The Healthy Heart
Dayona Aisha Evans Ummu Maryam
Chester, PA
Aishaummumaryam@aol.com
11th Safar 1431 A.H
January 26, 2010
Introduction
In the name of Allah the Most Merciful, All praise is for Allah the Lord of all that exists. We seek His help and forgiveness from the evil of our own selves and from the evil from our actions. Whomsoever Allah guides, there is no one whom can misguide him and whomsoever Allah leads astray there is no one who can guide him aright. I testify that none has the right to be worshiped truth except Allah alone with no partner and I testify that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His slave and messenger. May he raise the rank of his final messenger, May peace and blessings be upon his messenger and that of his family and companions. To proceed:
Allah says,”The day on which neither wealth nor sons will be of any use, except for whoever brings Allah a sound heart.” Ash-Shu'ara: 88-89
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:“ The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said' Verily Allah does not look to your bodies nor to your faces but he looks to your hearts and actions.' and he pointed towards the heart with his fingers.” Muslim
Obtaining and maintaining a healthy heart is vital in this life and the determination of ones outcome in the hereafter. People spend time and money seeing that their hair and body stay healthy yet they tend to forget about the importance of keeping a healthy heart. O my beloved brothers and sisters ask yourself how much time and effort do you put forth in purifying and adorning your hearts so they can be presentable to Allah? Not nearly as much time nor effort as we should! Do you take as much care of your heart as you do other things, which in the end cannot save you or redeem your health as much as a healthy heart can. Ask yourself what condition is your heart in? Is your heart sound, strong, pure and full of iman (faith). Is it filled with remembrance of Allah and love of Allah and the Prophet (Peace be upon him)or is it filled with jealousy, envy, misery, arrogance, and greediness? Think about it, is your heart even alive? Yes in the sense every heart pumps blood and keeps the person alive but in reality the heart may not even be alive the heart may be dead. O brothers and sisters don't let your heart die or rot due to weak iman. As Muslims we must rid our hearts of these types of poisons and diseases. Verily there is a cure. This dunya is filled with evil that distracts the souls and attacks the heart. Bottom line my dear brothers and sisters a good life, health, soul, and all other good begins and ends with the well being of the heart. On the authority of Abu 'Abdillaah an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer (May Allah be pleased with him) who said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: Surely, The Halaal (permissible) is clear and The Haraam (impermissible) is clear and between the two are doubtful unclear matters many of the people do not have knowledge of. So whoever abstains from the doubtful matters has saved his Religion and his honor, and whoever falls into the doubtful matters falls into The Haraam, just as the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary is likely to indulge freely grazing therein. Truly, every king has a sanctuary, and Allah's sanctuary is his prohibitions. Verily in the body, there is a morsel of flesh that if it is correct then the whole body is correct, and if it is corrupt, that whole body is corrupt. It is the heart. related by Bukharee and Muslim.
The Noble Imam ibn Al-Uthaymeen (May Allah have mercy upon him)mentioned in his explanation of Imam An Nawawee's (May Allah have mercy upon him)“Forty Ahadeeth” as a benefit from the hadith:“The focal point of righteousness and corruption is the heart. Based upon this benefit, it is incumbent upon mankind to constantly and consistently care for and protect the heart until it becomes upright.”
