Hardening of the Heart
The Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon Him informed us in a very
famous tradition, commonly quoted with reference to halal and
haram, about the importance of the heart. He said:
«There is in the body a clump of flesh
- if it becomes good, the whole body becomes good and if it becomes
bad, the whole body becomes bad. And indeed it is the
heart.» [Reported by Bukhari]
«ألا وإن في الجسد
مضغة: إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله، وإذا فسدت
فسد الجسد كله، ألا وهي القلب »
The Hadith Full: «I heard Allah's
Apostle saying, 'Both legal and illegal things are evident but in
between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the
people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from
these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor. And
whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who
grazes (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone
else and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!)
Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah on the earth is
His illegal (forbidden) things. Beware! There is a piece of flesh
in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes
good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is
the heart.»
«الحلال بين، والحرام بين، وبينهما
مشبهات لا يعلمها كثير من الناس، فمن اتقى المشبهات استبرأ لدينه
وعرضه، ومن وقع في الشبهات: كراع يرعى حول الحمى يوشك أن
يواقعه، ألا وإن لكل ملك حمى، ألا وإن حمى الله في أرضه محارمه، ألا
وإن في الجسد مضغة: إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله، وإذا فسدت
فسد الجسد كله، ألا وهي القلب»
He said that after explaining that the halal is clear and that the
haram is clear and that between them are obscure areas, not known
to most people. However, what protects a person from the haram and
ensures that he remains in the halal is knowledge; but beyond
knowledge, it is the state of the heart. If the heart is good, then
it makes use of the knowledge and it avoids what is prohibited. If
the heart is bad, then the knowledge is of no benefit to it and it
will indulge in what is prohibited.
The Prophet , on the last pilgrimage, informed his Companions and
the nations of Muslims to come, that there is no favour or no
special place of the Arab over the non-Arab; nor is there any
favour or special position of White over Black, but that favour in
the sight of Allah, is with those who fear Him, those who have
taqwa. After bearing witness to that, he said that "Taqwa is in the
heart."
In these statements and other similar statements, we find stress
being placed on the heart - that the heart is the part of the body,
which Allah has favoured over all other parts. It is the place of
iman. Had there been in the body another part that were nearer to
Allah, taqwa would have been placed there because iman is the most
valuable thing that a human being can have. There is nothing more
valuable. It is the determination ultimately of those who have
belief in Allah - those who have accepted the message and who have
chosen Paradise over Hell. It is the distinction of those who have
belief and those who have disbelief.
The value of iman is more than all of the things of this world.
This is why the Prophet Muhammad said that for ALLAH to guide by
your hands a single person to Islam is worth more than anything in
this world. For you to help someone to find iman is worth more than
any of the things in this world.
The heart is the place by which the correctness of deeds is judged.
The Prophet Muhammad said: «Deeds are
judged according to the intention.» [Reported by
Bukhari]
«إنما الأعمال
بالنيات»
The place of the intention is not on the lips. It is in the
heart.
The Hadith in Full: Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: Allah's Apostle
said, «The reward of deeds depends
upon the intention and every person will get the reward according
to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His
Apostle, then his emigration was for Allah and His Apostle. And
whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his
emigration was for what he emigrated for.»
«إنما الأعمال بالنيات ، وإنما لكل
امرىء ما نوى ، فمن كانت هجرته إلى دنيا يصيبها ، أو إلى امرأة ينكحها
، فهجرته إلى ما هاجر إليه »
Our deeds - what we do externally - are judged ultimately by the
states of our hearts. These are good deeds. Evil deeds are evil,
but these good deeds are in reference to those that we perceive to
be a part and parcel of righteousness. Allah will inspect the
hearts to determine whether they are truly acts of
righteousness.
The Prophet Muhammad had informed us that the first 3 people who
would be cast into the Hell Fire are people who were involved in
what everybody considers great acts of righteousness. They are the
scholar who taught knowledge; the wealthy person who gave fro his
wealth in charity and the martyr who gave his life fighting in the
path of God.
The Prophet Muhammad, in an authentic narration, said that they
would be among the first groups of people thrown into because the
scholar, when he taught the knowledge that Allah gave him, did not
do so for the sake of Allah. He taught so that people would praise
him, saying what a great scholar he is and how knowledgeable he is.
