IMPORTANCE OF YOUR HEART❤️:

The heart, usually qalb in Arabic, refers to both the corporeal heart that pumps blood and the ethereal heart that controls one’s spiritual state. The literal meaning of the word qalb means “to turn” which describes how the heart constantly turns or changes to different states. The Quran uses other terms to refer to the heart as well. It is important in Islam as the state of one’s heart directs the emotions and actions in the living world. Allah’s messenger (ﷺ) said:

There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.

[Sahih al-Bukhari 52]

What will save us on the Day of Judgement? Are we favored based on our race or color? No. Then what is it? It is the place in our body which Allaah subhanahu wa ta’alaa made the location of the most valuable possession of a human being: emaan (faith). It is your heart.

What favours you in the sight of Allaah subhanahu wa ta’alaa is the state of your heart. What will save you on the Day of Judgement is qalbun saleem— a sound heart.

A sound heart refers to one that is free from arrogance and tries to please Allah. While a sick heart refers to one who is controlled by his(er) vain desires and is lost. Many surahs touch upon the heart, but some mention it more than others. It appears around 130 times in the Quran and is mentioned in the sunnah many times as well. This article will dive into both to see how Allah and his messenger refer to the heart in five specific verses.

TYPES OF HEART:

The first verse this article will discuss is from Al-Baqarah and it communicates about the different types of hearts:

“Then, after that, your hearts were hardened and became as stones or even worse in hardness. And indeed, there are stones out of which rivers gush forth, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which split asunder so that water flows from them, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which fall down for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do”.

[Quran 2:74]

In this verse, Allah provides a parallel between hearts and stones. Some hearts easily turn to Allah (gushing forth), while others turn to Allah after being hard (split asunder), and some drop(heavy stone) out of fear of Allah. All three types are believers, but with different types of hearts. As long as your heart is receptive and is fed with good deeds then it will continue to be healthy. If the heart stays hard like a stone without it ever humbling, then it will be difficult to turn back without the mercy of Allah.

REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH:

“Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest”.

[Quran 13:28]

Allah is saying first and foremost one should have a true belief in the oneness of God. They should then remember him as much as they can as it provides relief for the heart. Imagine holding your breath underwater and then at the breaking point finally receiving some fresh air. This is an analogy of how one’s heart feels after one remembers their lord.

Dhikr is easy on the tongue, yet it is very powerful for one’s faith. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

”For everything, there is a polish, and the polish for the hearts is the dhikr (remembrance) of Allah. There is nothing more potent in saving a person from the punishment of Allah than the dhikr of Allah.”

[al-Jami’ 1932]

Look for Allah in daily life and be grateful for the simplest of blessings. Water, health, food security, and shelter are among some of the blessings many take for granted. As one’s heart becomes purer, it will be easier to appreciate life inshaAllah.

VAIN DESIRES:

أَفَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُۥ هَوَىٰهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍۢ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِۦ وَقَلْبِهِۦ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِۦ غِشَـٰوَةًۭ فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ٢٣

“Have you seen him who takes his own lust (vain desires) as his ilah (god), and Allah knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after Allah? Will you not then remember?”

[Quran 45:23]

In this verse, Allah says that he is the one who seals the heart making it not receptive to the truth. He specifically speaks about vain desires, ones that do benefit the believer in any way and only to satisfy the nafs(self). This can be drugs and porn, but it can be food, money, and sex. They need to be used in the right way. Nothing is wrong with desire as humans need it to stay motivated, but one has to ensure that they are not taking these desires to be their god. As long as the intention is pure and focused on Allah, then satisfying these desires the halal way, will get the believer closer to All-Mighty. Allah also mentions sealing the hearing and covering the sight. This is not directly referring to the physical abilities that Allah has blessed most humans with. It still pertains to the heart, as one can hear and see with it. If one’s hearing is sealed they can hear the Quran, but they feel

nothing from it. Likewise seeing people in distress should invoke emotion, but if the sight is covered s(he) will not feel anything. It is the emotion that comes with hearing and seeing that is sealed if one’s heart is not pure. So one could hear and see with ears and eyes respectively, but be deaf and blind spiritually. May Allah protect us from that!

