The Types of Hearts: The Sound and Correct Heart

Because the heart is described as possessing life or death, it is
classified into three types:

1.The Correct and Sound Heart:

This is the truthful and sound (salim) heart. It is the only type of heart that a person can bring to Allah on the Day of Judgement which will rescue him.

Allah, Exalted says,

“…the Day when neither wealth nor sons will be
of any use – except for he who comes to Allah
with a sound and flawless heart.”

[ash-Shuara (26): 88-89]

The meaning of salim (secure) is salim (the one who is secure), it has come in this form because it depicts an innate attribute or description of the described. As such it is grammatically like
the words tall (taweel), short (qaseer), or graceful and charming
(Zarif).

Therefore the one whose heart is described as salim, is characterised so,  because this attribute of truthfulness and soundness has become its constant and established quality. In this respect it is like the terms, ‘the one who knows’ (alim ) and ‘the one
who has power’ (qadir).
It is also the opposite of diseased (marid), sick (saqim) and
ailing (alil).

People have described the sound and truthful heart in different ways. However they all revolve around the following basic concept:

-That the truthful and sound heart is secure from every carnal desire that opposes the order and prohibition of Allah.

-It is secure from every doubt and uncertainty that would obscure or go
against His narrative.

-It is secure from displaying servitude to any other than Him; just as it is secure from seeking ruling from any other than His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Therefore it becomes sound through loving
Allah and seeking the ruling of His Messenger.

-It becomes sound through showing Him fear, hope, trust and reliance, penitence, and humility; it prefers
what pleases Him in every circumstance and distances itself from everything that would displease Him in every possible way. This is the reality of servitude
(ubudiyyah) which can only be directed to Allah Alone. Therefore the truthful and sound heart is that heart which is secure from committing any form of shirk whatsoever and instead its servitude is directed only to, and purely for, Allah, Exalted is He. Its desire, love, trust and reliance, penitence, humility’, fear and hope is only for Allah and its actions are purely for His sake. Hence if it loves, it loves for the sake of Allah; if it hates, it hates for the sake of Allah; if it gives, it gives for the
sake of Allah; and if it withholds, it withholds for the sake of Allah.
But this alone does not suffice until the heart becomes secure
from submitting to, and going to anybody else but, the Messenger of Allah (جل وعلا) for judgement. Therefore the heart ties a firm bond with him (صلى الله عليه وسلم) resolving to follow him and obey him alone in sayings and actions. These sayings comprise the saying of the
heart: the matters of belief; and the sayings of the tongue which convey what the heart contains. These actions comprise the actions of the heart: its desire, love, dislike and other connected matters; and the actions of the limbs.

Therefore the judge for all these matters – the major and minor of them – is that which the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came with. Hence the heart does not put itself before him in any matter related to belief, saying, or action. Allah, Exalted says,

“O you who believe! Do not put yourself forward in front of Allah and His Messenger…”

(Al-Hujurat (49): 1]

Meaning: do not speak of a matter until he has spoken of it and do not act until he has commanded it.
Some of the Salaf said,

“There is no action, even if it be small, except that two records will be unfurled for it: why? how?”

meaning: why did you do it? How did you do it?
The first question enquires about the cause, onset and motive of the action. Was it done for some temporal and worldly gain such as attaining the praise o f people? Was it done for fear of people’s censure? Or was the motivation of this action establishing the rights of servitude, seeking the increase of ones love of, and closeness, to Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He, and seeking the means of drawing close (wasilah) to Him?

The essence of this question is: was it upon you to perform
this action for the sake of your Master or for the sake of personal gain and base desire?
The second question enquires about the following of the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in that action of worship: was the action you did from those actions which have been legislated upon the tongue of My Messenger? Or was it an action that he did not legislate
and was not pleased with?
Therefore the First question concerns sincerity (ikhlas) and the second concerns following (‘mutaba’ah). Allah does not accept any action until both these prerequisites are met.

The method of absolution from the first question is to purify ones sincerity such that it is for Allah Alone. The method of absolution from the second question is to actualise the following of the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and by securing the heart from any intent that would impair its sincerity and any base desire that would impair its following.

This is the reality of the sound and truthful heart from which ensures victory and bliss.

Taken from – Ighathatul Lahfan fi Masayid Al Shaytan [1/11-19] of Imam Ibn al-
Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him.

Excerpt from: “Diseases of the heart and their cures” By Ibn Taymiyyah]

“Know O beloved reader that it is most important to spend one’s time and energy in treating the heart, and hastening to correct and purify it from sickness and all sins. This is due to the heart occupying a great and lofty position in Islaam, for it is the place to which the Lord looks and the storehouse for tawheed, faith, and sincerity.