Allah will say to him: "You received your praise, what you sought
in that world. But there will be nothing for you in the next." So
he will be drawn off on his face and thrown into Hell.
Similarly the rich individual - the philanthropist, who was
generous with his wealth. He gave and people praised his
generosity, but Allah will say, "You did it for the praise and you
were praised. There was no sincerity there; it was not for the sake
of Allah. You did it for as long as people appreciated it, but when
people did not pay you mind, you were not generous anymore. Your
generosity was conditional; it was not really for the sake of
Allah." So that individual will be drawn off on his face and thrown
into Hell.
And the martyr - the one whom we all assumed had died
fii-sabilillah. We would think that his place in Paradise is
guaranteed. But Allah will say: "You fought so people would say,
'How brave this one is! How strong and courageous he was!'" People
said it; they praised him, but he did not do it for the sake of
Allah, so he will be drawn off on his face and thrown into
Hell.
This is all telling us that ultimately, even the highest of deeds
can be of no avail if the hearts are sick; if the hearts are
corrupt. So the place of the heart should, in our minds occupy
great attention. We have to spend much of our time observing, being
aware of the state of our heart. When the Prophet Muhammad
described Abu Bakr As-Siddiq , explaining to the people his status
over the rest of them, he said, "He does not surpass you by
performing more prayers and fasts - there are among you those who
pray and fast more - but by something which deeply has embedded
itself in his heart: Iman in his heart." That was where his
superiority laid.
So there is no other faculty in the human body and existence that a
believer should more concerned about. We have to make sure that
this faculty is functioning as Allah wishes it to function. We
should be greatly concerned about it. The Prophet used to make dua
often, beginning: "I seek refuge in you, O Allah, from knowledge
that does not benefit and from a heart which does not fear".
The Prophet Muhammad had a very soft heart. He treated people
gently. His wives said that they could not recall an incident where
he hit them or scolded them harshly. He was known for his
gentleness. And Allah confirmed that this quality is an essential
quality.
Allah said: "Due to Allah's mercy, you are gentle with them. Had
you been severe and harsh hearted, they would have fled from around
you." [Al-i-Imraan: 159]
{فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّـهِ
لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانفَضُّوا مِنْ
حَوْلِكَ}
Transliteration: Fabima rahmatin
mina Allahi linta lahum walaw kunta faththan
ghaleetha alqalbi
lainfaddoo min hawlika
This was the quality of the Prophets and this is the characteristic
that all those who seek to guide others to Allah must have. As it
was essential for the Prophets, it is essential for us. It is
essential for those who seek knowledge; it is essential for all
people. It is essential for parents, with regard to their
children.
Softness of the heart is something that we cannot spend too much
time on.
With regards to children, Al-Aqra Ibn Habis was visited by the
Prophet Muhammad . The Prophet lifted one of his children and
placed the child on his lap. He kissed the child out of the
kindness and softness o his heart towards the child. Al-Aqra said,
"I have 10 other children and I have not kissed a single one of
them." This was a point of pride, manhood - that one is not soft,
that one is tough. The Prophet said to him, "Can I help it if Allah
has removed mercy from your heart?" He went on to say, "And whoever
is not merciful will not receive mercy."
So it is essential that parents show mercy to their children. And
if we look at a home where a father is kind and merciful with his
children, we find a home that is full of happiness and joy.
Mercy is something that we cannot live without.
The reality for those seeking knowledge - as it is compulsory for
us to seek knowledge of the Deen - is that if there is not, along
with that knowledge, a soft heart, then we cannot taste the beauty
of that knowledge. As Hassan
Al-Basri had said, "If a man seeks knowledge, it
will appear in his face, hands an tongue and in his humility to
Allah."
The opposite is true - that nothing corrupts knowledge and da'wa
more than the harshness of the heart. Where hearts have become
hardened, the knowledge is of no benefit to the individual, nor can
that individual benefit others with it. Softness of the heart is
the characteristic of true Muslims. If it becomes absent, then a
person's life is filled with distress and discomfort. This is the
promise of Allah. Those who lack hearts that are soft will lead
woeful lives. As Allah said: "Woe to those whose hearts are
hardened against the remembrance of Allah."[Az-Zumar: 22]
{فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُم
مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ}
Transliteration: fawaylun lilqasiyati
quloobuhum min thikri Allahi
They are in obvious misguidance. Woe to those whose hearts hear the
Quran and they do not become fearful and humbled as a result of it.
