A Living Heart

The following article was e-mailed to us by our teacher at the Islamic Centre. It's very interesting, informative and essential for us as Muslims. Here's to hoping you will benefit from it...

The Prophet (peace be upon him) is our role model. He is the best example of the practical application of Islam, because he not only spoke about Islam but lived it in all spheres of his life. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says

 “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern.” 

[Surah Al-Ahzab 33:21]

In order for us to adopt this pattern, we need to introduce certain changes into our lives. In fact, we need to re-analyse our whole Islamic practices, the internal aspects and the external ones. Usually Muslims place great emphasis upon "`ibādāt" [acts of worship]. Now we need to focus on the motives behind these ibādāt and upon “Mu`āmalāt” [interacting with one another, dealings and relationships]. How many times do we hear about a Muslim who prays and fasts but is not trustworthy, or about a Muslimah who wears a complete Islamic hijab but lies, backbites, or scorns others while flaunting her Islamic appearance! So we need to look at the "inner Muslim", examine our hearts and attain the true Islamic personality.

Angel Jibreel عليه السلام visited the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked him about Islam, īmān and ihsān (piety). The Prophet's response was that ihsān is "to worship Allah as though you see Him; for if you do not see Him, indeed, He sees you." Jibreel عليه السلام had asked about the inner Muslim, the conscience or the essence of a person. 

Ihsān is an outward expression of taqwā. And taqwā is inner piety, the love of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, fearing Him and avoiding displeasing Him. Ihsān is the willing to do more than one’s duty and to be satisfied with less than one’s right, seeking the acceptance of Allah سبحانه وتعالى alone.

Thus, we need to look into our inner selves in order to find out whether we possess this kind of piety or not. We should ask ourselves: “What kind of hearts do we have? Is it assured المطمئنة/ sound السليمة/ returning in repentance المنيبة/ fearful and trembling الوجلة/ humbly submitting المخبتة? Or is it harsh الغليظة/ deviating الزائغة/ heedless الغافلة/ hard القاسية/ wrapped المغلفة/ sealed المختومة/ sick المريضة/ covered في أكنة/ blinded العمياء/ distracted اللاهية/ sinful الآثمة/ or disapproving المنكرة?

We should ask ourselves: “Why do we pray, why do we fast or give zakāt?” “Why do we memorize the Qur’an?” “Why do we go for hajj or `umrah?” “Are these acts of worship done for Allah سبحانه وتعالى alone or for the people's attention and pleasure?” “Are they done for our own satisfaction; to convince ourselves that, “I have done my part, so where’s my reward?", “Will people get impressed with my righteousness?” If so I am exceptional – I can now be a leader in my community!!!

Sufyān bin `Abdillah ath-Thaqafi رضي الله عنه asked:

"O Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam, about which I will not need to ask anyone other than you." The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, "Say, I believe in Allah, and then remain upright."

رواه مسلم في صحيحه

 

Sufyān asked for a comprehensive meaning of Islam, one which may be practiced and enables a person to be rewarded with Jannah. Istiqāmah is mentioned in the Qur’ān; Allah سبحانه وتعالى gave good news of Paradise to those who remain upright:

قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّـهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ" "إِنَّ الَّذِينَ

“Indeed, those who have said, "Our Lord is Allah" and then remained on a right course - the angels will descend upon them, [saying], "Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised.”  [Surah Fussilat 41:30]

Remaining on the right course means to be steadfast and firm in most of what Allah سبحانه وتعالى has commanded - in all matters of faith, speech and action. The upright Muslim is one who remembers Allah سبحانه وتعالى in all conditions, especially when the shaytān incites him to fall into sin; he hastens to make tawbah. As Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِّنَ الشَّيْطَانِ تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ

“Indeed, those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.”  [Surah al-A`raf 7: 201]

Practicing istiqāmah gives life to the heart; hence one’s heart gets connected to Allah’s book, actively.

Ibnul-Qayyim (رحمـه الله) noted: "The keys to obtaining a living heart lies in 1) reflecting upon the Qur'ān, 2) being humble before Allah in private and 3) abstaining from sins." 

Let’s analyse these three elements:

1) Reflecting upon the Qur'ān:

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says: 

كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ

“[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.”  