The need to purify ones heart is major, it involves Hayya (modesty), Murakabah (self reckoning), Muhasabah (self accountability), Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) as- salatu ala an-nabi (Prayer upon the Messenger of Allah), and many other things that I by the permission of Allah will bring to light later. This is a lifelong battle the act of keeping the heart healthy, Verily our enemy Iblis (May the curse of Allah be upon) seeks to destroy our hearts he swore by Allah that he would never leave us alone Iblis said as Allah revealed it to us:“Because you have sent me astray, surely I will sit in the wait against them on your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, and you will not find most of them as thankful ones.” Al-Araf:16-17
Another example of this battle is found in a hadith where the Prophet(Peace be upon him) said:“Verily the Shaytawn is already sitting and waiting for the human being along every trail. Hence, he waits to ambush him along the path to Islam. He says: “ Are you going to become a Muslim and leave your religion and the religion of your father?” But, the person opposes him and he enters into Islam. So, Shaytawn waits for him along the path to hijrah he says: “Are you going to leave your homeland?” The person opposes him and makes Hijrah. Then the Shaytawn takes a seat along the path to Jihad and says: “Are you going to fight for the pleasure of Allah, be killed and afterwords your money and wife dispersed?” 1
Okay my dear brothers and sisters ,we see from the above examples how the Shaytawn never gives up in the fight for our souls, So as Muslims we must constantly be on guard. This serious matter should never be left alone nor unattended. Therefore Guard your heart to the best of your ability, For if it is stolen all hope is lost. Allah the Most Merciful did not leave us without help and guidance in this affair, we can be successful we can win this battle. Allah says:“ O you who believe! Endure and be more patient and guard your territory by stationing army units permanently at he places from where the enemy can attack you, and fear Allah, so that you may be successful.” Al-Imran:200
Allah also sends us help in this battle. Allah says:“For each there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the command of Allah.” Ar-Ra'd:11
This issue will be the principle and main focus of my article insha Allah. I ask Allah to make my work sincerely for Him alone. Whatever amount of good that is in it is from Allah, and any mistakes or deficiencies in it are the result of my own shortcomings.
The Types Of Hearts
Hearts consist of many different types. Heart types vary from person to person depending on the individuals iman. Various Scholars have given mention to it being three different types of hearts. Mainly the healthy heart, The dead heart and the sick heart. Amongst the Scholars who held that view was Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali ,Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdasi and Ibnul Qiyyam Al-Jawziyy (May Allah have mercy upon them). I will give an explanation further along concerning the three types insha Allah. It is very important that I point out the fact that Allah Al-Aleem knows what truly lingers in the hearts of the creation. Allah says:“..is not Allah best aware of what is in the breast of the Alamin (mankind and jinns.) Al Ankabut:10
And Allah says:“ The hypocrites fear lest a surah be revealed about them, showing what is in their hearts...” At Taubah:64
Ibn Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) once heard a man who was putting on his ihram say:“O Allah! I intend to do hajj and umrah.” So he said to him: “ Is it not in fact the people whom you are informing of your intention? Does not Allah already know what is in your heart?”2
Abu Sa'id (May Allah be pleased with him) said that he Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:“The hearts are of four types: polished as shiny as the radiating lamp, a sealed heart with a knot tied around its seal, a heart that is turned upside down and a wrapped heart. As for the polished heart, it is the heart of the believer and the lamp is the light of faith. The sealed heart is the heart of the disbeliever. The heart that is turned upside down is the heart of the pure hypocrite, because he had knowledge but denied it. As for the wrapped heart, it is a heart that contains belief and hypocrisy. The example of faith in this heart, is the example of the herb that is sustained by pure water. The example of hypocrisy in it, is the example of an ulcer that thrives on puss and blood. Whichever of the two substances has the upper hand, it will have the upper hand of that heart.” 3
Ibn Qadamh Al Maqdisi said:“ As for their (the hearts) compliance with good and evil, the heart is of three types:
A heart that is filled with consciousness of Almighty Allah, purified with obedience to Him, and void of bad morals. Such a heart is apt to receive divine guidance. A heart that is charged with vain desires and stained with evils and bad morals. It is quite reasonable that such a heart is ready to be controlled by Satan who transforms it into a blinded heart that is unable to recognize the truth or be affected by admonition. A heart that is being tempted by evil thoughts and desires, but at the same time faith-oriented thoughts and wishes are calling it to the way of good. 4
The Characteristics Of The Different Types Of Hearts
Each type of heart carries different characteristics, you will not find a healthy heart under the same condition as a dead heart, Nor will you find the dead heart to be in the same condition as the sick heart. Each heart holds its own unique qualities due to the evil or good actions one may fall into. So the condition of the heart, One's iman, and one's hereafter is mainly based on the actions one indulged in. Ibn al Mubarak said:
“ I have seen wrong actions killing hearts, And their degradation may lead to their becoming addicted to them. Turning away from wrong actions gives life to the hearts, And opposing yourself is best for it.”
