A New Direction

There is a time for everything. The time has come to change the format of this blog and the articles that appear on this site. My political writings and social commentary will be done through other media from now on. This site will be used for strictly religious teachings. Whoever benefits from them let them praise Allah, and if one finds problems them pray for me. May Allah be with you all. The first set of posts are exerpts from a class I am teaching at this years Rihla program, based on Shaykh Hamza Yusuf's book, purification of the heart. The first installment below deals with the heart.

Aspects of the Heart

A. The Heart: The heart is a physical organ that pumps blood to all parts of the body. Spiritually, it is a divinely placed subtlety that is generally viewed as being located in the physical heart that is amenable to purification or corruption. Its purification is accompanied by spiritual growth and a propensity to adhere to the divine law; and its corruption is accompanied by spiritual degeneration and disregard for the divine law.

A.1. Sayings of the Scholars Concerning the Heart

Sufism is a knowledge through which one knows the states of the human soul, praiseworthy or blameworthy, how to purify it from the blameworthy and ennoble it by acquiring the praiseworthy, and to journey and proceed to Allah Most High, fleeing unto Him. Its fruits are the heart’s development, knowledge of God through direct experience and ecstasy, salvation in the next world, triumph through gaining Allah’s pleasure, the attainment of eternal happiness, and illuminating and purifying the heart so that noble matters disclose themselves, extraordinary states are revealed, and one perceives what the insight of others is blind to.
Muhammad Amin Kurdi, Tanwir al-Qulub

The Fourth Principle [of Sufism]: Conditioning the heart to manifest mercy and love… This means it is incumbent upon every spiritual seeker to hold fast to the love of all of the Muslims, and to extend to them the right of Islam, that they be esteemed and reverenced. If one becomes firm in this principle and consistent in its implementation, God will envelope one in the lights of mercy, will let him taste the sweetness of pleasure [with His degree], and will cloth him in the garment of divine acceptance.
Yusuf Khattar Muhammad, al-Mawsu’at al-Yusufiyya

The purity of the heart lies in five things: reciting the Qur’an while contemplating its meaning; fasting frequently; standing for prayer at night; supplicating fervently to God during the latter part of the night; and sitting in the company of the righteous.
Ibn al-Mulqin al-Shafi’i, al-Mu’in ‘ala tafahhum al-Arba’in

The heart is the ruler of the limbs while all of the limbs are its soldiers. They do not disobey its commands and the implementation of its orders. If the ruler is virtuous the soldiers will be virtuous, and if the ruler is corrupt all of the soldiers will similarly be corrupt.
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Jami’ al-‘Ulum wa’l Hikam

A sound heart is one that is rectified from ruinations and all detestable things. It is a heart that has nothing in it other than the love of God, reverence of Him, and fear of anything that would distance one from him.

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Jami’ al-‘Ulum wa’l Hikam

A.2. Texts From the Qur’an and the Sunnah

[On] a day in which neither wealth nor children will be of benefit, except one who comes to God with a sound heart.
(Qur’an 26:88-89)

Most surely, in the remembrance of God do hearts find calm.
(Qur’an 13:28)

Do they not reflect on the Qur’an or are their hearts chained and locked.
(Qur’an 47:24)

The Prophet, peace upon him, narrated, “The faith of the servant will not be in order until his heart is in order.”
Ahmad, al-Musnad, #12,636

The Prophet, peace upon him prayed, “O Allah! Truly, I ask you for a sound heart.”
Tirmidhi, #3407

The Prophet, peace upon him, narrated, “Verily, in the body there is an organ, if it is sound the entire body is sound, and if it is corrupt the entire body is corrupt. Verily, it is the heart.
Muslim, #1599