by
Umm Zahra – Hiba Magazine Team Writer
The Holy Quran states: “And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.” (An-Nahl 16:78)
Who can deny the fact that we are born ignorant? It is Allah, (swt) Who grants us faculties (eyes, ears and intellect) that connect our heart to our Creator.
Yes, that is the real purpose of our senses- to know our Lord, worship Him and please Him before we ultimately return to Him. For this very purpose Allah (swt) granted humans a heart with a physical role to sustain the body by circulating blood and a more superior spiritual role to nourish the soul after receiving, accepting and following Allah’s (swt) guidance.
Remember the Glorious Quran was revealed upon Prophet Muhammad’s (SA) noble heart? Similarly humans too receive guidance through the heart. Their eyes, ears and intellect facilitate this guidance to reach their heart.
Animals too have these faculties. But they use it for their survival only as they have no soul.
Why do we have a spiritual heart?
Your heart must learn to reason by using your observation and analysis.
“So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.” (Al Hajj 22:46)
How did the Quran and Sunnah transform the Companions (rta) into a nation of heroes who established a great Islamic state that other civilizations emulate even today? Prophet Muhammad (SA) taught them to be mindful of themselves and their surroundings. So they strengthened faith by learning and implementing the Quran and at the same time, they observed the natural phenomenon in the skies and the land to recognize their Creator, Allah (swt).
This recognition of Allah (swt) through their eyes and ears moved their spiritual heart and led them to sincere worship and absolute submission. Conversely if the heart is spiritually dead, sight and hearing cannot increase Iman. As Allama Iqbal said:
Dil-e-Beena Bhi Kar Khuda Se Talab
Ankh ka Noor Dil ka Noor Nahin
Beg God to grant a lighted heart
For light and sight are things apart
What is a mindful heart?
If we do not figure this out, our entire worldly life will be an absolute source of loss and destruction due to wrong choices.
“Verily there is a lesson in this for everyone who has a (sound) heart and who listens with an attentive mind.” (Qaf 50:37)
The human heart is a piece of flesh filled with dark blood that is pumped to the entire body to provide it nourishment.
The same heart is also home to our soul. The soul spreads along the blood throughout the body via veins. When the angel of death arrives to collect an evil soul, it runs throughout the body to escape the angel. This connection between blood and soul are what makes the heart the container for our spiritual awareness.
Your heart is mindful when your senses- your physical awareness- make you listen to Allah’s (swt) commands humbly. Our fears, happiness, anxiety, sadness and hopes dwell inside the heart. Our thoughts, emotions and behaviours are connected to the spiritual heart. If our heart is connected to Allah (swt) , our decisions are centered on the Hereafter. But if it’s disconnected, the heart dies, the soul is malnourished and even our body suffers.
How are the Ruh, Nafs, Aql and Ilm connected?
“They ask you ‘O Prophet’ about the spirit. Say, ‘Its nature is known only to my Lord, and you O humanity have been given but little knowledge.’” (Al Isra 17:85)
The Jew scholars questioned Prophet Muhammad (SA) about the Ruh (soul). The truth is that we cannot fully perceive the soul as we have been given little knowledge about it deliberately by Allah (swt). It is one of the matters of the unseen realm that will only be unveiled on the Day of Judgment.
Nafs is the self that has the potential for anger (Ghazab) and to follow desires (Shahwaat).
Aqal is the intellect. It is the tool that enables us to differ between right and wrong. Its opposite is ‘Junoon’ which means impulse.
Ilm is to understand the reality of things. It helps us form the correct world view. This knowledge or understanding must be guided by the Quran and the Sunnah. Otherwise, we end up only observing the physical, temporary world and reject the spiritual, permanent unseen world.
A spiritually awakened heart uses all of the above to gain an understanding of Allah (swt). Our Nafs submits to Allah (swt) and reaches its potential through action. The Aql grants the consciousness to make right decisions at a forked road. Ilm reaches the heart to create the right worldview.
It is imperative for us to awaken our spiritual heart. Allah (swt) specifically addresses this heart in the Quran to move it to action. Otherwise Nafs, Aqal and Ilm are of no use.
“The true believers are only those whose hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them and who put their trust in their Lord.” (Al Anfal 8:2-4)
The Prophet (SA) 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.” (Bukhari)
Take care of your heart. It’s the home of your soul which connects you to your Lord.
Adapted from Fiqh ul Quloob by Mohammad bin Ibrahim bin Abdullah At Tuwaijri
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