Diseases of the Heart and
Their Cures
The Day whereon neither
wealth nor sons will avail, except him who brings to Allah a clean
heart (Qalb saleem). (Surah Ash-Shu'ara: 88-89)
THIS AYAH CLEARLY refers to the spiritual heart,
although it is important to remember that the spiritual heart resides within
the physical heart and the two are closely interconnected.
Spiritual diseases of the heart can have a
negative impact on the physical heart and indeed the rest of the body. So,
treating spiritual diseases of the heart will have a positive impact on the
physical heart and body. Laboratory experiments at the HeartMath Institute have
shown that when people focus on their hearts and activate a core heart feeling
such as love, care or appreciation, this focus changes their heart rhythms
immediately. When positive emotions such as happiness, compassion, care and
appreciation are activated, there is increased production of
dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the body, a hormone that fights aging in human
beings. If the heart suffers from spiritual diseases such as envy, anger or
hate, DHEA production is reduced and the production of the stress hormone
cortisol is increased, resulting in aging and reduction of potential life span.
It is little wonder, therefore, that the Prophet (SAW) often used to make the
supplication:
"O Allah! I seek refuge in you from anxiety
(stress) and grief, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardliness, the
burden of debts and from being overpowered by men." (Bukhari, Abu Dawud
and At- Tirmidhi)
Similarly, the actions taken to control the
diseases of the physical heart will also have a positive effect on the
spiritual heart.
This chapter starts by looking at the physical
diseases of the heart and their cures according to the Qur'an and Sunnah, and
then addresses the more important matter of how to attain a sound heart free
from spiritual stains and defects (qalb saleem) by treating various spiritual diseases.
Physical Diseases of the
Heart
Among the physical diseases of the heart, the
rnajor one is coronary heart disease. This occurs when the arteries that supply
the heart with blood and oxygen become narrowed because of deposits of
cholesterol on the artery walls. If not enough oxygenated blood can reach the
heart then an angina attack results. In more severe cases, if the supply of
blood is completely cut off from a portion of the heart, a heart attack will
result. Coronary heart disease is one of the major causes of death in the
Western world. According to statistics, about one million people in the US64 and 110,000 people in the UK65 die each year from
coronary heart disease. Although modern medicines and heart surgery can treat
coronary heart disease, the best course of action is prevention through
lifestyle changes.
The vast majority of diseases are related to our
diet and the Islamic lifestyle as prescribed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is an
ideal course of prevention for many diseases, including those of the heart.
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) disliked excessive eating. He lived with a flat belly
and he died with a flat belly. He is reported to have said:
No man fills a vessel worse than his stomach. A
few morsels are enough for the son of Adam (human being) to keep his back
upright. But if he must eat more, then he should fill one third of his stomach
with food, one third with drink and leave one third empty for the air (for easy
breathing). (At-Tirmidhi)
It is important to exercise moderation in our
eating habits. Limiting the consumption of food results in a tender heart, a
strong intellect, a humble self and it weakens desires. Excessive eating brings
about the opposite of these praiseworthy qualities. Ibrahim ibn Adham said:
"Anyone who controls his stomach is in
control of his deen, and anyone who controls his hunger is in control of good
behaviour. Disobedience towards Allah is nearest to a person who is satiated
with a full stomach, and furthest away from a person who is hungry." 66
Two of the most important aspects of Islam are salah and dhikr and these are equally important as part of a healthy lifestyle as
the Prophet Muhamrnad (SAW) advised:
Dissolve and digest your food through the
process of remembrance of Allah and offering of prayers. (Abu Nuaym}
It is for this reason that the five obligatory
prayers are arranged as they are. Traditionally, the Dhuhr and 'Isha prayers
are offered after a meal and these are longer, allowing us to gently exercise
the body and prevent us from sleeping immediately after meals, The wisdorn
behind this was explained by the Prophet (SAW):
Do not go to bed immediately after the meals; it
will harden your heart. Avoid any hard or large quantum of exercise immediately
after meals; it will also cause damage. (Abu Nuavm}
The quality of the food we eat affects both our
physical and spiritual health. It is important to eat pure food that has been
obtained using halal income.
In Surah Al-Kahf when the Sleepers of the Cave'? awoke after their long sleep
and sent one of their number to the nearby town market to buy some food, they
advised him to get food which they described as 'Azka ta'aman' (pure food). These pious young men realised the
importance of eating pure food in order to maintain a pure heart.
Part of the reason that the hearts of Muslims
are destroyed is because we are no longer careful about choosing food that is
pure.
Instead of eating homemade food filled with barakah, we prefer fast food, which in the words of
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, is "made with haste and waste, two attributes of the
devil." 68 It is important for us to be conscious of
purity of the food we are eating for the sake of the physical and spiritual
health of our hearts.
Types of Spiritual Heart
The heart is the midpoint between the body and
soul. During our earthly life, there is a continual struggle between the
desires of the body and those of the soul. If the heart inclines more towards
the passionate desires of the body, it first becomes veiled, then it is
hardened and finally it becomes diseased. Conversely, if the heart inclines
more towards the desires of the soul, it starts to receive spiritual power that
strengthens it. According to the Qur' an, people have three kinds of hearts spiritually:
1 Mu'min (believer in Oneness of Allah) - somebody whose
heart is alive.
2 Kafir (disbeliever in Allah) - somebody whose heart is
dead.
3 Munafiq (hypocrite) - somebody whose heart has a
disease.
The disease of hypocrisy is considered to be
worse than disbelief as the munafiq tries
to deceive Allah.
While the heart of the mu'min is clear and alive, it is always vulnerable to
attack from envy, backbiting, arrogance and other spiritual diseases. Sheikh
Ibn Taymiyyah in his book 'Diseases of the Hearts and Their Cures' quotes from
Ali bin Abi Talib (RA), about
the different kinds of spiritual hearts:
"The hearts are of four types: the clear
heart that is illuminated by a torch - this is the heart of the believer. The
encased heart - this is the heart of the disbeliever. The inverted heart - this
is the heart of the hypocrite. And, the heart that has two attractions, a time
when it is called to faith, and a time when it is called to hypocrisy - these
are a people that have mixed good actions with evil ones. "69
Importance of the
Science of Tazkiyyah (Purification of the Heart)
Islam is not merely a religion but a complete
code of life. The injunctions of Islam dealing with the outward aspects of our
life form the science of fiqh (jurisprudence), while
the commandments of Islam dealing with the inward aspects of our personalities
are described in the science of tazkiyyah (purification
of the heart). [For further details, see Appendix II]
Allah's purpose in sending Prophets and
Messengers to humankind and revealing religious scriptures has been tazkiyyah (purification) of people's hearts. The Qur'an
mentions. the purpose of the Prophethood of Musa (AS) as purifying the hearts
of his people:
Go to Pharaoh, verily,
he has transgressed all bounds. And say to him: 'Would you purify yourself.'