Woe to those whose eyes are reminded of the Words of Allah, but
they do not weep in fear of Him. Woe to those who are reminded of
the Warnings of Allah and they do not humble themselves to His
Words.
It is a curse to have a hardened heart and it is a blessing to have
a soft heart. Those with hardened hearts suffer in this life, even
though they may have all of the trappings of this life. What seems
to be an enjoyable life is empty - it is filled with loneliness.
They cannot find peace of mind and of heart because their hearts
are hardened to Allah to belief in Allah, to submission to
Allah.
That is why Allah said: "Whosoever turns away from My Message,
verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him up
blind on the Day of Judgment. (It is only with the remembrance of
Allah that hearts find rest.)" [Taha: 124]
{وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي
فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
أَعْمَىٰ }
Transliteration: Waman aAArada AAan
thikree fainna lahu maAAeeshatan
dankan wanahshuruhu yawma
alqiyamati aAAma
"Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the
remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah
do hearts find satisfaction." [Al-Ra'd: 28]
{الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ
قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ
الْقُلُوبُ}
Transliteration: Allatheena amanoo
watatmainnu quloobuhum bithikri Allahi
ala bithikri Allahi tatmainnu
alquloobu
What is most beneficial in this life is a soft heart. We should
strive to achieve it because everything else would be meaningless
and useless if we do not have softened hearts. How do we achieve
this?
It is not a secret. It is not something known only to a few, handed
down in special sessions and gatherings. As the Prophet said, «I have left you on a clear white plain,
whose day is like its night. Anyone who deviates from it is
destroyed.» [Cassified as Saheeh by Albani]
«لقد تركتكم على مثل البيضاء، ليلها
كنهارها، لا يزيغ عنها إلا هالك »
The way of the Prophet clarifies for us how to achieve a soft
heart.
The First Method: Du`aa or
Supplication
The first method is dua or supplication. Nothing softens the heart
more than asking Allah to soften it and make it merciful. This is
the promise of the Prophet peace be upon him when he said, «Call on Allah being certain that your
prayer will be answered, but know at the same time that Allah will
not answer the prayer of a heart which is negligent.»
[Classified as Hassan by Albani]
«ادعوا الله وأنتم موقنون بالإجابة
واعلموا أن الله لا يستجيب دعاء من قلب غافل لاه»
Dua will soften the heart and Allah is the One who will soften the
heart. Our dua to Him will be answered, but we have to believe it.
If we just raise our hands and ask, "O Allah, soften my heart!" and
not really ask from the heart, it is just something we said · and
we could have said ANYTHING else! If we call on Allah SINCERELY, He
will soften the heart. "Call on Me and I will answer you."
[Allah said: "When my servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed
close to them: I respond to the prayer of every suppliant when he
calleth on Me; let them also, with a will, listen to My call and
believe in Me: that they may walk in the right way" [Al-Baqarah:
186]
{وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي
فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ
فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ
يَرْشُدُونَ }
Transliteration: Waitha saalaka
AAibadee AAannee fainnee qareebun ojeebu daAAwata
alddaAAi itha daAAani
falyastajeeboo lee walyuminoo bee laAAallahum
yarshudoona
If we consider the many examples that we have from the lives of the
Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam and his companions, they would
show us that it is Allah who can change the hearts.
Let us consider 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab. His attitude towards the
Prophet Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and Islam was so harsh that he
set out one day to kill the Prophet. He was fed up with the efforts
of Prophet to spread Islam that he felt he had to take it in his
hands to finish this. He strapped on his sword and set out. On his
way, he met another companion who told him to check on his own
sister before seeing the Prophet. He was surprised and went to his
sister's house, virtually tearing down the door. He slapped her and
her husband until blood came from her face. He then stopped and
looked at what he had caused.
On his way in, he had heard something from the Quran and it had
touched him, but his anger did not allow it a chance to settle in
his heart. But when he struck his sister and saw the blood, it
stopped him for a minute. What he had heard before touched his
heart. He asked what was being read before and some of the Quran
was read for him. And he changed.