Actions are distinguished, one from the other, with respect to their excellence in the Sight of Allah in accordance with the condition of the heart, not by their number or form, but rather due to the strength of the caller, his or her truthfulness, his or her sincerity and the extent to which he or she prefers Allah over himself or herself Al-Haafidh ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee, said: “The heart has been singled out for this because it is the leader of the body, and through the purification of the leader the subjects become purified, and with his corruption they become corrupted. So if you, O servant of Allah, with to cure your heart then it is upon you to be truthful with regards to seeking refuge with Allah and putting your trust in Him, to pray a great deal of superogatory prayers, to perform the actions of obedience to Allah frequently, to pray the night prayer while the people are sleeping, and to treat your heart by making it continuously stick to the remembrances and by befriending only the righteous … and to frequently recite the Qur’an. And Allah will indeed allow all of this to be preserved by him.” [Diseases of the heart and their cure By Ibn Taymiyyah]

||Ḥifdh Thoughts||

“A serious Qur`ān student is a slave of a self-imposed discipline that lasts his entire lifetime. It consumes him; every day, he commits to hours of reciting and painstaking revision.

I remember reading an article a while back, “Tips for Memorizing the Qur’an,” and in a string of must-have qualities-—sincerity, time management, dedication, consistency-—was something unexpected: “A Qur`ān student should maintain a healthy, active lifestyle, and avoid junk food.” Avoid junk food? 😕 That’s a piece of advice expected from a nutritionist, much less a shaykh. Surprisingly, though, avoiding junk food is a Qur`ānic maxim many of us overlook. Exhibit A: “Oh mankind”-—here Allah commands all people-—“eat from that which is in the earth, the permissible and the ṭayyib.” يٰأيها الناس كلوا مما في الأرض حلالاً طيباً

Such a curious word, “ṭayyib.” Stripped to its roots, the word envelopes all things savory and nourishing-—as in wholesome ingredients undergoing minimal steps from field to fork. As in earth food. As in the opposite of highly processed concoctions that are the works of food scientists, and not our Rabb. As in nutritiously dense foods, and not hypertension, obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease-inducing edibles masquerading as “food.” So for the student embarking on a journey so momentous as learning Qur`ān to heart-—for that serious student: strive for optimal nourishment. Optimal nourishment engenders optimal productivity in serving your Rabb. – @QuranImprints

The Dawah of Ibrahim in Surah Maryam

I was reading Surah Maryam today and these verses really hit me with how far we are from the character and good manners that the Prophets practised. 

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَبِيًّا
And mention in the Book [the story of] Abraham. Indeed, he was a man of truth and a prophet.
إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنْكَ شَيْئًا
[Mention] when he said to his father, “O my father, why do you worship that which does not hear and does not see and will not benefit you at all?

يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي قَدْ جَاءَنِي مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَمْ يَأْتِكَ فَاتَّبِعْنِي أَهْدِكَ صِرَاطًا سَوِيًّا
O my father, indeed there has come to me of knowledge that which has not come to you, so follow me; I will guide you to an even path.
يَا أَبَتِ لَا تَعْبُدِ الشَّيْطَانَ ۖ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ عَصِيًّا
O my father, do not worship Satan. Indeed Satan has ever been, to the Most Merciful, disobedient.
يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ يَمَسَّكَ عَذَابٌ مِنَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ فَتَكُونَ لِلشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيًّا
O my father, indeed I fear that there will touch you a punishment from the Most Merciful so you would be to Satan a companion [in Hellfire].”

(Surah Maryam: 41-45)

SubhanAllah look at how Ibrahim عليه سلام spoke to his father, with the utmost respect calling him by يا أبتِ ‘O my father’. Calling his father from the worship of Shaytaan to the worship of Allah in a kind, respectful manner. 

And look to see how his father responded, 

قَالَ أَرَاغِبٌ أَنْتَ عَنْ آلِهَتِي يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ ۖ لَئِنْ لَمْ تَنْتَهِ لَأَرْجُمَنَّكَ ۖ وَاهْجُرْنِي مَلِيًّا
[His father] said, “Have you no desire for my gods, O Abraham? If you do not desist, I will surely stone you, so avoid me a prolonged time.”

(Surah Maryam: 46)

His father threatened to kill him and rejected his Dawah.

How did Ibrahim عليه سلام respond? If it was anyone else today from us we would have sworn, yelled, shouted, threatened back, lost all manners and even before this step we would not bother to give Dawah in this manner to our families rather we would judge them into eternal hellfire! 

