By Naima Asma Cherfaoui
To be honest with you, it’s a small miracle to me that I am writing this article right now – my first article for Productive Muslim in three years. In this time, I was drifting away from my religion further and further and could feel my heart hardening until it felt like it had literally turned into a stone. It’s a terrifying feeling and upon reflection, I believe that all of this happened mostly because I was being negligent of my heart.
The Messenger ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “There lies within the body a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the whole body is sound and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted. Verily this piece is the heart.” [Sahih Muslim]
Your heart does not distance itself from Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) overnight. It is a slow process. First, you start becoming lazy with acts of worship, delaying prayer, belittling your sins. Then the pleasures of this life become your main concern and certain sins become a habit that you can’t seem to get rid of, until you start feeling like you don’t really have a purpose in life.
I never want my heart to fall back into that state again, and I never want the connection with my Creator to be strained or cut. Recently, working on my relationship with Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) and establishing certain habits to keep my heart alive have become incredibly important to me. Each one of us has a heart and even though the physical heart plays a critical role in our day-to-day living, the most important nourishment for the heart is arguably the spiritual one.
Therefore, I pray that my words will inspire you -and me- to start working on having a sound heart, insha’Allah.
Here is what we need to consider…
Your relationship with Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He)
- Get to know Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He)
The Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he mentions Me. If he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly greater than it. If he draws near to Me a hand’s length, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” [Sahih Muslim]
I believe that in order to have a heart that is connected to Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He), we need to get to know Him first. How do we expect to build a strong relationship with someone we barely know? Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) gave us multiple ways to do this, one of which is through the Qur’an (I will come back to this later). Another way to get to know Him is by spending time learning and reflecting on His Names which we learn from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Know that He subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) is Al-Khaliq, The One who created us and anything we may desire; As-Sami’, The One who hears every single one of our supplications; Al-Qadir, The One who is able to do anything, no matter how impossible it might seem to our limited perception. This will help us create our relationship with Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) in a positive framework, and make it a relationship that we gladly work on and invest in. So explore, learn and reflect on the Names of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He).
2. Firmly hope for His Mercy
Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) is not looking for a reason to punish, reject or push us away. He is there for us when no one else is and is looking for reasons to accept us. His Names teach us that He is Merciful, The Source of love (Al-Wadud) and The Source of peace (As-Salaam). However, we often tend to lose hope as soon as we slip up. I believe many times this can even be the reason for why we start losing our connection with Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) altogether.
- Performing prayer
The Messenger ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The example of the five (daily) prayers is like that of a clear-water river flowing in front of your houses in which a person washes himself five times a day – cleansing him from all dirt.” [Sahih Muslim]
But it’s not just about praying on time. What is even more important in my opinion is the quality of our prayers. When it comes to our heart, there is nothing more crucial than our prayer. It will be the first thing we will be asked about by Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) and if our prayers were good, then everything else will be good, insha’Allah. [Jami’ at-Tirmidhī]. By implication, this means that the quality of your prayer is a way to check yourself and the state of your faith and heart. It’s our way to call on Him five times a day, to keep our relationship with Him alive and our hearts connected to Him.
- Reading and pondering over the Qur’an
“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He). Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) hearts are assured.” [Qur’an: Chapter 13, Verse 28]
subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He), we have the above-mentioned five daily prayers, but we have also been given the Qur’an, which is not just meant to sit on our shelves but was sent down to be read, lived and engaged with on a daily basis. Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) tells us in the Qur’an that our hearts find ultimate peace and tranquility in the remembrance of Him. Since the Qur’an is said to be the best form of remembrance, it’s an essential component to keeping our hearts steadfast. But how many of us really make an effort to understand His book? How much time do we really spend with it on a regular basis?
- 5. Surround yourself with people that remind you of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He)
The Messenger ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The likeness of a righteous friend and an evil friend, is the likeness of a (musk) perfume seller and a blacksmith. As for the perfume seller, he may either bestow something on you, or you may purchase something from him, or you may benefit from his sweet smell. And as for the blacksmith, he may either burn your clothes, or you may be exposed to his awful smell.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Even if you strive to better yourself and purify your heart, it will prove to be very difficult if your company isn’t good. Just as some people can impact you positively, others can literally poison your heart. Therefore, quality is so much more important than quantity when it comes to the friends you choose to surround yourself with. It’s completely normal for us to go through phases where our faith goes up and down, but if we keep good company and don’t isolate ourselves, we can prevent our faith from plummeting to the ground. Choose to be around people who bring you closer to righteousness, people who remind you of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) and encourage you to do good deeds, the ones who support you and believe in you in the good times, as well as the bad times.
- Pause and assess yourself
Frequently assess the state of your heart and think about the way you affect others. Does your character and the way you speak to and treat others, bring them closer to Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He), or does it drive them away? I believe that a fundamental aspect of purifying one’s heart starts with working on one’s character and developing fundamental etiquette. When you’re going through a tough time in your life, go out and help somebody deal with their problem. This way, you’ll be able to shift your focus from ‘I’ to a more positive and comprehensive one and will be able to put your own matters into perspective.
We can all do our part in making the world a little better for someone. It might not impact on everyone, but if it can have an impact on even one life, on one heart, then there is still value in it and it still makes a difference. You will realize that what you do for others will not just have an effect on them, but will also soften your own heart.
Source: ProductiveMuslim
Naima Asma Cherfaoui is a young Muslimah who strives to use her passion for Islam, languages and helping others to benefit the ummah and humanity as a whole. She is majoring in English and Political Science and is actively involved in working with refugees.
