs. 

- Missed - 

E.g. A person knows that Allah is Ar-Razzaq, yet you find her day and night worried about her share of rizq. About not being able to find a husband, or something that is in the hands of Allah. Excessive worrying will have an effect on the state of your heart.  

 

HADITH: Abdullah ibn Umar said there was a hardly a time when the Prophet didnt make this dua "اللهم لا تجعل الدنيا اكبر همنا" (Graded Saheeh by AlAlbani) 

 

Ask Allah to prioritize your concerns and push the concern of the Dunya down the list. We need to put in the work as well.

 One of the Salaf, Malik ibn Dinar, said, "The hearts of Abrar overflow with good deeds and the hearts of Fujjar overflow with transgression. And Allah sees your concerns, so take a good look at what your concerns are"

Always ask yourself what more you can do to please Allah, or how you can do the action you are going to undertake in a way pleasing to Allah.

E.g. When buying a house, getting married, etc. 

Allah sees all the concerns.

Being concerned about something is not an issue, but excessive concern about it is. It's  what causes the heart to be deattached from Allah and will corrupt your heart and sway your decisions. You'll end up making the wrong decisions  

E.g. You stay up at night finishing work to please your boss at the expense of your Fajr prayer. You gave importance to pleasing a human being over Allah.

Also, you don't just end up making wrong decisions in relation to the Aakhirah, but in this Duya as well.

 E.g. Suppose you have to choose a course at university. Option A is something you love and are passionate about but you end up choosing Option B because you'll get more pay. This concern over Rizq, which is in Allah's hand, swayed your decision. 

A lot of people spend a lifetime regretting their decisions.

The more you let your heart become occupied with the Dunya the less it will be occupied with the Aakhirah. 

E.g. Suppose you had an argument with someone and you wrote a long message to them. Then you start praying. In your prayer all you can think about is that argument. You give that argument more priority than you should have. You put that concern over the concern that you are standing in front of Allah.

Take a step back and reflect over what you find important in your life. 

E.g. We know that our hearts are in the hands of Allah, so He chooses who to grant acceptance and love amongst people. He unites hearts and causes hearts to become averse. We all know this. And yet you find women go through impeccable amounts of stress and anxiety, and even fall into haraam, to fit in and find love and acceptance with people.

E.g. The need to make Hijab fashion friendly which is a self-contradictory notion. 

"Dont carry a concern greater than the concern of Allahs love over you. If Allah loves you you'll be fine" - Saleh AlMaghamsi 

 

3) Decorate the Heart

When you take out the rubbish, conceal the flaws and organizes your concerns, you make room for Eeman. It's important to note that we never reach the state of perfection at any stage. We need to do this all simultaneously. 

The emotions Allah has given us are a means of worshipping Him. The three pillars of worship are fear, love, and hope.

Your acts of worship are driven by love of Allah, driven by the hope in the good He has, fear of His punishment. 

Hadith: The Messenger ﷺ said, “Allah the Most Great said, ‘If My servant likes to meet me, then I like to meet him; and if he dislikes to meet Me, then I dislike to meet him.’” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]

When you read about Allah it increases you in understanding and love for Him. When you work on fixing your heart, your entire relationship with Allah changes. And Allah wants that. He tells us about Himself more than He tells us about Jannah so that we can long for Him more.

Imagine what will happen to the quality of acts of worship when your heart starts longing for Allah. Imagine when you read the Qur'an out of love and devotion, instead of just doing it as a chore.

 We are all headed towards Allah. You can go to Allah hatefully or fly to him with wings of yearning.

 

 The fruits of decorating the heart: 

-> We neglect the worship of the heart of Allah because we have attachments to things in this world; mostly people. We are constantly trying to please them, earn their pleasure and acceptance. If you turn your heart to Rabb AnNas, He will turn these peoples hearts to you, and put acceptance in their hearts and love in it towards you.

 -> A decorated heart allows you to feel Eeman. 

E.g. Allah gives us examples in the Qur'an, not just for the sake of giving examples, but to make us understand something related to Eeman that might be a bit abstract in our lives. He gives us something tangible in order for us to better feel Eeman.

In (24:35):

 

Allah is not really telling us about a lamp. He is telling us about the light of Eeman in the heart of the believer. Understanding something abstract in light of something tangible will make your belief stronger until you worship Allah as if you see Him, and even if you dont see Him, He sees you.

 This is an occupation of a lifetime. We are not expected to implement this all in one go, it is all small steps.

Ibrahim عليه سلام was an example of all that we have discussed put in practice. In (37:83-87):

He worshipped Allah and directed his heart purified to Allah. 

The direct effect of a pure heart from these verses is that Tawheed became beloved to Him, and was something that He implemented. Allah was exalted in His heart, and he rejected all idols and deities besides Allah. He was repulsed by the idea of wanting idols.

 

 

Ibrahim was expressing suprise and displeasure at their belief.

A Kafir always thinks bad about Allah, His Qadar, His legislation, etc. and this further distances him from guidance. The believer thinks well of Allah; the fruits of which are that  he is comforted by being close to Allah and his belief in Allahs promise and the Aakhirah becomes stronger.

- Missed the rest -