Look at how Ibrahim عليه سلام the friend of Allah responded

قَالَ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكَ ۖ سَأَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكَ رَبِّي ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِي حَفِيًّا
[Abraham] said, “Peace will be upon you. I will ask forgiveness for you of my Lord. Indeed, He is ever gracious to me.
وَأَعْتَزِلُكُمْ وَمَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَأَدْعُو رَبِّي عَسَىٰ أَلَّا أَكُونَ بِدُعَاءِ رَبِّي شَقِيًّا
And I will leave you and those you invoke other than Allah and will invoke my Lord. I expect that I will not be in invocation to my Lord unhappy.”

(Surah Maryam: 47-48)

SubhanAllah and what did Allah bestow upon Prophet Ibrahim عليه سلام 

فَلَمَّا اعْتَزَلَهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَكُلًّا جَعَلْنَا نَبِيًّا
So when he had left them and those they worshipped other than Allah, We gave him Isaac and Jacob, and each [of them] We made a prophet.
وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُمْ مِنْ رَحْمَتِنَا وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ عَلِيًّا
And We gave them of Our mercy, and we made for them a reputation of high honor.

(Surah Maryam: 49-50)

He was honoured with prophethood, granted children, had the Mercy of Allah bestowed upon them and given a reputation of high honour. 

The next time you are about to have an argument with your parents, remember the story of Ibrahim عليه سلام. 

May Allah forgive us for our shortcomings in the way we give Dawah to others..

Speaking about the Deen with No Knowledge

By Abu Usama
Jumuah Khutbah: “Speaking about the Deen with No Knowledge”

Imam Ibn-ul Qayyim rahimuhallah says in ‘ilam al-muwaqqien:

And indeed Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala prohibited speaking about Him without knowledge in giving fatwaa and issuing judicial rulings, and He made it from the greatest of the muharramaat (the prohibited matters). Rather, He placed it in the highest level from them. So He said- Ta’aala:

قُلۡ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّىَ ٱلۡفَوَٲحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡہَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَٱلۡإِثۡمَ وَٱلۡبَغۡىَ بِغَيۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَأَن تُشۡرِكُواْ بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمۡ يُنَزِّلۡ بِهِۦ سُلۡطَـٰنً۬ا وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ

“Say, “My Lord has only forbidden immoralities – what is apparent of them and what is concealed – and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know.” al-A’raaf: 33

So He arranged the muharramaat in four levels, and He began with the least of them, and it is al-Fawaahish (lewd, evil sins of every kind) then secondly He followed with what is more severe than it in prohibition and it is al-Ithm (sins of all kinds) and ath-Thulm (unrighteous oppression), then mentioned thirdly what is greater than them in prohibition and it is shirk with Him. Then He followed
fourthly with what is more severe in prohibition than all of that, and it is speaking about Him without knowledge. And this is general to speaking about Him without knowledge in His Asmaa’ was-Sifaat (Beautiful Names and Perfect Attributes) and His Af’aal (Actions), His Deen, and His Shar’ (legislation)…

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says to the meaning:

وَلَا تَقُولُواْ لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلۡسِنَتُڪُمُ ٱلۡكَذِبَ هَـٰذَا حَلَـٰلٌ۬ وَهَـٰذَا حَرَامٌ۬ لِّتَفۡتَرُواْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡكَذِبَ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَفۡتَرُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡكَذِبَ لَا يُفۡلِحُونَ

“And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: This is lawful and this is forbidden, so as to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allah will never prosper.” Surah Nahl: 116

Allah poses a threat to those who lie on Him and His rulings. His statement are for those who say something is prohibited when Allah never prohibited it, and for those who make something permissible when Allah never permitted that thing.This is clear that it is not permissible for one to say that this is “halaal” or this is “haraam” except with knowledge that Allah indeed made such a thing halaal or haraam. Yet today we hear these sayings that of “I think”, “my opinion is”, “my heart tells me this”, we live in a time where everyone thinks they have to give their two cents in every single issue when it comes to Islamic verdicts, where everyone has an answer when it comes to a question pertaining to Islam.

By Allah if these same people were asked a question about a broken part of a car they would direct you to a mechanic, if they were asked about a problem with a computer they would direct you to an IT expert, each time directing to a specialist, to an expert in the field because they know if they do not know and attempted to fix the problem they would look like fools, subhanAllah these are matters pertaining to Dunya in which we are afraid of embarrassing ourselves in front of others, yet when it comes to the Deen of Allah azzawajal EVERYONE is an expert, everyone has the answers, is this the status we have placed our Deen on, Allahul Mustaan.