That was enough to turn him upside down. This was 'Umar! On another
occasion, the other companions saw him laughing and then crying;
one after the other. They asked what had caused that to happen to
him. He said. "I remember that in the days of Jahiliyya, I used to
have this idol made of dates. One day, I became so hungry that I
ate a piece of it. And then, I cried when I remembered digging a
hole and burying my daughter. Whilst I was putting her in, she
reached up and brushed dirt from my beard." And he had buried her
alive. That was the practice those who felt it was a dishonour to
have a daughter killed them. That was how hard his heart was. How
hard his heart had become, to bury his daughter alive.
But his heart changed. Changed so much that 'Umar , when he used to
lead the prayers, would be so choked up with tears that people from
way back in the third row could hear him crying. This was Umar, a
man who was so harsh, so powerful, a courageous individual, but
with the acceptance of Islam, his heart was turned around.
So we should do as the Prophet advised us to go to Allah and call
on him to give us softened hearts and we should seek refuge as the
Prophet had from the heart without fear. And in the same dua, he
also sought refuge from the eyes that do not become full with
tears; eyes which never cry.
The Second Way - Remember
Death
The second way is that we remember the Hereafter, to remember our
death. The one thing that we are one hundred per cent certain of -
even if we have some doubt as to whether there is really a God;
even if we wrongly wonder if what we are practicing is really the
truth when there are so many other people doing so many other
things - is that we are going to die.
But our lives are such that we become so occupied with the things
of this life that we forget that we are going to die. As Allah
said, the gathering of wealth has deluded them to the realities of
life and they only come awake when they end up in their
graves.
"The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world)
diverts you (from the more serious things), until ye visit the
graves. But nay, ye soon shall know the reality…" [At-Takathur:
1-3]
{أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ
﴿١﴾ حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ
﴿٢﴾ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
﴿٣﴾}
Transliteration: Alhakumu
alttakathuru (1)
Hatta zurtumu almaqabira (2)
Kalla sawfa taAAlamoona (3)
This is a fearful statement, that we should live lives unconscious
of our deaths and thereby be lost in trivialities, things that are
really ultimately not going to benefit us in the next life.
Consequently, Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam had
said:«I [once] had forbidden you from
visiting graves, [and I now enjoin] you to do so» [Reported
by Muslim]
«نهيتكم عن زيارة القبور،
فزوروها .»
To go to the graveyard, reflecting on the state of those in the
grave (not necessarily of your relatives alone). As the Prophet
Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam said, «The grave is either a garden from the
gardens of Paradise or a hole from the holes of Hell Fire.»
[Classified as Hassan by Ibn Hajar 'Asqallaani]
«إنما القبر روضة من رياض الجنة أو
حفرة من حفر النار »
There are people in the graves who are calling out for help but
there is no one to help. When Munkar and Nakir come and ask them,
"Who is your Lord?", "What is your religion?", "Who was the Prophet
that was sent to you?", they will be unable to answer!"
Narrated Anas: The Prophet said «When
a human being is laid in his grave and his companions return and he
even hears their foot steps, two angels come to him and make him
sit and ask him: What did you use to say about this man, Muhammad ?
He will say: I testify that he is Allah's slave and His Apostle.
Then it will be said to him, 'Look at your place in the Hell-Fire.
Allah has given you a place in Paradise instead of it.' " The
Prophet added, "The dead person will see both his places. But a
non-believer or a hypocrite will say to the angels, 'I do not know,
but I used to say what the people used to say! It will be said to
him, 'Neither did you know nor did you take the guidance (by
reciting the Quran).' Then he will be hit with an iron hammer
between his two ears, and he will cry and that cry will be heard by
whatever approaches him except human beings and jinns.»
