Seeking a Living Heart

The Prophet () 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 says, There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern.1 In order for us to adopt this pattern, we need to introduce certain changes into our lives. In fact, we need to re-analyze our whole Islamic practices, the internal aspects and the external ones. Usually Muslims place great emphasis upon "`ibdt" [acts of worship]. Now we need to focus on the motives behind these ibdt and upon Mu`malt [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 visited the Prophet () and asked him about Islam, mn and ihsn (piety). The Prophet's response was that ihsn is "to worship Allah as though you see Him; for if you do not see Him, indeed, He sees you." Jibreel had asked about the inner Muslim, the conscience or the essence of a person. Ihsn is an outward expression of taqw. And taqw is inner piety, the love of Allah , fearing Him and avoiding displeasing Him. Ihsn is the willing to do more than ones duty and to be satisfied with less than ones right, seeking the acceptance of Allah 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 / sound / returning in repentance / fearful and trembling / humbly submitting ?Or is it harsh / deviating / heedless / hard / wrapped / sealed / sick / covered / blinded / distracted / sinful / or disapproving ? We should ask ourselves: Why do we pray, why do we fast or give zakt? Why do we memorize the Quran? Why do we go for hajj or `umrah? Are
1

(Srah al-Azb 33: 21)

these acts of worship done for Allah 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 wheres my reward?", Will people get impressed with my righteousness? If so I am exceptional I can now be a leader in my community!!! Sufyn bin `Abdillah ath-Thaqafi asked: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam, about which I will not need to ask anyone other than you." The Prophet () replied, "Say, I believe in Allah, and then remain upright."
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Sufyn asked for a comprehensive meaning of Islam, one which may be practiced and enables a person to be rewarded with Jannah. Istiqmah is mentioned in the Qurn; Allah gave good news of Paradise to those who remain upright:
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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.3 Remaining on the right course means to be steadfast and firm in most of what Allah has commanded - in all matters of faith, speech and action. The upright Muslim is one who remembers Allah in all conditions, especially when the shaytn incites him to fall into sin; he hastens to make tawbah. As Allah said,
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Indeed, those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.4 Practicing istiqmah gives life to the heart; hence ones heart gets connected to Allahs book, actively. Ibnul-Qayyim ( ) noted: "The keys to obtaining a living heart lies in reflecting upon the Qur'n, being humble before Allah in private and abstaining from sins." Lets analyze these three elements:
1) Reflecting upon the Qur'n: Allah said: [ This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you,

2 3

(Surah Fussilat 41: 30) 4 (Surah al-A`raf 7: 201)

[O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.5 So, Allah informed us that He sent down this great book, al-Qur'n, 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 ( ). 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 `Abbs ( ) in his commentary on Allahs words: - whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray [in the world] nor suffer [in the Hereafter].6 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."7 d) It will be an intercessor on the Day of Judgment 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 Allahs 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 and praising Him he glorifies Allah and (Then do they not reflect praises Him. Allah says; ) upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?8 And when He described the believers, He said; ( ( and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith.9 Another way of acquiring a living heart is:
2) By humbling oneself to Allah in private: This means to desire and long for

Allahs acceptance and approval through supplication, seeking forgiveness,

5 6

(Surah Sad 38: 29) (Surah TH 20: 123) 7 [Sahih al-Bukhari] 8 (Surah Muhammad 47: 24) 9 (Surah al-Anfl 8: 2)

turning to Him, asking for His Paradise and for His protection from Hellfire at the time when He 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 jihdun-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 says: And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good."10

Jihd an-nafs is the most intense type of struggle, the hardest and longestlasting 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 `A as-Sikandary ( ) 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 alone. As the Prophet () said, You must not be impressed by anyone until you observe that by which his life is sealed11 What appears to be righteousness and piety might possibly be a great amount of deeds invalidated [in the sight of Allah] by a persons seeking worldly recognition and praise instead of Allahs acceptance. It has been remarkably explained by our scholars that the three men who invoked Allahs help when they were trapped by a rock that fell and closed the entrance of the cave, didnt intercede with Allah 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.
10 11

(Al-`Ankabt 29: 6) Narrated by Amad, a.