And that I guide you to your Lord, So you should fear Him? (Surah An-Na'ziat: 17-19)
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) prayed for a Prophet who
would purify his own people:
Our Lord! Send amongst
them a Messenger (If their own, who shall recite unto them Your Verses and
instruct them in the Book (this Qur'an) and 'Al-Hikma', and purify them.
Verily! You are the All- Mighty, the All- Wise. (Surah Al-Baqarah: 129)
Allah accepted Ibrahim's (AS) du'a and bestowed
Prophethood on one of his progeny, Muhammad (SAW), whose purpose has also been
described in the Qur' an:
Similarly We have sent
among you a Messenger of your own, reciting to you Our Verses and
purifying you, and teaching you the Book (i.e. Qur'an) and
the 'Hikma' (i.e. Sunnah}, and teaching you that
which you used not to know. (Surah Al-Baqarah: 151)
Indeed, Allah purified the heart of the Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) so that he could receive the Qur' an in an incident which can be
considered as the first heart surgery. [See Appendix I for further details J
The reason that tazkiyyah is so important is that it is a pre-requisite
for success in the Hereafter:
Indeed he succeeds who
purifies his own self. And indeed he fails who corrupts his own self. (Surah Ash-Shams: 9-10)
Ibn Abbas, the great interpreter of the Qur'an
and Companion of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is reported to have said: "Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) taught us Iman first and then he taught us the Qur' an."70 The seed of Iman is planted in the heart and the heart must be
spiritually strong for Iman to grow.
Spiritual Strength of
the Heart
The first step towards strengthening the
spiritual heart is to contemplate the purpose of our creation, our relationship
to Allah, our accountability to Allah on the Day of Judgment and the ways we
can rectify our self, by concentrating on our heart. Frequent remembrance of
death makes this life distasteful for us and we are less likely to follow those
desires that lead us to disobey Allah. If we indulge too much in this world,
our hearts are likely to be adversely affected. Dr. Iqbal writes about this
condition in his book 'Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam':
"In our constant pursuit after external
things we weave a kind of veil around the appreciative-self which thus becomes
completely alien to us. It is only in the moments of profound meditation, when
the efficient-self is in abeyance, that we sink into our deeper self and reach
the inner centre of experience." 71
Similarly, Ibn Ata illah Iskandari, the great
Egyptian saint and scholar, in his book Al-Hikam ul Ata'iyah mentioned:
"If we do not get upset whenever we miss an
act of virtue or prayer and if we do not feel shame after committing an act of
disobedience to Allah then that is a sign of the death of our (spiritual)
heart." 72
In the same way that our physical body depends
on food for its nourishment, so our spiritual heart depends upon Iman, acts of
virtue and prayer for its well being. Spiritual diseases are dangerous for the
health of the heart and, if left untreated, can result in its death.
Animals have only a very rudimentary
understanding of right and wrong, while human beings have been endowed with Al-Furqan (the criterion to judge between right and
wrong).
And the soul and Him Who perfected it
in proportion. And then showed him (inspired with conscience of) what
is wrong for him and (what is) right for him. (Surah Ash-Shams: 7-8)
This is accompanied by a highly developed
capability to feel shame and guilt, which is again unique to humans. These
qualities mean that human beings are capable of almost angelic behaviour.
However, if a human being does not feel shame or guilt upon disobeying Allah,
then the heart of that person is dead and his behaviour becomes worse than that
of an animal. Such human beings who do not differentiate between right and
wrong are described in the Qur' an as cattle:
They are like cattle,
nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones. (Surah AI-A'raf 179)
The ultimate goal of the purification of our
heart is to reach the stage of having what the Qur'an calls 'Qalb Saleem' (a sound heart). This is the kind of heart about
which Rumi noted:
"If the heart is restored to health
And purged of sensuality,
then the Merciful God is seated on the throne.
After this, He guides the heart directly,
Since the heart is with Him."
(Mathnawi, Vol I, 3665-66) 73
The heart intuitively knows what is wrong
because according to a tradition of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) narrated on the
authority of Wabisa bin Mabad (RA) who came to the Messenger of Allah:
You have come to ask about righteousness?"
I said: "Yes." He said: "Consult your heart. Righteousness is
that about which the soul feels tranquil and the heart feels tranquil, and
wrongdoing is that which wavers in the soul and moves back and forth in the
breast (in your heart) even though people again and again have given you their
opinion in its favour." (Ahmad and Ad-Darimi)
Similarly, in another hadith narrated by Nawas
bin Sam'an, Prophet Muhammad -(SAW) is reported to have said:
Virtue is good ethics and behaviour and wrong action
IS what irritates the heart and you do not desire other people to see it. (Muslim)
Hence, the heart is not only an organ of
consciousness but also an organ of conscience (having the ability to
differentiate between right and wrong). Therefore, in situations where there
are no clear injunctions of Qur'an, Sunnah, fiqh (jurisprudence) or Ijma'a (consensus of Islamic scholars on an issue), the
only option is for mu'mins to
allow their hearts to guide them in these matters; the heart will feel at peace
with the truth and uneasy with falsehood. 74
In discussing the education of the heart, Kabir
Helminski, states:
"The heart is not merely a vague metaphor
for some undefined capacity for feeling. The heart is an objective cognitive
power beyond intellect. It is the organ of perception that can know the world
of spiritual qualities. It is the heart that can love, that can praise, that
can forgive, that can feel the Majesty of God ...
But the human heart in most cases has suffered
so much artificial conditioning that it has become a distorted and distorting
instrument. In order for the heart to be an adequate cognitive instrument, it
needs reconditioning. The reconditioning of the heart is a task that must be
guided by objective principles." 75
The principles that we need to use have been
given to us by our Creator in the form of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
O mankind! There has come
to you a good advice from your Lord (i.e. the Qur' an, ordering all that is
good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that (disease) in
your breasts - a guidance and a mercy
for the believers. (Surah
Yunus: 57)
These must be put into practice on a daily basis
in order to educate, purify and rectify our hearts.
Spiritual Diseases of
the Heart and their Cures
Verily Allah does not look to your faces and
your wealth but He looks to your heart and to your deeds. (Muslim)
We will be held responsible for our actions on
the Day of Judgement and so it is our responsibility to refrain from sinful
acts during our time here on Earth. Shay tan does not have access to the
thoughts that enter our hearts. However, he does have the ability to whisper
into our hearts to tempt us away from the Straight Path:
(Shaytan) who whispers
in the breasts of mankind. (Surah An-Nas: 5)
A spiritually healthy heart will find it
relatively easy to resist the whisper of shay tan. However, a weak heart will
find this more difficult to resist and so the whisper of shay tan is very
strong and effective in misguiding a weak-hearted man. Shay tan has used the
same techniques to lead nun astray from the beginning of time and they have
been effective ever since because human nature remains fundamentally unchanged
as Maryam Jameelah eloquently expresses:
"Man's disposition, his biological and
psychological needs, his physical and mental capacities, the temptations which
make him succumb to evil and his eternal quest for the moral and spiritual
values that give human life its meaning and purpose and distinguishes him from
the lower animals, have not changed at all since the emergence of homo
sapiens!" 76
Because of this lack of originality on shaytan's
part in manipulating us, it becomes somewhat easier to understand the ways in
which we are deceived by shaytan to full into his trap and to diagnose the
spiritual diseases of the heart.