[Reported by Bukhari]
«أن رسول صلى الله عليه وسلم
قال: إن العبد إذا وضع في قبره، وتولى
عنه أصحابه، وإنه ليسمع قرع نعالهم، أتاه ملكان، فيقعدانه
فيقولان: ما كنت تقول في هذا الرجل، لمحمد
صلى الله عليه وسلم، فأما المؤمن فيقول: أشهد أنه عبد الله ورسوله ، فيقال
له: انظر إلى مقعدك من النار، قد أبدلك
الله به مقعدا من الجنة، فيراهما جميعا. قال
قتادة وذكر لنا: أنه يفسح في قبره، ثم رجع إلى حديث
أنس، قال: وأما المنافق والكافر فيقال
له: ما كنت تقول في هذا الرجل؟
فيقول : لا أدري، كنت أقول ما يقول الناس،
فيقال: لا دريت ولا تليت، ويضرب بمطارق من
حديد ضربة، فيصيح صيحة، يسمعها من يليه غير الثقلين
. »
This is not something we can memorize in preparation for the
questions, because it is not a matter of not knowing, but that we
will be incapable of answering as part of the degradation of that
life. We know that the answer is the key for the next life, but we
cannot use the key. We don't have access to it because it never
entered our hearts in this life. If it did not enter our hearts in
this life that Allah is our Lord and that Muhammad is our Prophet
and that Islam is our religion, then that knowledge will not
benefit us in the next life.
So we are encouraged to visit the graves and on that basis, this is
not unique to men, for the benefits that come from visiting the
graves is not unique to men. This is why some scholars argue that
visiting the graves is not prohibited to women, but that it is the
frequent visits that are prohibited, due to the sensitivity of
their nature. Hence not regular visits, but to go from time to time
as they need the reminder just as men need the reminder.
Allah describes those, in the Quran, who when they reflect on the
Hereafter, are affected. It affects them in the nights. "They slept
little in the night and in the hours before dawn, they were found
seeking Allah's forgiveness." [Adh-Dharyaat: 17]
{كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ
مَا يَهْجَعُونَ}
Transliteration: Kanoo qaleelan mina
allayli ma yahjaAAoona
They wake up in the night with the remembrance of the life to come
- the trials of the grave and the Judgment to come. These lead them
to get up from their beds at a time when sleep is so sweet.
Brothers and sisters, let us reflect on that life to come. Let us
reflect on the process after death; the process in dying itself -
how the souls are taken from the bodies of believers, as the
Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam said, "...like water dropping
from the spout of a bucket."; but for the disbelievers, "...like
silk being drawn over thorns.", tearing away. That soul that fears
Allah is taken in the next life up into the Heavens and the angels
of the Heavens will praise it. It will return to that body and a
Garden from Paradise will be opened up to it and it will lie in
that state till Resurrection. But for those whose hearts have
hardened towards the remembrance of Allah, the soul will be barred
entrance into the Heavens. It will be thrown back into the body.
Their evil deeds will come before them as a horrible creature and
they will suffer torments. A widow from Hell will be open and the
heat will be over them until Resurrection.
And what happens on the Resurrection, when we stand before Allah
and answer for each and every deed that we have done, when nothing
escapes Allah, when the things that we have in this life will be of
no benefit to us. The only thing that will benefit us is to stand
before Allah with a healthy heart.
The Third Method of Cure: The
Qur'an
The third way by which we can soften our hearts is the Quran
itself. Allah states in the Quran: "Has not the time come for those
who believe for their hearts to fear Allah when they hear the Quran
(dhikrullah here is in reference to the Quran) and what truth there
is in it, so that they not be like those who received the Scripture
before, but in the passage of time, their hearts became hard. And
most of them are corrupt." [Al-Hadeed: 16]
{أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ
الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ
فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ
مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ}
Transliteration: Alam yani lillatheena
amanoo an takhshaAAa quloobuhum lithikri
Allahi wama nazala mina alhaqqi wala
yakoonoo kaallatheena ootoo alkitaba
min qablu fatala AAalayhimu alamadu faqasat quloobuhum
wakatheerun minhum fasiqoona
If we reflect on the Quran, it has the power to soften our hearts.
Allah said, about the jinn who heard the Quran, "They said, "O our
people, indeed we have heard a [recited] Book revealed after Moses
confirming what was before it which guides to the truth and to a
straight path." [Al-Ahqaf: 30]
{قَالُوا يَا قَوْمَنَا إِنَّا
سَمِعْنَا كِتَابًا أُنزِلَ مِن بَعْدِ مُوسَىٰ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا
بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ وَإِلَىٰ طَرِيقٍ
مُّسْتَقِيمٍ}
Transliteration: Qaloo ya
qawmana inna samiAAna kitaban onzila
min baAAdi moosa musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi
yahdee ila alhaqqi waila tareeqin
mustaqeemin
Allah goes on to describe the righteous, "And if they (this is
amongst the Christians) hear what was revealed to the Messenger,
you will see their eyes welling up with tears because of what they
know of the truth of what has been brought." [Al-Maaida: 83]
{وَإِذَا سَمِعُوا مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى
الرَّسُولِ تَرَىٰ أَعْيُنَهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ مِمَّا
عَرَفُوا مِنَ الْحَقِّ}
Transliteration: Waitha samiAAoo ma
onzila ila alrrasooli tara
aAAyunahum tafeedu mina alddamAAi
mimma AAarafoo mina alhaqqi
This was the case of the ruler of Ethiopia. When Muslims sought
refuge there and they recited a portion of the Quran, they saw his
eyes fill with tears.