And Allah says:“ Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own self (I.e obeying Allah and by doing righteous good deeds) And indeed he fails who corrupts his own self (I.e disobeys Allah and doing every kind of evil wicked deeds.) Surah Ash-Shams:9-10
As I mentioned before (May Allah bless you and us) the hearts can be divided into three types.
The First type of Heart, “ The Healthy Heart.”
Ibn Al-Qiyyam ( May Allah be pleased with him) said in the book, “Purification Of The Soul.” Chapter three of the healthy heart;“It is a heart cleansed from any passion that challenges what Allah commands, or disputes what he forbids. It is free from any impulses which contradict his good. As a result it is safeguarded of the worship of anything but Allah and seeks a judgment of no other except that of his Messenger (Peace be upon him) Its services are exclusively reserved for Allah, willingly and lovingly, with total reliance, relating all matters to him in fear, hope and sincere dedication. When it loves it loves for Allah. If it detests, it detest in the light of what he detests. When it gives it gives for Allah. If it withholds, it withholds for Allah. Nevertheless, all this will not suffice for its salvation until it is free from the following, or taking as its guide, anyone other then his Messenger( Pecae be upon him)”
The Second Type of Heart,”The Dead Heart.”
The Noble Imam Ibn Al-Qiyyam( May Allah have mercy upon him) said regarding the dead heart;
“ This is the opposite of the healthy heart. It does not know its Lord and does not worship Him as He commands, in the way which He likes, and with which He is pleased. It clings instead to lust and desires, even if these are likely to incur Allah's displeasure and wrath. It worships things other than Allah, and its loves and hatreds, and its giving and withholding, arise from its whims, which are of paramount importance to it and preferred above the pleasure of Allah. Its whims are its imam. Its lust is it guide. Its ignorance is its leader. Its crude impulses are its impetus. It is immersed in its concern with worldly objectives. It is drunk with its own fancies and its love for hasty fleeting pleasures. It is called to Allah and the akhira( hereafter) from a distance but it does not respond to advice, and instead it follows any scheming, cunning Shaytawn. Life angers and pleases it, and passion makes it deaf and blind to anything except what is evil.”
The last Type of Heart, “The Sick Heart.
“This is a heart with life in it, as well as illness. The former sustains it at one moment, the latter at another, and it follows whichever one of two manages to dominate it. It has love for Allah, faith in Him, sincerity towards Him, and reliance upon Him and these are what give it life. It also has a craving for lust and pleasure, and prefers them and strives to experience them. It is full of self-admiration, which can lead to its own destruction. It listens to two callers. One calling it to Allah and His Prophet (Peace be upon him) and the akhira, and the other calling it to the fleeting pleasures of this world. It responds to whichever one of the two happens to have most influence over it at the time.”
He comes to the conclusion, in summary;
“The First Heart is alive, submitted to Allah, humbled, sensitive and aware, The Second is brittle and dead, The Third wavers between either its safety or its ruin. And Allah The Most High knows best.”
So now that you know the three different types of hearts, May you be able to work on changing your heart. Everyone should strongly desire to have the first heart which is alive and healthy. May Allah make us successful. In the following chapter I will discuss some things that will aide you in this journey, and also some things that may hinder you from achieving this goal.