[Sura Sad 38:29]

So, Allah سبحانه وتعالى informed us that He sent down this great book, al-Qur'ān, which is blessed in its words, meanings, commands, prohibitions and regulations. And among its blessings is that:

a) One who recites it even one letter of it will have a reward, and this reward is increased tenfold, as mentioned in the hadith reported by at-Tirmidhi (رحمـه الله).

b) One who recites it and acts upon it shall not be misguided in this world, nor shall he be in disgrace or misery in the Hereafter. This is stated by Ibn `Abbās (رضي الله عنه) in his commentary on Allah’s words:

فَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ هُدَايَ فَلَا يَضِلُّ وَلَا يَشْقَىٰ 

“Whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray [in the world] nor suffer [in the Hereafter].” 

[Surah TāHā 20: 123]

c) One who learns it and teaches it is considered from the best of people, as mentioned in the hadith, "The best of you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it." [Sahih al-Bukhari]

d) It will be an intercessor on the Day of Judgement for those who used to act by it in this world. 

When reciting it one should reflect on its verses in such a way that if he comes across a command he says, “I hear and obey”. And when he comes across a prohibition he determines to abandon it for the acceptance of his Lord. And when he comes across a verse of mercy he hopes for Allah’s mercy and asks for it. And when he comes across a verse of punishment he fears his Lord and seeks refuge with Him from His punishment. And when he comes across a verse glorifying Allah سبحانه وتعالى and praising Him he glorifies Allah سبحانه وتعالى and praises Him. Allah says:

 أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا 

“Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?” 

[Surah Muhammad  47:24]

And when He سبحانه وتعالى described the believers, He said:

وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا 

“and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith.” 

[Surah al-Anfāl 8: 2]

2) By humbling oneself to Allah in private: 

This means to desire and long for Allah’s acceptance and approval through supplication, seeking forgiveness, turning to Him, asking for His Paradise and for His protection from Hellfire at the time when He سبحانه وتعالى descends to the lowest Heaven, in the last third of the night. And to stand up for prayers, supplicate Allah sincerely, ask for His forgiveness, and to supplicate for the achievement of the good of this world and the next. 

3) And by abstaining from sins:

This is done by practicing jihādun-nafs: striving to purify the soul, to increase its faith and to incline it towards good while keeping it away from evil and unlawful desires and temptations. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

َالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَاۚ وَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ 

“And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good."  [Al-`Ankabūt 29: 6]

Jihād an-nafs is the most intense type of struggle, the hardest and longest-lasting one in all times and conditions. It is one that makes a person fully awake, aware and knowledgeable of the weak points of his enemy [i.e., the devil and his strategies]. Without this striving, one will remain simply a Muslim in name – a shell that does not reflect the reality of Islam. Jihadun-nafs should produce both internal and external changes which continue until one achieves success.

Ibn `Aṭā as-Sikandary (رحمـه الله) said: 

“From the indications of achieving success in the end is turning to Allah in the beginning.”

Several traditions state that deeds are judged according to how they are sealed. One cannot judge someone by outer appearance and determine that he is destined for Paradise or for Hell, because this knowledge belongs to Allah سبحانه وتعالى alone. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “You must not be impressed by anyone until you observe that by which his life is sealed…” 

What appears to be righteousness and piety might possibly be a great amount of deeds invalidated [in the sight of Allah] by a person’s seeking worldly recognition and praise instead of Allah’s acceptance. 

It has been remarkably explained by our scholars that the three men who invoked Allah’s help when they were trapped by a rock that fell and closed the entrance of the cave, didn’t intercede with Allah سبحانه وتعالى through their good deeds. Rather, they asked Him to relieve them from their state of distress if He knew that their deeds were done sincerely for Him and had accepted them.

Therefore, one has to frequently review his motivation and be on guard against the continual attempts of shayṭān to enter his heart, corrupt his intention, and consequently destroy his good deeds. This is important in the case of every believer, but it becomes more important in the case of a student of knowledge or a worker for Islam. For he/she is expected to be a bearer of truth, representing the ideal Muslim. He is seen by others to represent the principles and moral standards of Islam in his personal conduct.

So it is essential that every student of Islam and every dā`iyah purifies his deeds from all forms of riyā’ [showing off] and make certain that they are done sincerely for Allah alone, so that Allah سبحانه وتعالى accepts them. The criterion of sincerity in a person towards his religion and fellow Muslims is in his devotion to Allah سبحانه وتعالى ; for one who is not sincere to his Creator can never be sincere with people.