This is how we should be. When we hear the Quran, we should reflect
on the meanings. The Quran should not become for us a replacement
for pop songs that we used to hear before. People buy recordings of
their favorite reciters for the beauty of their voice… The
listening of the Quran has become more of a musical thing. We are
entertained by that music, so much so that when the reciter is
reading, we hear people in the background going, "Allah! Allah!
Allah!" People making statements in the background as thought it
were a pop show! This is not the Quran… Allah tells us, "Will they
not reflect on the meanings?"
The Quran is a Book of Guidance and it is in the reflection on the
meaning of the Quran that we benefit, for it is very important for
us to re-assess how we are dealing with the Quran. We should be
reading it regularly, not only leaving it until Ramadhan. We
reflect on it… not reading it Ramadhan so we can finish the whole
Book and say we finished the Quran in Ramadhan. It really does not
matter if we don't finish the Quran in Ramadhan. For most of the
Prophet's Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam life, he did not finish the
whole Quran in Ramadhan. Most of the companions did not finish the
reading of the Quran in Ramadhan. Today, for us, Ramadhan is not
complete unless we read the whole Quran in Ramadhan. We hire
reciters to recite the Quran at 99 miles an hour so much so that
even Arabic-speaking people cannot figure out where in the Quran
the reciter is!
This has become the precedence - finishing the Quran in Ramadhan
and if you can finish it twice, even better! But this is not what
the Quran is for. The Quran is for reflection, so that when we hear
it, as Allah says of the believers who hear the Quran recited,
goose bumps come over their skins. It touches them and causes their
heart to tremble.
Allah has revealed (from time to time) the most beautiful Message
in the form of a Book, consistent with itself, yet repeating (its
teaching in various aspects): "Allah has sent down the best
statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins of
those who fear their Lord tremble threat; then their skins and
hearts do soften to the remembrance of Allah".[Az-Zumar: 23]
{اللَّـهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ
الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُّتَشَابِهًا مَّثَانِيَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ
جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ
وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ}
Transliteration: Allahu nazzala
ahsana alhadeethi kitaban mutashabihan
mathaniya taqshaAAirru minhu juloodu allatheena
yakhshawna rabbahum thumma taleenu julooduhum waquloobuhum
ila thikri Allahi
If when we listen to the Quran, we don't find this reaction of
tears coming to our eyes, then we should make ourselves cry. Force
ourselves to cry because we need to respond to the Quran in this
way. If we don't, we are lost! This is the Word of Allah, the only
preserved Word of all the revelations that were given from Adam
till now. This is the word of God preserved.
We should read the Quran believing this is Allah speaking to us,
because that is what it is. It is Allah talking to us directly.
Every time he tells us something about the Jews, we should not
(merely) take it as a piece of information, that the Jews are this
and that the Jews are that. No! Whenever Allah tells us something
about the Jews, we should see in it as a warning to ourselves -
that we don't become like them. When Allah said, "… ghairil
maghdoobi 'alayhim wa la-ddaalleen…" in Surah Al-Fatiha, the
Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam explained that al-maghdoob
'alayhim are the Jews and that ad-daalleen are the Christians.
Those with whom Allah is angry are the Jews and those who have gone
astray are the Christians. Allah is angry with the Jews because
they KNOW the truth and they don't act on it. "Call people to
righteousness and you forget yourselves." They changed the Book.
The Christians are without knowledge; they are lost. They think
that God is a man!
This is a warning to us. Every time we recite these verses, Allah
is warning us not to be like them - we have the truth, we have the
Scripture, but we are not acting according to them. If we do not
seek knowledge, if we do not find out what it is Allah wants from
us, then we are lost. Every time we read the "… ghairil maghdoobi
'alayhim wa la-ddaalleen…", it should touch us. We should reflect
on it and it should touch us.
