Assalamu’alaikum
In the Name of Allah, the Most
Gracious, the Most Merciful.
My Dear Brothers And sisters in
Islam, Kindly spare 5-10 minutes of your precious worldly time to read this,
share with a fellow brother or sister and the whole Muslim Umma, May the
remembrance of the truth fill our hearts and may Allah Guide us all through his
Grace and Mercy. Amin
Indeed all praise is due to Allah, we praise Him and seek His help and
forgiveness, we seek refuge with Allah from our soul’s evil and our wrong
doings, he whom Allah guides, no one can misguide, and he whom He misguides, no
one can guide.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad the Messenger of Allah and his family and Companions and all who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad the Messenger of Allah and his family and Companions and all who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
O dear Muslim brethren, the faithfuls always
judge themselves and accuse themselves of negligence and shortcomings, they
struggle themselves till they straighten on the right path.
This
is for us all to take a new stand of self-questioning on the state of our minds
and deeds, and so also to make sure it would be an honest stand.
The
heart is a wonderful organ, it is a wonderful lump of flesh. It is the vessel
which you could fill with either goodness or evil.
So
my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, have you checked your heart? Have you
examined its inner motivators? What does it hold inside? Is it your well-being,
or is it your doom?
The
heart as we all know is an unstable organ.
Allah
Subhanahu Wa-Ta’ala said “And We will turn away their hearts and their eyes just
as they refused to believe in it the first time. And we will leave them in
their transgression, wandering blindly.” [Al-An'am 6:110]
Abdullah
ibn 'Umar said: "The oath of the Prophet used
to be: "No, by Him who turns the hearts." [Sahih Al-Bukhari]
My
Muslim brothers and sisters, your goodness depends on the goodness of your
heart as stated by the Prophet, peace be upon him, who said: "Beware, there is a piece of flesh in the body; if
it is sound, the whole body is sound and if it is corrupt the whole body is
corrupt, and behold it is the heart" [narrated by An-Nu'man ibn Bashir in
Sahih Muslim]
So
you should check and reform this piece of flesh as long as your goodness is
dependent on it.
The
hearts are full of wonders, and happy are those who would check the heart, fix
and purify it.
So
many people have neglected their hearts to the point that their harm became momentous,
and even spreading this harm around like an infection.
My
Muslim brothers and sisters, these are honest stands with the heart, so Judge
yourself with each one of them. The first one is as follows
Where does your heart stand from sincere faith?
Faith
is a high degree of believing by which Allah the Almighty addresses His
Faithful
slaves, He also condemns those who fake the faith which is not revered
In
their hearts.
Allah
the Almighty said: “The Bedouins
say, "We have believed." Say, "You
have not [yet] believed; but say
[instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts.”
[Al-Hujurat 49:14]
Faith
has a strange effect on the heart. A faithful believer has a strong bond with
Allah, satisfied with what satisfies Him, angry with what angers Him. He loves
for Allah's sake. He hates for Allah's sake.
The
most faithful people who embraced this concept are the companions of the
Prophet,
peace be upon him, Allah the Almighty has told us about their faith.
“You will not find a people who
believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah
and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their
brothers or their kindred. Those - He has decreed within their hearts faith and
supported them with spirit from Him. And we will admit them to gardens beneath
which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. Allah is pleased with them,
and they are pleased with Him - those are the party of Allah. Unquestionably,
the party of Allah - they are the successful.”[Al-Mujadilah 58:22]
Imam
Al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, said "those who do not make
friendship with those who oppose Allah and His
Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or
their kindred; for such He has written faith in their hearts, which means He
deemed faith to their hearts. "Al-Qurtubi,
may Allah have mercy on him, said: "He mentioned hearts in particular because they are the home of
faith."
My
dear brothers and sisters in Islam, if you wished to do something that is satisfactory
to you and your conscience, would you please yourself rather than please Allah the
Almighty?
In
such a situation your true faith is manifested.
A
true believer will not venture to do anything without considering the consequences,
if the deed pleases Allah he will do it, if not, he will refrain from doing it.
Have you checked the goodness in your heart?
You
should know that a righteous heart is where you can find love and goodness,
If
such a heart accompanies the good inside with performing good deeds, then the
reward will be from Allah.