The heart, as with every other organ in the
body, has a specific function, which if carried out correctly is a sign of its
health. The function of the heart is to know its Creator and to seek the
pleasure of Allah. If the heart fails in this function, then it is sick and
diseased."
The diseases of the heart, according to Ibn
al-Qayyim al-Jawziya, can be divided into two major categories:
1 Diseases of Shubahat (doubts)
2 Diseases of Shahawat (desires) 78
The disease of shubahat creeps into the heart when Iman is lowered and creates a sense of
anxiety and restlessness which then governs our actions:
... whose hearts are in doubt that ask your leave.
So in their doubts they waver. (Surah At- Tawbah: 45)
It comes about because of a lack of complete
trust (tawakkul) in Allah and a lack of understanding about His
Divine Decree (Qadr). The
spiritually healthy heart has firm belief in Allah, submits to His Divine
Decree and harbours no doubt.
The disease of shahawat arises when the heart succumbs to the desires of the self in
excess of its needs. For example, eating, sleeping and talking to excess are
all diseases of desire.
The Qur'an succinctly tells us in Surah al-Asr
what the general treatment is for these two categories of disease. For the
disease of doubt, the treatment is to have firm belief in the truth:
And (the believers)
recommend one another to the truth. (Surah AI-Asr: 3)
For the disease of desire, it is recommended
that we have patience to control these desires:
And (the believers)
recommend one another to patience. (Surah AI-Asr: 3)
In this section, some of the major spiritual
ailments of the heart will be discussed and some suggestions about their cures
will be presented. It should be pointed out here that owing to the vastness of
this subject, this book represents just a drop in the ocean on the subject of tazkiyyah. As the Punjabi spiritual poet, Sultan Mohammad
Bahoo, said:
"Hearts are deeper than rivers and oceans,
Who knows all the secrets of the heart."
Corruption of the Heart
through the Ears and Eyes
The eyes and ears provide information from one's
environment that is then processed by the heart which in turn governs our
actions. It follows therefore that our actions will be influenced by what we
hear and see around us and that we should exercise some control over what we
feed these senses.
Verily! The hearing, and
the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by
Allah). (Surah Al-Isra: 36)
Our sense of hearing is circular, while our
sense of sight is linear. In other words, we can hear sounds from all
directions but we can only see what is in front of us. If we are confronted by
something distasteful, we can protect our eyes by simply closing them, but to
protect our ears, we must physically leave that place. Similarly our sense of
hearing (as opposed to our sense of sight) remains active even in the dark and
while we are sleeping. In the story of the cave dwellers (Ashab-ul Kahf), Allah tells us that He covered their sense of
hearing so that their sleep would not be disturbed:
Therefore We covered up
their (sense of) of hearing (causing them, to go into a deep sleep)
in the Cave for a number of years. (Surah
AI-Kahf 11)
Hence, it is more difficult to protect the ears
from corruption in comparison to the eyes. It is important therefore, to pay
attention to what we listen to and protect ourselves from those sounds which
will corrupt the heart. This includes all bad speech, undesirable language and
backbiting regardless of whether it is through the media or in the company we
keep.
Many of us are unaware of the harmful effects of
listening to some types of music on the heart. We are surrounded by music each
time we leave the home in department stores, shops and blaring out of cars.
While there is little that we can do about this, we can, however, take
responsibility for what we bring into our homes. Much of the music available
nowadays has inappropriate and suggestive lyrics and is designed to excite us.
All music has the ability to move the heart and
penetrate the soul. Worthless and lewd music with the use of instruments
diverts the heart from the remembrance of Allah and can even awaken dormant
desires within the heart, which can lead to wrong actions. Similarly, melody
that praises and glorifies Allah or narrates the virtues of the Prophet (SAW)
can awaken the desire towards worship. This type of music does not use
instruments (except perhaps the daff or
drum) to excite or arouse passions.
The purest sound that the ears can listen to is
that of The Holy Qur' an recited in a melodious voice. It brings peace to the
anxious heart, tranquillity to the restless heart, comfort to the aching heart
and inspiration for the yearning heart. It is all things to all people and
should be made a regular practice in our daily lives.
It is equally important for the health of the
heart for us to guard the sight as mentioned in the Qur' an:
Tell the believing men
to lower their gaze and guard their modesty. That is purer for them. Verily,
Allah is All-Aware if what they do. And tell
the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty and not to show
off their adornment except only that which is apparent. (Surah An-Nur: 30-31)
When we gaze at any sight that appeals to us, we
become attracted to it and the image of what we see becomes imprinted on our
heart. If the sight is prohibited then the imprinted image will pollute the
heart. It has been reported that the Prophet (SAW) once said to his companions:
The glance is a poisoned arrow of shaytan.
Whoever lowers his gaze for Allah, He will bestow upon him a refreshing
sweetness which he will find in his heart on the day that he meets Him. (Ahmad)
We must be careful to distinguish between
reality and illusion. Often we are presented with altered or distorted images
in the media that make things appear more beautiful than they really are. Our
hearts may yearn to be like the people we see on screen or to achieve their lifestyle
and acquire their possessions. We begin to display the symptoms of al-wahn (the love of this world and dislike of death)
and experience the dissatisfaction that accompanies it. Big screens,
sophisticated sound systems and state-of-the-art special effects all come
together to create an illusion which seduces the viewer. Soon we are addicted
to these images and more time is spent watching television and DVDS than on any
other activity. It is our responsibility to protect ourselves and our families
from the damage done through the media by limiting what we bring into our
homes. It is not necessary to have multiple televisions, cable channels,
satellite dishes, Hollywood and Bollywood videos and DVDS, Playstations and
computer games.
There is a hadith that states that angels do not
enter homes in which there are pictures.79 It follows, therefore,
that we deprive ourselves of the mercy of angels if we keep our TV switched on
for most of the day and night.
Corruption of the Heart
through the Tongue
"The tongue is a great endowment from
Allah; though small in size, its crime is enormous." 80
So said Imam Ghazali, centuries before it was
known that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body. The ability of
human beings to speak and articulate distinguishes them from all other animals:
He (Allah) created
man. He taught him eloquent
speech. (Surah Ar-Rahman: 3-4)
The tongue has the greatest potential to be used
for good - to praise Allah, to encourage others in good deeds, to heal rifts.