Poisons And Remedies
Allah hasn't sent forth any illnesses except that He leaves us with a remedy, as it has been narrated by Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him)that The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said;“There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also created its treatment,” Bukharee
First I will mention some poisons of the heart, later I will mention their Remedies. Here is a few poisons of the hearts, by no means should any of them be taken lightly no matter how major or minor they may seem. Being heedless towards these poisons is one of many deceptions from the Shaytawn. Umar ibn Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) once said to Al Ahnaf bin Qais (May Allah be pleased with him):“Oh Ahnaf, the more one laughs, the less dignity will he possess. Whoever jokes (excessively) is a person who will be taken lightly. Whoever speaks often, errs often. The more often one errs, the less modesty he will possess. Whomever has a low level of modesty will also have a love level of piety, and when one has a low level of piety, then his heart dies.”5
Sinning being frequent in them and viewing them to be minor is a major poison of the heart Allah says;“Nay, but their hearts were covered over by what sins they earned” Sorah Al-Mutaffifin:14
Al Hasan (Al-Basri) said as an explanation of the verse, “ It is because of doing one sin after another, until the heart becomes blind and dies.”Qatadah also said,” It is because of doing sin after another, one sin after another, until the hearts dies and becomes black.”Ibn Zayd said, “ Their sins overcome their hearts until no good can get through to them.”Mujahid explained,” They used to consider the heart like a hand: when a person sins, his heart starts to crunch up,” and he folded his little finger, “ and when he does another sin,”he folded his next finger and continued until he had his fist clenched. “Then a seal is placed over it, and they used to say that this is the covering'.”6
Fudayl ibn Iyad said;“If Iblis conquers the son of Adam with one of three things he says: I will not seek anything else from him- the servant being fond of himself, deeming his deeds to be plentiful and forgetfulness of his sins.”
Abdullah ibn ,Masud (May Allah be pleased with him) said;“Verily the believer sees his sins as if he is standing under a mountain, afraid it will collapse upon him. And verily the evildoer sees his sins as flies passing by his nose and he does this to it. Abu Shibab (said whilst clarifying the action that ibn Masud made when he said “he does this to it”) “He moves it the fly away by swiping his hand over his nose.” Bukharee
Also from the ill effects of sins is that it may lead one astray from the straight correct path. Allah says;“...So when they turned away (from the path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the right path...” Surah As-Saff:5
Another poison is arrogance, envy, and hatred towards one another. It is not for a Muslim to be arrogant, envious, or hateful verily those are characteristics of the Shaytawn and it may lead to misguidance and many other evils. Allah says;“ I shall turn away from my ayat those those who behave arrogantly on the earth, without a right, and even if they see all the ayats they will not believe in them. And if they see the way of the righteousness, they will not adopt it as a way, but if they see the way of error they will adopt that way, that is because they have rejected our ayat and were heedless (to learn a lesson) from them.” Sorah Al-A'raf: 146
We find in an authentic hadith collected by Muslim, and Bukharee that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said;“Whoever has in his heart an atom's weight of kibr (arrogance) will not enter al-Jannah (paradise)”
The prophet ) peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said;“The disease of the nations who came before you has started to spread among you: destructive envy and hatred. These are the shavers. I do not mean that they shave hair but they shave away religious commitment. By the One Whose hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of something which if you do it, you will love one another. Spread the greeting amongst yourselves. 7
Bad company has a huge effect on the heart and it can lead to hypocrisy which is another poison of the heart. Mixing with people who are of no benefit can lead to back biting, forgetting Allah, losing shyness, behaving in a lewd manner, and many other things which lead to destruction of one's soul and the decrease in one's iman. Allah hold's you responsible for your actions, being under the influence of the ignorant one's is worse then being under the influence of drugs or alcohol! I must also mention the deadly poison of following ones desires, temptations and whims this leads to disobedience, ignorance and eventually the death of the heart. Hudhayfa ibn Yamani (May Allah be pleased with him said: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him said;“ Temptations are presented to the heart, one by one. Any heart that accepts them will be left with a black stain, but any heart that rejects them will be left with a mark of purity, so the hearts are of two types: The dark heart that has turned away and become like an overturned vessel, and a pure heart that will never be harmed by temptation for as long as the earth and the heavens exist. The dark heart only recongnizes good and denounces evil when this suits its desires and whims.” Muslim
Some people even resort to taking their desires as their lord Allah says;“Do you see the one who is taking as his lord his own desires?” Sorah Al-Furqa:43
Allah says;“O wives of the Prophet! You are not likely any other women. If you keep your duty to Allah, then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose hearts is a disease should be moved with desire, but speak in an honorable manner.” Sorah Al-Ahzab:32
Allah The Most High says;“...And do not obey him whose heart We have made heedless of our remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and desires and whose affair has been lost.” Sorah Al-Kahf:28
One of the salaf used to say;“If you want to be close to Allah then put an iron wall between yourself and your desires.”