There are so many verses throughout the Quran which remind us of
the Hereafter, that remind us of the signs of the Day of Judgement.
It is enough for us to open any part of the Quran to read about
them. In virtually every chapter of the Quran Allah addresses the
next life. It is linked to our second point of visiting the graves
and remembering the Hereafter. The Quran speaks about the life to
come and to reflect on it.
The Fourth Method of Cure:
Good Deeds
The fourth way for us to soften our hearts is by way of good deeds.
Righteous deeds done sincerely for Allah will soften our hearts. In
the initial stages, maybe we can't see how it softens our hearts,
but we have to stick with it and believe. As the Prophet Sallallahu
'Alayhi wa sallam told us, that the slave of Allah does not come
closer to Him except by doing the deeds that He has made compulsory
for him. The compulsory deeds - the 5 daily prayers, the fast, etc.
While praying, sometimes we wonder, "Where is the benefit? Where is
the change?" The point is that if we keep working at it, there will
be benefit. We may not see it immediately. It is something that
becomes cumulative, like a person growing. They can hardly wait
till they are going to be big and they put a mark on the wall,
wondering when they are going to get up there. They cannot perceive
themselves growing because it is something accumulating within
them.
Similarly, righteous deeds… and the first of the righteous deeds
are the one that God commands. It is a mistake to go to the things
that He did not command us to do and to put all our focus on these
areas and leave the primary things that He commanded us to do. If
we have not established 5 times daily prayers on time, then it does
not matter whatever else we do. It is useless. This is the
foundation - if we cannot do what Allah has commanded us to do, has
demanded of us, then how can we please Him in anything else? Then,
for us, pleasing God is according to ourselves - what is pleasing
to us will please God. This is not pleasing God. We have to
remember that the Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam told us,
«The Hell Fire is veiled by the things
that are pleasing to us and Paradise is veiled by the things that
we do not like.» [Reported by Muslim]
«حفت الجنة
بالمكاره. وحفت النار بالشهوات
»
"Things that we do not like" are not necessarily those things that
are evil, but those that our own nafs does not like because they
require work and effort. We like the easy way. So we would like not
to pray and if someone were to tell us that it is not necessary to
pray, we would say "Alhamdulillah!" This is our nature - we would
be happy with that. However, we should be sad because we can only
pray in this life and in the next, we have no chance to pray
anymore. This is where prayer will benefit us, because in the next
life, we will want to pray. We will beg Allah. Allah describes
those who come before him for judgment: when they see their deeds
and they know that they have put themselves in Hell. What will they
do? Will they argue with Allah and ask why He has put them in Hell?
No, they will ask Allah for another chance to go back and do what
Allah has told them to do and more. [see Surah Al-A'raf 7:53] But
Allah will know that they are lying for they would do the same if
sent back. For if Allah were to send us back, He will not send us
back with the knowledge that we have then. He would send us back
just as we were before.
Prayer is for OUR benefit. When we pray, we are not benefiting
Allah. If every human being on this earth prayed, it would not
increase or benefit Allah in any way, just as if nobody prayed, it
would not decrease or affect Allah in any way. Prayer is for
OURSELVES. That is why the Prophet used to say, «Bilal, give us ease by giving the call to
prayer.» [Classified as Saheeh by Albani]
«يا بلال ! أقم الصلاة ، أرحنا
بها»
Prayer was considered a time of pleasure but for us it is a burden.
The sooner we finish, the better so we can get on with our lives.
That is a mistake… Our hearts have become hard.
Allah describes the Jews: after all the signs that were given to
them, with the passage of time, their hearts became hard. Our
hearts have become hard. We have accepted Islam, we are awakened to
Islam and we start to practice Islam, but time has passed and our
hearts have become hardened.