However, it has an equally great potential to be destructive through backbiting,
obscene and misleading talk, hypocrisy, boasting, quarrelling, singing, lying,
mocking etc. all of which can affect and ruin a person's heart. The Prophet
(SAW) said:
The faith of a servant is not put right until
his heart is put right, and his heart is not put right until his tongue is put
right. (Ahmad)
Abu Huraira reported that Ibn aI-Abbas said:
A person will not feel greater fury or anger for
any part of his body on the Day of Judgment more than what he will feel for his
tongue, unless he only used it for saying or enjoining good. 81
The following story illustrates how important
the heart and the tongue are. Luqman was a wise man from Africa and was
bestowed great wisdom by Allah with regards to the Qur'an. He spent the early
part of his life as a slave and his master was a good and intelligent man. The
master deduced that Luqman was no ordinary man and thus set him a task to test
his intelligence. One day, Luqman's master ordered him to slaughter a sheep and
to bring the worst part of it to him. Upon slaughtering the sheep, Luqman
brought to his master the heart and tongue of the animal.
A few days later, Luqman was again instructed by
his master to slaughter a sheep, but this time he was asked to bring the best
part of the animal to him .. Upon slaughtering the sheep, Luqman again brought
to his master the heart and tongue of the animal. The master asked Luqman how
the same organs could be the best and worst parts. The wise Luqman explained
that the tongue and the heart are the sweetest parts of the body if the owner
is pure; but that they can also be the worst parts of the body if the owner is evil.
The following sections highlight the most common
faults of the tongue that we are guilty of and how to rectify these.
Unnecessary Speech (Fudhool
ul Kalam)
The root cause of many problems is unnecessary
and excessive speech and this distracts us from the remembrance of Allah as
related in the following hadith on the authority of Ibn Umar:
Do not talk excessively without remembering
Allah, because such excessive talk without the mention of Allah causes the
heart to harden, and the person furthest from Allah is a person with a hard
heart. (At- Tirmidhi)
Words are like arrows; once they have been
fired, they cannot be taken back and it is very hard to undo the damage that
has been done. We can never know just how far-reaching the effects of our words
can be as the following hadith narrated by Abu Huraira '(SAW)' highlights:
The servant speaks words, the consequences of
which he does not realise, and for which he is sent down into the depths of the
Fire further than the distance between the east and the west. (Bukhari)
Not only is vain and excessive talk bad for our
spiritual health, it is also injurious to our physical health. James J. Lynch,
M.D., a U.S. researcher and scientist, has found through 20 years of scientific
research that speech affects our whole body especially the cardiovascular
system and raises the blood pressure.82 For those people that
have an existing condition of high blood pressure, talking can exacerbate their
condition to a dangerous level. 83 On the other hand, when
we listen, our blood pressure decreases.
It is also worth pointing out here that
excessive laughter is also bad for the spiritual health of the heart as the
Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said:
Do not laugh too much for too much laughing
deadens the heart. (Ibn Majah)
The best way to refrain from vain and idle
speech is to engage the tongue in the remembrance of Allah (dhikr) as much as possible. It is an excellent way to
become closer to Allah and to achieve rest and peace of the heart, while
repelling the whisperings of shay tan. When the tongue is occupied with the
remembrance of Allah, it cannot engage in evil acts that will displease Allah
and may hurt our fellow human beings. Thus, dhikr can also act as a shield from the fire of hell.
Backbiting (Ghibah)
Backbiting (ghibah) is a sinful practice that is prevalent in
many societies and involves talking about someone in their absence in a manner
that would hurt their feelings if they were to hear it, even if it is the
truth. If a
falsehood is said about someone in their absence, then this is the sin of
calumny(buhtan). Backbiting
is strictly prohibited in the Qur'an and Sunnah, while calumny is an even more
serious crime as it involves lying and backbiting.
When a group of companions asked Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) about backbiting (ghibah; gossip), he explained clearly that
backbiting (ghibah) refers to mentioning something about your
Muslim brother that he hates. The Prophet was asked, "What if that thing I
mentioned was something truthful about him?" The Prophet said, "If it
was in him, then you have committed backbiting (ghibah), and if
it was not in him, then you have committed al-buhtan" - which is a sin more enormous than
backbiting. (Muslim,
Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi)
In the Qur'an, Allah says:
And spy not, neither backbite
one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You
would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear
Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful. (Surah
Hujurat: 12)
Here, backbiting is likened to eating the
flesh of one's dead brother - an act which is repulsive to all of us. A dead
person cannot defend or protect himself and by eating his flesh, his person is
being violated. Similarly, in the case of backbiting, the absent person cannot
defend himself while his honour and reputation are being sullied.
Backbiting occurs when people do not have
control over their tongues or they are bored so they pass the time by engaging
in gossip about other people. However, Islam encourages us to mind our own
affairs and not involve ourselves with that which does not concern us:
One of the merits of a person's Islam is his
abandoning what does not concern him. (At- Tirmidhi)
Sitting in a place where other people are
backbiting while we listen is the equally grave sin of 'passive backbiting'. We
must stop it if we have the authority to do so or at least leave the offending
gathering as politely as possible. We are often afraid to speak out against the
bad for fear of ridicule, but we must remember that the Qur' an instructs us to 'enjoin the good and
forbid the evil …' (3: 110)
and this can be done in a gentle manner as the following story illustrates. An
Islamic scholar was invited to dinner one evening where he overheard two people
engaged in backbiting at the dinner table. He turned to them and said,
"Brothers, it is interesting that most people start their dinner with
bread but you two have started your dinner by eating the flesh of your dead
brother!"
As brothers and sisters in Islam we have a
duty of care to one another and this is eloquently expressed in the following
hadith:
A believer is a mirror to his brother. A
believer is a brother of a believer: he protects him against any danger and
guards him from behind. (Al-Adab al-Mufrad and Abu Dawud)
A mirror shows the exact nature of someone
without exaggeration at a particular point in time. It does not flatter or
degrade. When a person leaves the mirror, the image disappears; it is not
retained in the mirror for others to see. Similarly, when we meet our Muslim
brothers and sisters, we should not speak in terms of excessive flattery or
humiliate them. Once we have parted company we should not retain any ill
feeling towards them within us and we should not engage in talking about them
behind their back. If we hear others doing so, we have a duty to protect our
fellow brothers and sisters in their absence. For if we do so, then Allah will
protect us:
The Muslim who helps another when the latter's
honour and dignity are under attack, shall be helped by Allah, Glorious and
Sublime is He! - at a time when he would wish for Allah's help. But he who
forsakes a Muslim whose dignity is under attack, shall have Allah forsake him
at a time when he would wish for Allah's help. 84
Lying (Kizb)
One of the most serious faults of the tongue is
that it can be used to tell lies. Abdullah ibn Massoud quotes the Prophet (SAW)
as saying:
Maintain truthfulness, for truthfulness leads to
righteousness, and righteousness leads to Heaven. A man continues to maintain
truthfulness until he is recorded in Allah's book as truthful. Refrain from
lying, because lying leads to blatant evil, and evil leads to the fire. A man
continues to lie until he is recorded in Allah's book as a liar. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu
Daurud and At- Tirmidhi)
A lie is a most serious crime because it can be
used to cover up other evil actions such as adultery, theft and murder. If the
liar is successful in doing this once, then he gains the confidence to continue
to behave in this way until he is weighed down by his evil actions. It is for
this reason the hadith says that lying leads to blatant evil. A persistent liar
is not only recorded in Allah's book as a liar but he also loses his respect in
the sight of his fellow human beings - a very humiliating situation.