Abu hafs said;“Whoever does not oppose his soul at every moment and situation and does not make it perform those things which it dislikes, at all times,is decieved and has destroyed it (his soul)”
Allah says;“ In their hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy) And Allah has increased their disease..” Sorah Al-Baqarah:10
Now we get into the topic of vain talk or unnecessary speech in this category included, is back biting, lying, cursing,and slandering . This has numerous ill effects and you can find substantial evidence from the authentic sunnah to support this. I will mention a few. As we know the tongue is the easiest limb to move but its the most dangerous, at times deadlier then a sword! The tongue is in need of guarding from this more then any other thing, rather that be food or drink! On the authority of Sufyan ibn Abdullah At-Thaqaffi who said:“I said O Messenger of Allah! Say to me concerning Islam a word that after you, I will not have to ask anyone about it. The Messenger said; “ believe in Allah and then strive to be upright. I said; O Messenger Of Allah, what do you fear for me most? He grabbed his tongue and then he said “This”.Muslim
The tongue is also one of the things that mainly leads a person to the fire. A hadith related by Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) says;“What mostly causes people to be sent to the fire are the two openings: the mouth and the private parts.” Tirmidhi 8
Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him)also related that the Messenger (Peace be upon him) said;“The servant speaks words, the consequences of which he does not realize, and for which he is sent down into the depths of the fire further than the distance between the east and the west.” Bukharee
Another poison associated with the tongue is thinking ill of others. All though our tongue isn't what does the ill thinking, however having ill thoughts of another leads to backbiting, spreading evil things, lying, slandering, and many other evils. Shaykh Ahmed Zarruq (May Allah have mercy upon him) said:“If you desire to live such that your religion is safe and your portion if full and your honor is sound, guard your tongue and never mention another's fault, remembering you yourself have faults and others have tongues. Watch your eye, should it ever reveal the faults of others say to it. 'O my eye people have eyes to.'”
Now that I have mention a few poisons of the heart I would like to introduce some remedies for these poisons Ibnul Qiyyam (May Allah have mercy on him) said :“The heart becomes sick as the body becomes sick its remedy lies in tawbah (repentance) and seeking protection from evil. It becomes rusty as a mirror becomes rusty and its polished through dhikr ( remembrance). It becomes naked as the body becomes naked and its adornment comes about through al-taqwaa (piety). It becomes hungry and thirsty as the body becomes hungry and thirsty and its hunger and thirst is satiated through knowledge, love, reliance, repentance and servitude to Allah.” 9
Ibnul Qiyyam (May Allah have mercy on him) also said;“And the sound heart is the one which is secure form shirk (polytheism), hatred jealousy, envy, covetousness, pride, love of the world and leadership. So it is safe from every harmful thing which distances it from Allah and it is safe from every doubt that contradicts his Revelation. It is safe from every desire that opposes His command and from every wish that competes what He intends from his servants, and it is also safe from everything that cuts it off from Allah. So this is sound and safe hearts is in a paradise on the day of resurrection. The heart's safety and soundness cannot be perfected, absolutelyy, until it is secure from five things; From shirk which nullifies Tawheed (monotheism) From innovation which opposes the sunnah, From a desire that opposes the command of Allah, from heedlessness that contradicts remembrance of Allah and From a desire that nullifies purity and sincerity. These five are the barriers to Allah and beneath each of them are many other categories that contain unique issues which cannot be enumerated.” 10
Yahya bin muaadh (May Allah be pleased with him)said;“The medicine of the heart is in five things: reading the Quran and pondering over its meaning, having an empty stomach, praying at night (qiyamm al layl or tahajjud), beseeching Allah at the time of suhoor, and keeping company with righteous people.”