Therefore, one has to frequently review his motivation and be on guard against the continual attempts of shayn 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 d`iyah purifies his deeds from all forms of riy [showing off] and make certain that they are done sincerely for Allah alone, so that Allah accepts them. The criterion of sincerity in a person towards his religion and fellow Muslims is in his devotion to Allah ; 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 () 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 Qurn [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.12 Showing off is to perform acts that are pleasing to Allah , with the intention of pleasing other than Him, either to be praised by them or to avoid their criticism. The primary cause of riy is a weakness in faith. When a person does not have strong faith in Allah , he will prefer the admiration of people over the pleasure of Allah . There are symptoms that are indicative of riy, 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 , alone. Ab Hurayrah ( ) quoted Allah's Messenger () saying: "Allah 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"13
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Narrated by Muslim (Book # 020, Hadith # 4688) 13 (Sahih Muslim, vol. 4 #6349, Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3 #4079)

Ab Sa`eed ( ) reported, The Messenger of Allah () came to us while we were discussing the Dajjl and said, "Shall I inform you of that which I fear for you even more than the danger of ad-Dajjl? It is the hidden Shirk. A person stands to pray, and he beautifies his prayer because he sees the people looking at him."14 Ab Ms al-Ash`ari ( ) reported that Allah's Messenger () delivered a talk one day and said, "O People! Fear this Shirk (meaning riy), for it is more hidden than the crawling of an ant."15 Ab Hurayrah ( ) reported that Allah's Messenger () 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 and : Al-`Izz bin `Abdus-Salm ( ) said, Riy is to work for other than Allah, while sum`ah is to work for Allah, and then talk to people about it. Regarding these two types the Prophet () said, " ". He who makes people hear about his good deeds intentionally, [to win their praise], Allah will let the people know his real intention (on the Day of Resurrection), and he who does good things in public to show off and win the praise of the people, Allah will disclose his real intention [and humiliate him on the Day of Resurrection]16 The Prophet () said, Whoever seeks the knowledge that is sought for the acceptance of Allah to achieve a worldly gain will not smell the fragrance of paradise on the Day of Resurrection.
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And he () also said, The one who seeks knowledge to converse with it the foolish people or to boast before the scholars or to draw the attention of people to him will be in the Hellfire.
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Bishr al-fi ( ) used to say, To seek the benefit of this world by means of a flute is certainly dearer to me than to seek it by means of religion.
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(Sunan Ibn Majah vol. 2, #3389) (Sahih al Targhib wat-Tarhib, no. 33) 16 Narrated by al-Bukhr and Muslim.

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Its narrated that the Prophet () said, He who exposes [his work for] the Qurn is like the one who exposes his sadaqah, whereas he who conceals [his work for] the Qurn is like the one who conceals his sadaqah.17
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Ibnul-Qayyim ( ) said, If obtaining knowledge without practicing it was acceptable, Allah would not have denounced the rabbis; and if practicing knowledge without sincerity was acceptable, He would not have denounced the hypocrites"
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Ways to avoid riy: 1. By making du` to Allah. The prophet () taught this specific du`: O Allah, we seek refuge in you from committing shirk knowingly and ask your forgiveness for what we may commit unknowingly"
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2. By remembering Paradise and Hell and reflecting on the consequences of ones deeds. 3. By concealing one's good deeds. Ab Hurayrah ( ) narrated the hadith of the seven types of people who will be in the shade of Allahs throne on the Day of Judgment. Among them is: A man gave adaqah and concealed it so [much] that his left hand did not know what his right hand has given, and a man who remembered Allah while alone and wept [fearing Him].18
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Concealing a good deed is preferred unless there is a valid reason for showing it, such as encouraging adaqah, teaching or demonstrating certain act, and so on. 4. By being in the company of the pious people. 5. By learning about riy and its indications, and to avoid it before it becomes a habit. How to attain ikhls (sincerity): 1. Avoid shirk and do righteous deeds - the more good deeds we do the closer we get to Allah and the more sincere we become.

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Narrated by Amad, Ab Dwd, at-Tirmidh and an-Nas. Al-Bukhr and Muslim.

2. Do not give false impressions, making others believe that something you did was good when it wasnt. 3. Make efforts to seek more beneficial knowledge, and make sure your deeds are in accordance with the shar`ah. 4. Do istighfr. The Prophet (), after 23 years of da`wah and nubuwwah, was instructed by Allah to seek forgiveness (istighfr). 5. Upon completing any good deed ask Allah to accept it and forgive any shortcoming. Imm Ahmad ( ) used to say: Before you do anything, check your intention, and then ask yourself: "Was it done for Allah?"

Monday, February 18, 2013 {in Drul -Huda} Tuesday, March 05, 2013 {in the Islamic Center}