Conversely, if a person is honest at all times
then there is no opportunity for him to cover other shameful deeds and thus
truthfulness leads to righteousness. Truthfulness and honesty encompass many
aspects of speech and thought. The most obvious is to refrain from telling
lies. In addition, we should not make promises that we have no intention of
fulfilling and once we do make a promise, we should be careful to fulfil it
regardless of how trivial it may seem.
Most hateful it is with
Allah that ye say that which you do not do. (Surah As-Saff: 3)
Moreover, the truthful person will be respected
by his fellow human beings and recorded as a truthful person in the eyes of
Allah - a most honourable situation,
The following advice of the Prophet (SAW) related
by Abu Huraira (RA) sums up beautifully how we should behave with regard to the
tongue:
Let whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day
either speak good or remain silent. (Bukhari)
Anger (Ghadhab)
Anger is a self-defence mechanism given to human
beings, but unless it is properly controlled, it becomes a very destructive
quality. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) explained the origin of anger:
Anger is from shay tan and shaytan has been
created from fire. Since water extinguishes fire, therefore, when one of you is
overtaken by anger let him make wudu. (Abu Dawud]
Fire is a beneficial commodity for us as long as
it is under control. However, it is chaotic by nature and can easily get out of
control. It is at this point that it becomes destructive. Another feature of
fire is that it rises in the upward direction, unlike dust which is attracted
downwards. So the natural state of shay tan is to be arrogant while the natural
state of humans is to be humble. However, when we are angry, we tend to take on
the shaytanic quality of arrogance.
The best of you are those who are slow to anger
and swift to cool down ... Beware of anger, for it is a live coal on the heart
of the descendants of Adam. (At- Tirmidhi)
The Prophet (SAW) was the perfect example of
this as mentioned in the Qur'an:
And by the Mercv of
Allah, you (O Muhammad (SAW)) 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 (Allah's) Forgiveness for them. (Surah AI-Imran: 159)
Anas bin Malik (RA) was the personal servant of
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for the last ten years of the Prophet's life. He said
that during that time, the Prophet (SAW) did not scold him once. If Anas ever
made a mistake, the Prophet (SAW) would always be smiling.
Anger is like an intoxicant which clouds the
senses and under whose influence a person may conunit other more serious
crimes. The angry person has no control over what he says and may say things
that can cause harm to others and that he later regrets. It is very important therefore not to let this
emotion overcome us in the first place as the Prophet (SAW) once advised a man
who came to him:
Abu Huraira reported that a man came to the
Prophet ilj; and said to him: "Advise me!" The Prophet (SAW) said,
"Do not become angry and furious." The man asked (the same) again and
again, and the Prophet said in each case, "Do not become angry and
furious." (Bulehavi}
If we do find ourselves becoming angry then we
should change our environment, for example by leaving the room, or our position
(from standing to sitting or lying) and we should make wudu (ablution) or drink some water to cool down the
fire of anger.
It is a noble quality to be able to control
anger and to hold the tongue even when we are overcome with emotions. As the
saying goes: "A moment of patience at the time of anger saves one from
years of regret and sorrow".
Love of this world and
Dislike of death (Al- Wahn)
When a large number of individual Muslims suffer
from a particular spiritual disease, then it reaches epidemic proportions and
the whole ummah becomes
afflicted. We are currently in the grip of just such a disease and that is love
of this world and dislike of death (al-wahn). The root cause of the love of this world is
greed and the cause for dislike of death is fear.
If we look honestly at our lives then we find
that we spend much of our time in pursuit of wealth and accumulation of material
possessions. Indeed, Allah knows all too well about our nature and says in the
Qur' an:
The mutual rivalry for
piling up of worldly things diverts you. Until you visit the graves (i.e. till
you die). Nay! You shall come to know, Again, Nay you shall come to know.
Nay! if you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up,
you would not have occupied yourselves in worldly things). Verily, You shall
see the blazing Fire (Hell)! And again, you shall see it with certainty of
sight! Then, on that Day, you shall be asked about the delight (you indulged
in, in this world). (Surah
At-Takathur: 1-7)
The desire to accumulate has diverted us away
from our remembrance of death and the Hereafter. For what purpose will our
accumulation have served when we are in our graves? In a tradition narrated on
the authority of Thawban, the Prophet (SAW) said:
The nations will summon each other against you
as those eating summon each other to their dish. Someone asked, "Will that
be because of our small numbers at that time?" He replied, "No, you
will be numerous at that time: but you will be froth and scum like that carried
down by a torrent (of water), and Allah will take the fear of you from the
breasts (hearts) of your enemy and cast al-wahn into your hearts." Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah,
what is al-wahn?" He replied, "Love of the world and dislike of death." (Abu Dawud and Ahmad)
The symptoms of this disease are the desire to
gain money, power, fame and status. Yet we have not yet grasped how dangerous
this disease can be for our heart.
Two hungry wolves in a herd of sheep are not as
destructive and harmful as the love of the money and extravagance are for the
religion of a person.(At- Tirmidhi)
It is important to realise that materialism is
completely superficial. There is nothing that the materialistic way of life can
offer to nourish and pacify the human soul. In fact, even the physical pleasure
of acquiring something is short-lived and we are soon absorbed by the desire to
acquire something else which is bigger or better. In short, we are never
satisfied.
Narrated Hakim bin Hizam: I asked the Prophet
(for some money) and he gave me, and then again I asked him and he gave me, and
then again I asked him and he gave me and he then said, "This wealth is
(like) green and sweet (fruit), and whoever takes it without greed, Allah will bless it for him, butwhoever takes it with greed, Allah will not bless it for
him, and he will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied. And the upper
(giving) hand is better than the lower (taking) hand." (Bukhari)
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: I heard the Prophet saying,
"If the son of Adam (human being) had two valleys of money, he would wish
tor a third, for nothing can fill the belly of Adam's son except dust, and
Allah forgives him who repents to Him." (Bukhari]
The first step towards treating the disease of al-wahn is to sincerely repent to Allah and ask Him to
bestow barakah on all that we have. Secondly, the Prophet it
recommended that we visit the graves85 in order to diminish
our love of this world and to serve as a reminder of death. When we ultimately
leave this world we will only take with us our balance of good deeds and the
reward of the following three things: 86
a Recurring charity
b Knowledge by which people benefit
c The prayers of our children
Therefore, our limited time on earth should be
spent amassing good deeds to the best of our ability, fulfilling both the
rights of Allah and of our fellow human beings. We should also invest our time
in actions that will help us and others once we have passed away. The greatest
legacy we can leave is to ensure that our children are given a sound Muslim
education and that they set aside the time to pray for us when we have passed
away rather than spend their time in pursuit of wealth.