Fearing Allah , reading the Quran, pondering over its meaning and reflecting upon it, and doing good deeds. Amongst those deeds are:Performing the obligatory and the recommended acts of worship, feeding the orphans, giving in charity, and fasting. This is a strong remedy that will ward off any poison of the heart. Allah The Most High says;“Verily! Those who live in awe and fear of their Lord And those who believe in the ayat of their Lord, And those who join not partner with their Lord; And those who give in charity with their hearts full of fear, because they are sure to return to their Lord. It is those who race for the good deeds, and they are the foremost in them.” Sorah Al-Mu'minun: 57-61
Abu hafs said,“Khawf is the whip of Allah. He corrects with it those straying from his door.”he also said , “Khawf is a light in the heart,with it one can see the good and evil. Everyone you fear you run away from except Allah. When you fear Him, you run away to Him.”Abu sulaiman said,“When khawf departs from any heart, it falls apart.”Ibrahim bin sufyan said, “When khawf settles in the heart, it the places of vain desires within it and it kicks out the love for this world.”Thun-Nun said, “people are on the road (meaning the straight path) as long as they have khawf. When they lose it, they stray from the road.”
Narrated Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) the Messenger ( Peace be upon him) said;“Allah said , ' I will declare war against him who shows hostility against a pious worshiper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My salve comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps coming closer to Me through performing Nawaafil ( doing extra deeds besides the obligatory deeds) till I love him, then I become his sense of hearing in which he hears, and his sense of sight in which he sees, and his hand in which he grips, and his legs in which he walks and if he asks Me I will give him , and if he asks my protection, I will protect him, and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the beleiver ,for he hates death, and I hate to disappoint him.” Bukharee
The Prophet ( peace be upon him) said;“Shall I not tell you of something that will take away the veil of the heart? Fasting three days of each month,”
At tirmdhi reports from Aisha( May Allah be pleased with her) that she said;“ I asked the Messenger (Peace be upon him) about this verse saying, ' does it refer to those who drink alcohol, fornicate and steal? 'He replied,' no O daughter of as-Siddeeq! It refers to those who fast, pray and give charity while fearing that these actions may not be accepted of them. These are the people who rush to perform good actions.”11
On the authority of Abu Darda (May Allah be pleased with him) said;“ A man came to the Messenger of Allah complaining of the hardness of his hearts. He( Peace be upon him) said; “ Would you like to soften your heart? And achieve your desire? Then have mercy upon the orphans, stroke their heads, and feed them your food. Thereby you will soften your heart and achieve your desire.” 12
Ibnul Qiyyam ( May Allah have mercy upon him) said;“The keys to the life of the heart lie in reflecting upon the Quran, being humble before Allah in secret and leaving sins.” 13
Allah also informed us;“A book which we have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its verses, and that men of understanding may take heed.” Sorah Saad:29
Allah says;“Those who believe and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” Sorah Ar-Rad:28
And Allah says;“Do they not think deeply in the Quran, or are their hearts locked up from understanding it.” Sorah Muhammad:24
Perfecting ones character. Included here is taking on upright traits, such as: being pious, humble,just, shy, and sincere. Good speech is a blessing and mercy from Allah and a remedy against the poisons of the heart. Under the catergory of good speech included is, dhikr (remembrance of Allah), obtaining knowledge of the sunnah and teaching it to others, reciting the Quran, making dua (supplication) istighfar (seeking Allah's forgiveness), and seeking refuge in Allah. To obtain and perfect one's character a powerful tool to assist one in this is keeping good company. Ahmad ibn harb (May Allah have mercy on him) said;“There is nothing more beneficial to a Muslim's heart than to mix with the righteous and watch their actions, while nothing is more harmful to the heart than mixing with the sinners and watching their actions.”he also said, “ If six mannerisms are gathered in a women, her goodness is perfected: Guarding the five prayers, yielding to her husband, guarding her tongue from back biting and gossip and, forsaking worldly possessions, and being patient following a tragedy.”