"Has not the time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in
all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the
Truth which has been revealed to them, and that they should not
become like those to whom was given The Book aforetime, but long
ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among
them are rebellious transgressors." [Al-Hadid: 16]
{أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ
الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ
فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ
مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ }
Transliteration: Alam yani lillatheena
amanoo an takhshaAAa quloobuhum lithikri
Allahi wama nazala mina alhaqqi wala
yakoonoo kaallatheena ootoo alkitaba
min qablu fatala AAalayhimu alamadu faqasat quloobuhum
wakatheerun minhum fasiqoona
Prayer is not something that is pleasurable to us, but we have to
keep striving and recognize that this is natural. Iman increases
and decreases. The heart hardens and we fight against it and it
softens… it is a continual struggle until we die. We just pray that
we die with hearts that are soft and fearful. We have to keep
struggling and it is in that struggle that ultimately we do taste
iman; that we do taste what the salah was prescribed for; what the
remembrance of Allah should mean in our lives. The Prophet
Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam describes those who receive the shade
of Allah's throne on the day when there is no shade: the one who
remembers Allah and cries. His heart is soft.
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, «Allah will give shade, to seven, on the Day
when there will be no shade but His. (These seven persons are) a
just ruler, a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah
(i.e. worships Allah sincerely from childhood), a man whose heart
is attached to the mosques (i.e. to pray the compulsory prayers in
the mosque in congregation), two persons who love each other only
for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only, a
man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for
illicit intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah, a man
who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not
know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he
has given in charity), and a person who remembers Allah in
seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears.»
[Reported by Bukhari]
«سبعة يظلهم الله في ظله يوم لا ظل
إلا ظله: الإمام العادل، وشاب نشأ في عبادة
ربه، ورجل قلبه معلق في المساجد، ورجلان تحابا في الله اجتمعا عليه
وتفرقا عليه، ورجل طلبته امرأة ذات منصب وجمال، فقال إني أخاف الله،
ورجل تصدق، اخفى حتى لا تعلم شماله ما تنفق يمينه، ورجل ذكر الله
خاليا، ففاضت عيناه .
»
So we should not shy away from good deeds for they will help to
soften our hearts. The Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam had
said that greeting our brothers or sisters with a smiling face is
sadaqa. Nothing should be too small for us: no good deed is so
trivial that we scorn at it. We should strive to do every good
deed.
But we should begin with the things Allah has made compulsory. We
should establish the salah as Allah prescribed it; we have to
establish our zakah as it is supposed to be given; we have to fast
as it is supposed to be done and the hajj and umrah if we are able.
These fundamentals have to be established for the sake of Allah;
they provide the foundation for the softening of the heart. As we
continue to do these acts and voluntary versions of these acts, we
come closer and closer to Allah, until Allah says He becomes the
eyes with which we see, where we see only the things that Allah
wants us to see. We avoid the things that Allah does not want us to
see; we turn away from them; we don't enjoy them. We only touch the
things Allah wants us to touch; we only take what Allah wants us to
take; we only go to places that Allah wants us to go… If we turn to
Allah and we call on Him He will answer our prayer. This is the
promise of the Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wa sallam.
So my brothers and sisters, I ask you and myself to remember our
hearts; to reflect on the state of our hearts. Whenever we have a
moment, question: what state are we in? to work on our hearts until
we have succeeded in softening them, by the mercy and the grace of
Allah. We begin that process by turning to Allah. In our next
prayer tonight, let us turn back to Allah and beg him sincerely to
soften our hearts and when we do so, if we are sincere, our hearts
will begin to soften. It is the promise of Rasulullah Sallallahu
'Alayhi Wa sallam. We should read the Quran and do as much as we
can of righteous deeds. We should reflect on the next life by
visiting the graves and by reading the verses addressing them; by
reading the statements of the Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa sallam
about the next life. We should do these things and strive to soften
our hearts. As I said before, if after doing them we cannot find
softness in our hearts, then we need to make ourselves cry. We need
to force ourselves to cry because until we can let go and let loose
those feeling within ourselves, then the hearts cannot become
soft.
So I pray and I ask Allah to give us all soft hearts, hearts that
are filled with mercy for the creating of Allah, our children, our
parents, our brothers and sisters in Islam … even those towards
people who are not Muslims. I ask Allah to put in our hearts
softness towards them in the sense that it would guide us to carry
the message to them as we should. I ask Allah to give us success to
turn back to the Quran, to read it regularly, seeking understanding
and guidance from it and I ask Allah to give us soft hearts.
Abu Ameenah Bilaal Philips
Source: Transcript of a
lecture, Darul Arqam, Singapore
http://www.sunnahonline.com
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