It is also worth spending some time examining
all the possessions that we have. We will find that we do not need as many
things as we have and we do not need to replace them as often as we do. We
should be content with what we have (which is a great deal). What is important
is not how much we have but how much barakah there is in what we do have.
Sociologists in the West have identified a
disease which they term 'reference anxiety'. This arises when we constantly
compare what we have with others and find what we have to be lacking. It always
helps to look at people who have less material possessions than us rather than
at those who have more. This will help us to appreciate what we have and
realise that we do in fact have far more than we deserve, yet we are still not
grateful.
Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah
(SAW) said, "Look at those who are lower than you and do not look at those
who are higher than you. That is more likely to prevent you underestimating the
blessing of Allah on you." (Muslim)
There is great dignity in simplicity as
exemplified by our Beloved Prophet (SAW). He did not have many material things,
but he was well-respected and loved for his strength of character. We should
try to emulate him as our role model rather than be seduced by the superficial
beauty of this world.
Abu 'Abbas Sahl ibn Sa'd as-Sa'idi said, "A
man came to the Prophet (SAW) and said, 'Messenger of Allah, show me an action
for which Allah will love me and for which people will love me if I do it.' He
said, 'Do with little of this world and Allah will love you, and do with little
of what belongs to other people and people will love you." (Ibn Majah)
Stinginess (Bukhal)
Stinginess or miserliness is another spiritual
disease of the heart, from which the Prophet (SAW) taught us to seek Allah's
refuge. Stinginess originates from selfishness and greed and occurs when we
withhold what we have been blessed with from others, in the mistaken belief
that we will be poorer. The Prophet (SAW) said of stinginess:
Be aware of stinginess. It destroyed many
nations before you. It made them to shed the blood of each other and
misappropriate what was sacrosanct. (Muslim)
The nature of the Muslim is to be generous;
generous with his time, his wealth and his efforts in the Path of Allah and in
helping his fellow human beings. The best cure for the disease of stinginess is
to spend in the way of Allah as this will connect the heart with Allah.
By no means shall you
attain Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, etc.), unless you spend (in
Allah's Cause) of that which you love; and whatever of good you
spend, Allah knows it well. (Surah Al-Imran: 92)
The heart is always inclined towards that on
which it has spent the most. If we spend on the material possessions of this
world, then our hearts are inclined towards this world. Conversely, if we spend
in the way of Allah, the heart will incline towards Allah and seek to earn his
pleasure. In the
words of Prophet Isa (AS):
Give your wealth to your Lord, because your
heart stays wherever your wealth stays. 87
Many Muslims believe that if they have paid
their zakat then they have spent in the way of Allah. Zakat is an obligatory welfare contribution which is
incumbent on every capable Muslim annually. If we wish to purify our hearts
then we must sacrifice more than the minimum amount set forth by Islamic Law.
We must also give sadaqah on
a regular basis. The Prophet (SAW) said:
Sadaqah extinguishes sin as water extinguishes
fire. (At- Tirmidhi)
Sadaqah appeases the Lord's anger and averts an
evil death. (At- Tirmidhi)
Any good deed that we do selflessly for the
benefit of others and for the pleasure of Allah is considered sadaqah. When we give in this way, it does not decrease
what we have but increases it as Allah has promised in the Qur' an:
The likeness of those who
spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred
grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases. And Allah
is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower. (Surah Al- Baqarah: 261)
It is worth reflecting on the fact that we have
a great deal of disposable income for unnecessary superficialities in life yet
when it comes to spending in the way of Allah, we have neither the time nor the
money to give. If we all sincerely wished for our fellow human beings what we
would wish for ourselves, then we could go a long way towards eradicating
poverty and misery in this world. The next time we feel we cannot give up of
our wealth in the path of Allah then it is worth remembering the following
words of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW):
Stinginess and iman can never be together in the
heart of a believing servant. (An-Nasa'i;, Ahmad, AI-Hakim and Bukhari)
Showing Off (Riyaa)
Showing off is regarded as 'hidden idolatry' (al-shirk al-khafiyy) in Islamic teachings. It refers to a desire to
show off and seek praise from others. It takes away sincerity and seriousness
from the act of virtue a person is performing and his actions become
superficial. Empty actions without sincere intentions are worthless and can
lead a person to the ultimate disease of hypocrisy (shirk). Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri narrates that Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) said:
Shall I not tell you what I fear for you more
than al-Masih ad- Dajjal?" They replied: "Yes." He said: "It
is hidden shirk (riyaa) such as when a person stands in prayer and he improves his prayer
when he knows that others are watching. (Ahmad)
The danger of ad-Dajjal (the anti-Christ) is
confined to a specific time, while the danger of riyaa is present at all times and places. Because the intention of a
person is hidden so the disease of riyaa is not always apparent.
It is a common human weakness to enjoy being
praised, which is why Rumi said that animals gain weight by eating fodder
whereas the human nafs (ego) becomes fat
through the ears, meaning that the human ego becomes inflated by listening to
its own praise.88 It is important to
remember that any deeds carried out with the intention of being seen by others
will not incur any reward. The following hadith narrated by Abu Huraira
highlights the severity of this:
I am Independent of all the partners (ascribed
to me). Whoever performs a deed while associating partners with Me, I will
leave him and his Shirk. (Muslim)
The best cure for the disease of riyaa is to check the intention (niyyah) before performing any action. As a believer, our
goal should be only to please Allah because:
To our Lord (Allah) is
the End. (Surah An-Najm: 42)
Arrogance (Takkabur)
Arrogance (takabbur) stems from egotism and overestimation of oneself
and one's abilities or merits. 'To arrogate' means to make an unjust claim to
something. An arrogant person makes an unjust claim of his abilities or merits,
which in reality have been granted to him by Allah. He also shows his pride by
hurniliating others. In Islam, arrogance has been condemned very strongly both
in the Qur'an and the hadith:
And turn not your face
away from men with pride, nor walk in insolence through the earth. Verily,
Allah likes not each arrogant boaster. (Surah Luqman: 18)
One will not enter Paradise, if one has an
atom's weight of arrogance in his/her heart. (Muslim and At- Tirmidhi)
Arrogance was the reason that Shaytan did not
bow down to Adam (AS) when asked to by Allah, and was consequently expelled
from Paradise.
(Allah) said: "What
prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not
prostrate, when I commanded you?" Iblis (shaytan) said: “I am better than
him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.” (Allah)
said: “ (O Iblis) get down from
this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you
are of those humiliated and disgraced. “ (Surah
Al-A'raf 12-13)
Pharaoh was arrogant and refused to believe in
Allah even after signs and miracles were shown to him by Prophet Musa (AS).
