By Dr Abdel rahman Elashry
If we were to tally the top forsaken acts of worship, perhaps the following would be at the top of the list; the act of contemplation and deep thought over Allah almighty and the home of the hereafter. This, as well as most other actions of the heart, is largely neglected by the Muslim individual, the Muslim family and even the community at large.
Contrary to the above, actions of the heart hold a very high status with Allah. Overall, they are much greater than actions of the limbs as we will later explore. There is no doubt that the honour of a subject is linked to the nobility and status of the topic encompassed in that subject. The heart is the king that rules all organs and limbs. It is therefore no surprise that our predecessors, who were raised drinking from the fountain of prophethood, placed paramount importance on the actions of the heart and made it their number one priority.
This great, honourable and magnificent topic is an objective in and of itself, not a means. Today’s average student of knowledge will typically study Aqedah, Fiqh and ?adith as well as many other sciences, but you will find most students neglecting the status of their hearts and the connection that they have with Allah. Seeking knowledge without purification of the heart often leads to a dangerous mechanical pursuit of knowledge. This can result in the so-called student of knowledge amassing all this information with very little effect on actions or, worse yet, causing their heart to harden.
We often come across the following ?adith, but rarely do we pause or take a minute to fully comprehend its meaning and implications on our life:Prophet said:“…Verily in the body, there is a morsel of flesh that if it is correct then the whole of the body is set aright, and if it is corrupt, the whole of the body is corrupt. It is the heart.”
This is why the heart is called “the king of the limbs”. This king works for you, but for a price. It propels an average of 5 litres of blood to supply every cell of your body each minute. It pumps 60 to 100 times a minute, around 100,000 times a day; that is roughly 1 million pumps in only 10 days; imagine how many times it beats in a lifetime!
In return, this precious king demands it be guarded every single day against any potential harm and requires constant servicing, maintenance and updating; but of the spiritual type rather than the physical.
Al ‘Iz ibn Abd-ilSallam said:“The heart is where all obligations start, it is the source and initiator. The goodness of the body is dependent on the righteousness of the heart, and the corruption of the body is dependent on the corruption of the heart.”
Therefore, contemplating this subject is from the greatest topics that could be studied, for if our hearts are set straight then all our affairs will be set straight and, as a result, the vast majority of our problems will be relieved. However, a person who allows his heart to become corrupt or attached to other than Allah will quickly turn the rest of his limbs to corruption also. This will, in turn, lead the person to commit crimes against his Creator bringing the anger of Allah upon him which results in such a person losing both the dunya as well as their akhirah.
The Muslim Ummah today seems to be experiencing a blessed awakening in most aspects of its affairs; one that has been aroused by the efforts of the Muslim youth. However, the astute observer of this awakening will find that there are many problems that hinder its progress; not least being an overwhelming lack of care given to actions of the heart and remedying it from its diseases.
There is a desperate need for this purification process for anyone seeking the pleasure of Allah and the home of the hereafter.
The message from Allah is crystal clear:“The one who purifies his soul succeeds, and the one who corrupts it fails.”
Do not place your hereafter in the hands of someone else, waiting for them to guide you to paradise; rather take time out of your busy schedule to orientate your heart back to Allah. These essential moments of reflection oil the cogs of our daily grind and embellish the journey we are all making. Incidentally, this “tafakkur” is the hallmark of a righteous slave whose heart is anchored to the love of Allah and His Messenger.
The heart, in the context of our study, is that perceptive organ which is responsible for the non-tangible and emotional responses. It is that location in the body where the process of consideration, pondering and understanding takes place. Reliance, love, trust, hope and fear are just a few examples of the plethora of feelings your heart may process on a daily basis.
The question, then, arises: is this all a faculty of the brain or the heart?
To answer this, we need to understand that heart in the Arabic language, or “Qalb”, can be derived from the meaning: “something that turns constantly”. The heart can easily turn from one condition to another if not protected; from guidance to misguidance, belief to disbelief or even hypocrisy all in the same day.