Allah's messenger (Peace be upon him) said;“There is at time some sort of shade upon my heart, and I seek forgiveness from Allah a hundred times a day.” Muslim
Allah says;“And those who have been given knowledge know that it (the Quran) is the truth from your Lord, and that they may believe therein, and their hearts may submit to it with humility. And verily Allah is the guide of those who believe in the straight path” Sorah Al-Hajj:54
Allah says;“ Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors.” Sorah Al-A'raf:55
Allah says;“….I am indeed near. I respond to every supplicant when he calls on Me...” Sorah Al-Baqarah:186
Allah says; “ And by Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over their faults and ask forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.” Sorah Al-Imran:159
Narrated Abu Musa ( May Allah be pleased with him) said;“The Prophet said, “ The example of the one who remembers his Lord, in comparison to the one who does not remember his Lord, is that of the living creature compared to the dead.” Bukahree
Yahya ibn Muadh (May Allah have mercy on him) said;“Renew your hearts with the remembrance of Allah because it rushes to forgetfulness.” he also said; “ Hearts are like cooking pots. They boil whatever is in them. And the scooping spoons of these pots, are the tongue. Henceforth, look to a person whenever he speaks. For sure, his tongue will scoop up for you what is simmering in his heart: whether it's something sweet or sour, fresh or stale.”
It is reported By Abu Ayyud who said, “ A man came to the Messenger ( peace be upon him) and said ;“Teach me in the briefest words.” He ( peace be upon him) replied; “ When you stand in prayer, pray as if you are bidding farewell ( to this world) and do not utter words for which you will have to seek and excuse, and do not wish for that which the people have.” 14
Holding yourself to account, self reckoning , and accepting admonition is a remedy we so often neglect. Its effects can be tremendous. It causes the soul to feel remorse,nadam (regret)over sins they have earned, and it causes one to turn back to Allah and make tawbah (sincere repentance) and become of those who are guided and upon the straight path. It is reported that Umar ibn Al Khattab ( May Allah be pleased with him) said;“ Bring yourselves to account before you are brought to account, and weigh your deeds before they are weighed.” 15
Allah says in the glorious quran;“ O you who believe, fear Allah your duty to Him, And let every person look to what he has sent forth for tomorrow.” Al-Hashr:18
Allah also says;“ I swear by the Day of Resurrection and the self reproaching soul.” Al-Qiyamah:1-2
Ikrimah said in an explanationnn of this noble verse; It is to blamoneselflflf in good and evil, whether you have done that or not,” Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: “ Its to blame oneself when doing good and evil.” Mujahid said “ To regret for what has passed and blame oneself for it.”16
The remembrance of death, preparing for it, and leaving of this worldly life, and being patient with the decree of Allah. Doing so allows one to focus more on their main purpose of creation, which is to worship Allah alone. The Messenger (Peace be upon him) said;“ Increase in your remembrance of the destroyer of all pleasures I.e death. For the one who remembers it during the hardship of life, it widens for him. Whenever one remembers it at times of opulence, it will cause him to feel restricted and burdened .” 17
Abdur Rahman ibn Uthman ibn Affan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported from his father who said;“ Zayb ibn Thabit left Marwan at midday. I said: “Nothing made him (Marwan) send for him at this hour except that he wanted to ask about something. “ I asked about this so he replied:” We were asked about things which we heart the Messenger (Peace be upon him) say: “ Whoever sets this world as his goal, Allah divides his affairs for him, He will place poverty between his eyes, and nothing will come to him from the world except what Allah has written for him. Whoever sets the hereafter as his goal, Allah gathers his affairs for him, gives him richness of heart and the world will come to him grudgingly and submissively.” 18
Abdullah ibn mubarak would say;“ The world is a believers prison. The best action is patience and control of one's anger. The believer has no country in the world, His land will be there tomorrow in the afterlife.”