Islam is a religion that encourages humbleness and selflessness; it disapproves seeking praise.  However, if one seeks the praise of others through the performance of an act of worship, his deed will not only be unacceptable, but he will be in danger of punishment in the Hereafter. The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned the first three types of people to be sent to Hellfire: A man who died as a martyr, but had fought to be called brave. And a man who learnt the Qur’ān [taught it and recited it] to be called a scholar. And a man who was given from every kind of wealth, but spent it to be known as generous. For all these people, Allah will order that they be dragged on their faces to be cast into Hell. [Narrated by Muslim (Book # 020, Hadith # 4688)]

Showing off (الرياء) is to perform acts that are pleasing to Allah سبحانه وتعالى, with the intention of pleasing other than Him, either to be praised by them or to avoid their criticism. The primary cause of riyā’ is a weakness in faith. When a person does not have strong faith in Allah سبحانه وتعالى, he will prefer the admiration of people over the pleasure of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. There are symptoms that are indicative of riyā’, and it is essential that a believer recognizes them and avoids them all, for there is the risk of becoming proud, an attributes that befits Allah سبحانه وتعالى, alone.

Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) quoted Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) saying:"Allah سبحانه وتعالى said: “Pride is My cloak, and grandeur is My robe, so whoever competes with Me, with respect to either of them, I shall cast him into Hell"  [Narrated by Sahih Muslim, vol. 4 #6349, Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3 #4079)]

Abū Sa`eed (رضي الله عنه) reported, “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came to us while we were discussing the Dajjāl and said: "Shall I inform you of that which I fear for you even more than the danger of ad-Dajjāl? It is the hidden Shirk. A person stands to pray, and he beautifies his prayer because he sees the people looking at him."  [Sunan Ibn Majah vol. 2, #3389]

Abū Mūsā al-Ash`ari (رضي الله عنه) reported that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) delivered a talk one day and said: "O People! Fear this Shirk (meaning riyā’), for it is more hidden than the crawling of an ant."  [Sunan Ibn Majah vol. 2, #3389]

Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) reported that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) warned about three destructive things: “Desires that are followed, stinginess that is obeyed, and a person's self-admiration and conceit; and this is the worst of the three"

The difference between الرياء and السمعة: 

Al-`Izz bin `Abdus-Salām (رحمـه الله) said: 

“Riyā’ is to work for other than Allah, while sum`ah is to work for Allah,
and then talk to people about it.”

Ways to avoid riyā’:

1) By making du`ā to Allah. The prophet (peace be upon him) taught this specific du`ā:

اللهم إنا نعوذ بك أن نشرك بك شيئًا نعلمه ونستغفرك لما لا نعلمه

“O Allah, we seek refuge in you from committing shirk knowingly and ask your forgiveness for what we may commit unknowingly"

2) By remembering Paradise and Hell and reflecting on the consequences of one’s deeds.

3) By concealing one's good deeds. Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrated the hadith of the seven types of people who will be in the shade of Allah’s throne on the Day of Judgment. Among them is:

“A man gave ṣadaqah and concealed it so [much] that his left hand did not know what his right hand has given, and a man who remembered Allah سبحانه وتعالى while alone and wept [fearing Him]. 

[Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]

Concealing a good deed is preferred unless there is a valid reason for showing it, such as encouraging ṣadaqah, teaching or demonstrating certain act, and so on. 

4) By being in the company of the pious people.

5) By learning about riyā’ and its indications, and to avoid it before it becomes a habit.

How to attain ikhlās (sincerity): 

1) Avoid shirk and do righteous deeds - the more good deeds we do the closer we get to Allah سبحانه وتعالى and the more sincere we become.

2) Do not give false impressions, making others believe that something you did was good when it wasn’t. 

3) Make efforts to seek more beneficial knowledge, and make sure your deeds are in accordance with the sharī`ah.

4) Do istighfār. The Prophet (peace be upon him), after 23 years of da`wah and nubuwwah, was instructed by Allah سبحانه وتعالى to seek forgiveness (istighfār).

5) Upon completing any good deed ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to accept it and forgive any shortcoming. Imām Ahmad (رحمـه الله) used to say: 

“Before you do anything, check your intention, and then ask yourself: "Was it done for Allah?"