Allah
the Almighty said: “O Prophet, say to whoever is in your hands of the
captives, "If Allah knows
[any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was
taken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and
Merciful."” [Al-Anfal 8:70]
This
verse was revealed to the Badr captives. When the Prophet, peace be upon
Him
imposed that they pay ransom, among the captives was Al-'Abbas ibn
'Abdul-Muttalib,
May Allah be pleased with him, who was already a Muslim and paid some forty
ounces to ransom himself. After that he said: " What I like is that this
verse is not revealed on us, and I have nothing in the world because Allah has
given me better than what He took from me a hundredfold, and I hope He had
forgiven me."
This
singular act shows the amount of goodness he has in his heart for in reverence
to having Iman in his heart as nothing even compared to the ransom paid.
How
much goodness do we have in our hearts exceeding that which the dunya offers
today?
Do you have a grateful heart?
When
the heart is a thanking one, it is a sign of goodness, so where is your heart
among
the thankful hearts?
The
Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "a
grateful heart, a tongue
oft-mentioning
Allah, and a good wife aiding you in worldly and religious affairs; are the
best things to be treasured by people". [Narrators: Abu Umamah, Thawban,
and Ali ibn Abi Talib – authenticated by Al-Albani, Sahih Al-Jami':4409
Do you have a humble heart?
Humbleness
in the heart is its subjection and humility to Allah the Almighty.
The
humbleness of the heart is a great thing which is overlooked by heedless hearts,
and because of its importance, the Prophet, peace be upon him, told us that it
is the first thing to be removed from this nation.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "The first thing to be removed from this nation is
humbleness; so that you would not even see a one humble man" [Narrator: Abu
Darda' authenticated by Al-Albani, Sahih Al-Targheeb:].
The
hearts of the majority have declined to be humble for Allah the Almighty and
have been taken over by negligence and lustrous desires. May Allah not make our
hearts of this type. Amin
Do you have a soft and tender heart?
The
tenderness and softness of the heart are the windows from where goodness enters
the heart.
People
with tender hearts are more prone to benefit from advice and preaching.
Have
you checked your heart to see if it softens when approached by advices?
Allah
the Almighty said: “Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book
wherein is re-iteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord;
then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. That is
the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allah
leaves astray - for him there is no guide.” [Az-Zumar 39:23]
My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the Qur'an is the greatest preacher so how do you
find your heart after listening to its verses?
Do
you comprehend its mean and translate it into deeds. Or do the words not always
go beyond the lip that manages to recite them? Subhana-Allah.
In
the qur’anic verse stated above, Allah the Almighty has described those who
fear Him. Their skin shivers and their hearts soften when they hear His words.
If this kind
of
fear inhabits the heart it will have a wondrous effect on its holder. May Allah
make our hearts as likened to those who fear Allah. AMIN
Where is your heart from the reverence and fear
of Allah the Almighty?
The
fear of Allah the Almighty is the motto of the righteous believer.
If
the heart is inhabited by fearing Allah the Almighty, and if it realized His majesty,
and the severity of His wrath, fear and dread will be stirred within it.
The
Most fearful people of Allah the Almighty are those who have knowledge, and all
the true believers who worship Allah knowingly.
Allah
said: “The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned,
their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases
them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely -” [Al-Anfal 8:2]
Allah
describes the believers in this verse as feeling fear when he is mentioned because
of the strength of their faith, and honor to their Lord as if they are between
His hands
My
dear Brothers and sisters in Islam, The fear of Allah the Almighty has captured
the hearts of the truthful as if they were seeing the punishment of Allah the
Almighty and His vengeance.
Al-Hassan
al-Basry, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"whoever
fears Him is a believer and whoever feels safe against His wrath is a
hypocrite".
Abu-Suleiman
Al-Darani, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "whenever fear leaves a heart, the heart is
ruined".
You
can find the faithful performing acts of worship for Allah the Almighty,
yet
they are afraid that their deeds will not be accepted.