Pharaoh said to his people, 'I am your Most High Lord.' Therefore, God seized
him with punishment. (Surah
An-Naziat: 24-25)
Arrogant persons are deluded into thinking that
they are better than other people. They believe that their qualities (power,
intelligence, wealth) are self-made and will stay with them forever. They do
not realise that these are bounties from Allah who has the power to take those
blessings away within the blinking of an eye. Allah describes their state of
mind in the Qur'an:
Thinks he that none can
overcome him? He says (boastfully): "I have wasted wealth in
abundance!" Thinks he that none sees him?
(Surah AI-BaIad: 5-7)
Another type of arrogance is called Ujb which is a state in which a person suffers from
self-admiration of his abilities and merits. Ujb, in itself, is a destructive vice, which ruins faith and actions
and is a product of self-love or narcissism. Ujb can apply to both good and bad actions. A virtuous person may
become conceited about his good deeds. Similarly, a doer of wicked deeds may
feel proud of his actions, both of which are wrong .
The opposite of arrogance is humility and it is
this quality that we must nurture in our hearts to the extent that there is no
room for arrogance.
And the slaves if the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk
on the earth in humility ... (Surah Al-Furqan: 63)
We can learn lessons from the Qur' anic accounts
of those people who were arrogant and their hapless £1te, such as Pharaoh and
Qarun. We can also gain a great deal by reading accounts of the Prophet ~ who
was a most humble man. At the time of the conquest of Makkah, he entered the
city as the head of the army of 10,000 people, he was riding a camel and, out
of humility, he had bowed down so much that his forehead was touching the hump
of his camel.
Attending congregational prayers and performing
Hajj will emphasise how insignificant and ordinary we are in relation to all of
Allah's creation. We are all servants of Allah and are completely dependent on
Him for our being and existence. When we stand on the Plain of Arafat along
with millions of other Hajis, we all stand humbled before Allah in the same
garments and there is no way of knowing who is a king and who is a pauper. We
will all stand this way on the Day of Judgement accompanied by nothing but our
deeds. It is a sobering and life changing experience for those whose hearts are
open to it.
Envy (Hasad)
Envy (hasad) or jealousy is a disease of the heart in which a person resents what
another person has and desires it for himself. It is without doubt one of the
most corrosive of all human emotions. Helmut Schoeck, a German sociologist, in
his book entitled 'Envy: A Theory of Social Evolution', believes that a
society's "civilizing power of achievement" depends on how well it
controls envy89 While modern
materialistic society does nothing to curb this emotion, religion provides the
solution to control its destructive effects. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) advised:
Abstain from envy (jealousy). Indeed, envy
finishes all the good acts and their rewards as the fire does away with
firewood. (Abu Dawud)
The destructive nature of envy is mentioned in
the Qur' an:
Say: I seek refuge with
the Lord of the Day-break. From the
evil of what He has created. And
from the evil of the darkening (night) as
it comes with its darkness. And from the evil of the witchcrafts when they blow in the knots. And from the evil of the envier when he envies. (Surah Al-Falaq: 1-5)
History is rich with examples of envy that have
lead to major crimes. The first murder in human history occurred because of
envy. Qabil, the son of Adam (AS), was jealous that Allah had accepted the
sacrifice of his brother Habil. As a result, Qabil murdered Habil. Similarly,
the stepbrothers of Prophet Yusuf (AS) were jealous of their father's love for
him. Blinded by their feelings of envy, the stepbrothers of Yusuf (AS) conspired
to kill him by throwing him into a well and abandoning him and then lying to
their father about the incident.
When we look at the blessings given to other
people by Allah, our own self (nafs) becomes
dissatisfied with our present condition. Instead of being grateful to Allah for
what He has blessed us with, we resent and begrudge what other people have.
This in turn leads us to commit other crimes to satisfy our own sense of
justice. However, we should try to avoid feelings of envy within ourselves and
one of the ways to do this, as mentioned before, is to look at people that are
less fortunate than we are. This will soon extinguish any feelings of envy we
may harbour towards our brothers and sisters in Islam.
Do not be envious of one another; do not
artificially inflate prices against one another; do not hate one another; do
not shun one another; and do not undercut one another in business transactions;
and be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah. A Muslim is the brother of a
Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him.
Piety is here - and he pointed to his chest three times. It is evil enough for
a Muslim to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All things of a Muslim are
inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property and his honour. (Muslim)
In Islam, the only time we should compete with
each other is in gaining the pleasure of Allah. In one hadith narrated by Abu
Huraira, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said:
There is no desirable form of jealousy except
for two types: a person whom Allah has given the Qur'an and he recites it day
and night, so when a person hears him he says, 'If only I were given the likes
of what he has been given so that I may act upon it the way this person is.'
And a person to whom Allah has bestowed wealth and he spends in the cause of
Truth, so a person says, 'If only I were given the likes of what he has been
given, so that I may act upon it the way this person is.' (Bukhari)
General Cures for
Diseases of the Heart
As human beings we are prone to making mistakes.
In fact, according to some Islamic scholars, the Arabic word for human being insaan comes from the Arabic root-word nasa yansee which means 'to forget'.
All children of Adam make mistakes and the best
among you are the ones who repent (to Allah for their mistakes). (At- Tirmidhi)
Every time, we commit a sin, a black spot
appears on our heart. If we ask for repentance from Allah and give up the
sinful act, then the black spot is removed. If we continue to sin then the
black spot grows until the whole heart becomes black (At- Tirmidhi). This is
also mentioned in the Qur' an:
Nay! But on their hearts
is the Raan (covering of sins and evil deeds) which they used to earn. (Surah Al-Mutaffifin: 14)
Therefore, we must continually seek repentance
for our sins and take care that we do not repeat them. AI-Hasan al-Basri, an
eminent righteous predecessor, said: "The good deed illuminates the heart
and strengthens the body, while the bad deed darkens the heart and weakens the
body." In the infinite mercy of Allah, the door of repentance is not
closed until the hour of death. However, since none of us know when we shall
meet with the Angel of Death, it is best to seek repentance at all times and
strive now to purify our hearts as if there is no tomorrow.
The ultimate goal is to attune the heart such
that if we commit a wrong action then we feel bad about it within ourselves
regardless of what anyone else may say. The first step is to recognise that the
human brain has a tremendous ability to rationalise any wrong action to justify
conmlitting a sin that appeals to the desires of the nqfs, thus deceiving the heart. It is easy to confuse
the emotions of the ego with the feelings of the heart. Certainly, shay tan
uses the rationalising capability of the human brain to silence the truth-
seeking voice of the heart. The poet and philosopher, Iqbal, must have been
referring to this tremendous capability of the human brain to rationalise when
he said in one of his poetic verses:
"Angel Gabriel (Jibril) told me at the dawn
of Life,
Do not accept the heart that is the slave of the
brain.
Falsehood likes dual nature (hypocrisy) whereas
truth is one,
Do not accept the compromise of truth and
falsehood."