Umm Darda on the authority of Abu Darda she said;“I asked him (Abu Darda), “ What is it with you, you do not ask for that which such and such a person ask for? “ he replied: “ Verily I heard the Messenger (Peace be upon him) say: “ Indeed behind you is an insurmountable obstacle, which those with a heavy burden will not be able to pass.” So indeed I wish to lighten my load in preparation for that obstacle.”19
In a narration by Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Messenger (peace be upon him) said;“ I used to forbid you from visiting graves, but now you should visit them, for indeed the hearts are softened, the eyes are made to shed tears ,and it is a remembrance of the hereafter.” 20
Allah says; “Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah's reminder and what has been revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the Scripture before, and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts became hardened? And many of them were rebellious and disobedient.” Sorah Al-Hadid:16
Closing remarks
My dear brothers and sisters, I pray you all benefit deeply from my article and implement that which can be learned from it. I ask Allah the Most High to have mercy on the believers and forgive us of our many sins. O brothers and sisters remember you are in control of your own souls. Take care of your souls and work hard in maintaining them. May Allah reward the Muslim Ummah entirely May He reward the Salaf of the past and the Scholars of today whose work I took from to compile my essay subhan Allah the amount of work I found concerning the topic was overwhelming .May we all continue to benefit from their works. May Allah bless the Muslims whose idea it was to have the essay competition, and every Muslim who has benefited from reading or writing their own essay ameen!
Footnotes
1. Ahmad Vol.3 #483. An-Nisaai Vol.6 #21
2.Sahih, Ja'mil Ulum Hikam p.19
3.Ahmad Jayid Hasan chain of narrators
4.Taken from Mukhatasar Minhaj Al-Qasadin
5.Sifatus-Safwah
6.At-Tabari in his Tafsir of Sorah Mutaffifin
7.At-Tirmidhi 2510,class as Hasan by Shaykh Al-Abanee in Saheeh At-Tirmidhi 2038
8.Sahih hadith At-Tirmdhi and Ahmad also Al-Hakim and Ath-Thahabi
9.Excerpted from the translators footnote's to' An explanation of Riyadh-al-Saliheen by Sheikh Muhammad ibn Al Uthaymeen translated from al-Fawa'id by Sajad ibn Abdur Rahman
10.Taken from his book,'The Path To Guidance.' Al-Jawaab al-Kafee 1/176
11.Narrated by al-Nasaai 2386. classes as saheeh by al -Albanee in saheeh al-Nasaai 2249
12.At Tarbarani and As Silsilah as Sahihah
13.Haadiyyul-'Arwaahila Bilaadil Afraah p.45
14.Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Abu Nu'aym in Al-Hilya hasan
15.At-Tirmidhi in tamridh form, see tuhfat al-Ahwadhi hadith #2257
16.Tafsir Ibn Kathir
17.An-Nasai At-Tirmidhi hasan ghareeb, Ibn majah
18.Ibn Majah Ibn Hibban
19.Taabaaranee Saheeh chain of narrators
20.Reported by Al-Hakim declared saheeh by Sheikh Al-Albanee in ahkam ul Jaanaa'iz
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