This
also was part of the recommendation stated earlier in the article title 10
principles for those seeking the path of Allah. http://www.islamcreedng.blogspot.com/2013/04/ten-principles-for-those-seeking-path-of-Allah.html
Aisha
(the wife of the Prophet), May Allah be pleased with her, said: "I asked
Allah’s
Messenger, peace be upon him, about this Verse: “And they who give what they give
while their hearts are fearful...” [Al-Mu’minoon 23:60]
She
added: "Are these who drink alcoholic
drinks and steal?" Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, replied:
"No! O the daughter of As-Siddiq, but they are those who fast, pray, and
practice charity and they are afraid that (their good) deeds may not be
accepted from them". [Narrator: 'Aisha, authenticated by Al-Albani – Sahih
Al-Tirmidhi:]
My
dear brothers and sisters in Islam, Remember the seizure of Allah the Almighty
and His severe punishment. You are inevitably coming to Him, as Allah Almighty
says: “So on that Day, none will punish [as severely] as His punishment,
And none will bind [as severely] as His binding [of the evildoers].” [Al-Fajr
89:25-26]
O faithfuls,
check your heart and can you find the fear of Allah the Almighty in it?
If
you cannot, you should hasten to heal it as you are in a great danger.
Ibn
al-Mubarak, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "one of the greatest calamities to man is
to learn about a shortcoming of himself, and yet he does not mind, or mourn
it!"
Do you have a pure heart?
The
purity of the heart is the most valuable prize won by the believer; it is the path
to the approval of Allah the Almighty and to His Paradise. And he whose heart
is pure, all his limbs will be pure from sins, his good deeds will be clear, and
in the Day of
Resurrection
he will be with the survivors.
Allah
the Almighty said about His Messenger Ibrahim, peace be upon him:
“Do not disgrace me on the Day they
are [all] resurrected. The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or
children. But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart."”
[Ash-Shu'ara 26:87-89]
My
dear Brothers and sisters in Islam, that is the safety of the heart, have you
judged yourself so that you will be worthy of becoming one of the safe people?
How
many people who, if one felt a slight pain in his heart would panic and hurry
to the doctor and perform all sort of test and pay dearly for its cure.
But
then are now negligent to the moral heart disease.
They
search for the physical safety of their hearts with the physician, not the moral
safety with the Holy Book of Allah and His laws.
The
moral heart disease is undoubtedly more serious than the physical heart
diseases, the physician may heal them, but the moral heart disease may get
worse to the point that it throws its holder into hellfire.
So
my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, Judge yourself, do you have a pure
heart? Is your heart morally sound and healthy, healthy that it will help your
limbs perform righteous deeds?
Always
pray that Allah keeps your heart firm and abiding by Islam, you are not firm
unless Allah the Almighty keeps you firm.
Shahr ibn Huwaishib asked Umm Salamah (the
wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him): O Mother of the Believers! What was
the most supplication by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, when he was
in your house? She said: "his most supplication was: "O Controller of
the hearts keep my heart firm on your religion", she said: "So I
said: O Messenger of Allah your most repeated supplication is O Controller of
the hearts keep my heart firm on your religion? He said: "O Umm Salamah,
there is not a human being but whose heart is between two fingers of Allah,
whomever He wishes He keeps firm, and whomever He wishes He sends astray"
[Narrator: Shahr ibn Huwaishib authenticated by Al-Albani, Sahih al-Tirmidhi:]
My
dear brothers and sisters in Islam, Beware of committing sins, sins are the
poison of the hearts and also their biggest ailment.
Ibn
al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "the consequences of sins
are that they blind the vision of the heart, blur
its light, and block paths of knowledge and guidance!"
O brothers
and sisters in Islam, people are now heedless, they are indulgent in having
fun, so that their hearts are invaded by so many diseases.
Few
people are those who checked their hearts, so their words and actions became righteous.
Check
your heart and leave negligence, nothing will be better than to reform your
heart.
Maintain
its purity, as you maintain the purity of your clothes, guard it off the moral
diseases as you guard it off the physical diseases.
May Allah the Almighty to keep our hearts firm on
His guidance. AMIN
Kindly note that any mistake in the contents of this article is due to my imperfection as a human being as only Allah Subhanahu Wa-Ta'ala is perfect in all affairs.
May Allah Forgive us our sins, guide us right from the evil of insincere intention, save us from misguided knowledge and grant the entire ummah benefit from this work AMIN.
Kindly feel free to make comments, contributions or corrections where necessary.
May Allah Bless us all, AMIN