(Kulliyat Iqbal)
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi once told his
disciples that shaytan had three good qualities (the three A's) but because he
lacked the fourth and most important quality, he was expelled from Paradise.
Shaytan was a great Abid (one
who prays a lot), a great Alim (scholar
of the teachings of all the Prophets of Allah) and a great Arif (one who knows the attributes of Allah).
However, Satan was not a good Ashiq (lover
of Allah). For if shaytan had true love of Allah in his heart then he would
have submitted to Allah's command to bow to Adam (AS) I without question. 90
The pure heart cannot love Allah and disobey His
commands at the same time. We must live our lives wholly within the teachings
of Islam as contained within the Qur'an and Sunnah. The obligatory acts in
Islam in themselves provide cures for many diseases. Salah is a cure for the disease of heedlessness(ghafla), zakat is
a cure for the love of this world and miserliness (al-wahn and bukhal; the fasts of Ramadan are a cure for the diseases
of desire (shahawat), while Hajj, if performed with sincerity, is the ultimate cure for
all diseases of the heart. 91 In addition, the
supererogatory acts, such as nafl salah, sadaqah and dhikr, will
cleanse those sins that we have inadvertently committed and prevent us from
sinning further. In order to perfect our worship, we should continually seek
knowledge and learn about the lawful, unlawful and the doubtful.
Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is
unlawful is evident, and in between the two are matters which are doubtful
which many people do not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his
religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges
in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a
preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and
the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware! In the body
there is a piece of flesh; 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. (Bukhari and Muslim)
The most perfect worship of Allah comprises a
balance of duties towards Allah (huquq Allah) and duties towards fellow human beings (huquq al-ibad). They are both equally important and worship is
not complete if one is neglected at the expense of the other. Salah (which is from huquq Allah) is always mentioned together with zakat (which is from huquq al-ibad) in the Qur'an to emphasise this point.
Spending in the way of Allah encompasses more
than merely fulfilling our zakat obligations
annually. It is when we truly give of the things that we love purely for the
sake of Allah that we can achieve taqwa (Allah-consciousness).
Take provision; but the
best provision is the taqwa of Allah. So have taqwa of me, O people of intelligence. (Surah AI-Baqarah: 197)
It is for this reason that in the Qur'an the
word taqwa almost always appears with the phrase infaaq fi sabeel
illah (spending for the sake
of Allah).
As for him who gives (in
charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him, And believes in
Al-Husna. We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness). But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient.
And gives the lie to Al-Husna. We will make smooth for him the path for evil. (Surah Al-Lail: 5-10)
The few simple words of the following hadith,
narrated by Abu Huraira, give us the basis on which to conduct our lives so
that we can, insha'Allah, achieve Qalb Saleem.
The Prophet (SAW) said, "I testify to three
things; that giving sadaqah does not decrease your capital; when the slave
forgives his brother for the sake of Allah, Allah gives him honour and whoever
humbles himself before Allah, Allah will raise his degree." (Muslim)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
64. Athar, Shahid, M.D. (1995). Health Concerns for
Believers: Contemporary issues. Chicago, Kazi Publications, Inc.
65_ Department of Health, UK.
66_ Ghazali, Imam Abu Hamid (1978). Ihya Ulum ud Din. Karachi, Darul Isha'at Publishers.
67. A group of five to seven pious young
men who had fled the persecution of a tyrant ruler and hid in a cave and Allah
put them to sleep for about 300 years.
68. Yusuf Hamza (2001). Agenda to Change Our
Condition. Hayward, Zaytuna
Institute.
69. Ibn Taymiyyah, Sheikhul-Islam (2003). Diseases of the Hearts
and Their Cures. Birmingham, Dar us-
Sunnah Publishers.
70. Israr Ahmed, Dr. (1993). Renaissance of Islam:
The Real Task Ahead. Lahore,
Anjuman Khuddamul Qur'an.
71. Iqbal, Sir Mohammad (Allama) (1994). The Reconstruction of
Religious Thought in Islam. New Delhi, Kitaab Bhavan.
72. Iskandari, Ibn Ata illah (1984). Al-Hikam ul Ata'iyah (Urdu title: Ikmal-ush-Shiyam; translated by
Khalil Ahmed Siharanpuri). Karachi, Idarah Islamiyat.
73. Rumi, Jalaluddin
Mathnawi quoted in Helminski, Kabir (1999). The Knowing Heart: A Sufi
Path of Transformation. Boston, Shambhala Publications.
74. Ibn Rajab, Hanbali (1995). Jami al-Uloom
wal Hukam (Commentary on
An-Nawawi's Forty Ahadith) (Urdu language). Lahore, AI-Faisal Publishers &
Booksellers.
75. Helminski, Kabir (1999). The Knowing Heart. Boston, Shambhala Publications.
76. Jameelah, Maryam (1981). The
Generation Gap: Its Causes & Consequences. Lahore, Mohammad Yusuf Khan & Sons.
77. Ghazali, Imam Abu Hamid (1978). Ihya Ulum ad-Din. Karachi, Darul Isha'at Publishers.
78. Ibn Rajab Hanbali, Ibn Qayyim &
Ghazali (1989). The Purification of the Soul. U.K., Al-Firdous Publications Ltd.
79."Angels do not enter a house which
has either a dog or a picture in it." (Bukhari).
80.Ghazali, Imam Abu Hamid (1978). Ihya Ulum ad-Din. Karachi, Darul Isha'at Publishers.
81. Ibid.
82.Lynch, James J. (1985). The Language of the
Heart: The Body's Response to Human Dialogue. New York, Basic Books, Inc.
83. Lynch, James J. (Aug.1996). Why Listening is
Good for You. Readers Digest, 122-124.
84.Ghazali, Imam Abu Hamid (1978). Ihya Ulum ud Din. (Kitab Adaab al Suhbah) Karachi, Darul Isha'at
Publishers,
85. lbn Majah
86. Reported by Abu Huraira (Muslim)
87. Islahi, Amin Ahsan (2002). Tazkiyyah Nafs. Faisalabad, Malik Sons Publishers .
88. Akhtar, Maulana Hakeem Mohammad (n.d.). Sermons on Divine Love Muwaíz
dard-e-Mohabbat], Karachi,
Kutab Khana Mazhari.
89. Schoek, Helmut (1969). Envy: A Theory of Social
Behaviour. Indianapolis, Liberty
Press.
90. Akhtar, Maulana Hakeem Mohammad
(n.d.). Virtues of Repentance (Tawbah). Karachi, Kutab Khana Mazhari.
91. Islahi, Amin Ahsan (2002). Tazkiyyah Nafs. Faisalabad, Malik Sons Publishers .
Important information on Position of Music status in Quran and Hadith and Scientific reasoning http://guidingchristiansandidolators.blogspot.ae/2013/02/music-status-in-islam-allowed-or-not.html
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