THE HEART AND THE MIND:

When you say the word ‘Think!” most of us point to our heads, right? How many of us point to our hearts when we say “Think?” The Messenger of Allaah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Taqwa is here,” and he pointed to his chest. [Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, Ahmad]

Subhanallah, one of the functions of the heart is ta’aqqul (understanding). Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa gave us a heart to comprehend, to reflect, and to reason. That brings us back to the central ayah: and have hearts by which to reason . . .

Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullaah said that many doctors and philosophers have said that the mind is in the brain, so we think and understand with our brains and not with our hearts. He then said that the centre is actually the heart. Ibn Katheer said: The arrogant philosophers say that the mind is in the brain. [Tafsir ibn Kathir vol 4 p.508]

To believe, to disbelieve, to understand, to comprehend, to have tranquility, to feel confusion, to have tawakkul and to have khushoo’ are all functions of your heart.

WHAT IS THE STATE OF YOUR QALB?

The state of your heart will decide what you do with your knowledge. Will you benefit from it by practicing it or not? For example, if you hear an ayah of the Quran or a hadith, does it make you feel you want to practice it straight away or does it not have much impact on you? Whatever the answer is, it will tell you about the state of your heart.

Sins have an effect on your heart; they can cause your heart to be sealed so that the light of knowledge doesn’t reach it anymore and the ayaat of Allaah don’t affect you anymore. May Allaah ‘azza wajal protect us from this.

There are many diseases we find in our hearts, like jealousy, envy, greed, lust, and showing off. Our aim should be to strive to purify our hearts and turn back to Allaah with a sound heart. Once a wise man made this dua: ‘ O Allah purify my heart from anything but You.’

WHAT DO YOU SO WITH YOUR QALB?:

Now the question is, what is your heart attached to? Is it attached to your house, your money, your favorite tv show, or to those special moments you spend with the Quran and reading about the Prophet?

Allah ‘azza wajal says: . . . when the only one who will be saved is the one who comes before Allah with a heart devoted to Him. [Quran, 26:89]

How can you train your heart to become devoted and sound? I came across this beautiful list of the signs of a devoted and sound heart and I pray you will be as inspired as I was!

But before examining your own heart, take this extremely important step: ask Allaah ‘azza wajal by His beautiful names to purify your heart. He is Al-Wahhaab (The Giver), so ask Him to give you a pure heart. He is Al-Qareeb (The Close One), so ask Him to make your heart close to Him. He is Al-Wadood (The Ever-Loving), so ask Him to fill your heart with love for Him. It’s as simple as that.

You need to test yourself on the signs of a pure and devoted Qalb:

• It continues to push its companion until he turns to Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa and repents.

• It doesn’t grow tired of the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa or His worship.

• If it misses out on an act of obedience it feels a pain that is more severe than the pain felt when losing money.

• It finds sweetness and delight in worship greater than any delight from food and drink.

• If it enters salah, its worries and troubles from this worldly life leave it.

• It is stingier with its time being wasted than a miser’s stinginess with his money.

• It is more concerned with a good deed being performed correctly and accepted than the actual deed itself.

CONCLUSION:

Who say, Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower. [Quran, 3:8]

The science of the heart goes much deeper than what was read here! The main point is that believers need to do their best to avoid anything that will pollute the heart and push to remember Allah. Humans all have desires, so work on one of them at a time. Try to gain more knowledge and wisdom to help the self and others without becoming prideful. Remember Allah as much as possible, so intentions stay pure. Finally, always ask Allah to stay consistent in the religion and other activities that will help achieve the ultimate goal. Since there are many verses on the heart, look forward to more articles on the same subject.