Heart is the center of Self. It is the spiritual component of our existence that defines our identity. It commands our full attention as it pleases. In fact our heart dictates where our attention is spent in any given moment. Mind is but an advisor, it’s the heart that makes the ultimate decision. It consults mind and logic as appropriate and pushes one beyond the boundaries of reason when necessary. And you cannot control heart as you wish, when you wish, especially not in the absence of a close bond between heart and the Self. Consider heart the driver to your car, and you are merely a passenger. Moreover, heart exists not only in the physical world but it is also our primary link to spiritual existence. Heart is the original transceiver. This is how we receive inspiration and guidance from our Creator.
فَاِنَّهٗ نَزَّلَهٗ عَلٰى قَلۡبِكَ بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰهِ
Al-Qur`an 2:97
[O’ Prophet] Jibreel (Gabriel) brought this ˹Quran˺ down on your heart by Allah’s Will
“Success” as we know it is a false narrative dictated to us by society
We cannot expect to get literal messages (wahy) from our Creator like Prophets because the chapter of Prophethood has come to a close with Prophet Muhammadﷺ. However, the door of inspiration from our Lord is still very much open for any individual willing to seek the truth. It is then of utmost importance that we purify and ready the device i.e. heart, which is capable of such an immensely powerful experience. Allahﷻ calls out to us regularly in Al-Qur`an for the need to purify our hearts. This is so that He can send down His inspiration into our soul. For this is the primary purpose in life and whosoever has achieved this has achieved success. Only this is success. As there is no other type of success. “Success” as we know it is a false narrative dictated to us by society. The bubble we live in and the company we keep, fog our heart and mind into adopting fake goals that distract us from life’s real objective.
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ
Al-Qur`an 87:14
Successful indeed are those who purify themselves
We are born with a pure heart but society feeds us a false agenda so much so that the heart loses all its clarity and shine overtime. The real tragedy is that an individual who has lost this clarity is none the wiser about their predicament. So it is only appropriate to keep the maintenance of heart ongoing regardless of status quo. We regularly maintain our cars, yards, physical health yet our heart receives constant neglect. Our Creator prescribes a simple routine for a healthy spiritual heart. Just like we practice intense cardio workouts to burn through stubborn fat, and follow-up with weights to build and maintain lean muscle. We are given four tools to help flush the filth away from our heart and maintain its purity overtime.
- Fear of our Lord
- Repentance
- Gratitude
- Seeking His guidance
وَاَمَّا مَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهٖ وَ نَهَى النَّفۡسَ عَنِ الۡهَوٰىۙ فَاِنَّ الۡجَـنَّةَ هِىَ الۡمَاۡوٰىؕ
Al-Qur`an 79:40
As for he who feared the position of his Lord and restrained his soul from lust. Then indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge.
وَلِمَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهٖ جَنَّتٰنِۚ
Al-Qur`an 55:46
As for he who has feared the meeting with his Lord is paradise
Fear of our Lord is an amalgamation of excitement, pleasure, joy, rush and many deeper signs understood by the enlightened
Fear of our Lord is the cardio workout for spiritual heart. It cuts through the toughest crud and melts away deepest impurities. It carves, cleans and polishes the most precious gem that ever existed in this world i.e. heart. Fearing our Creator is not the same as worldly fears. We run away from worldly fears whereas this is the fear worthy of pursuit. Worldly fears are rooted in anxiety, horror, unease, distress, fright and many negative emotions. Fear of our Lord is an amalgamation of excitement, pleasure, joy, rush and many deeper signs understood by the enlightened. Suffice to say, this is fear that once experienced, the subject contemplates giving up all worldly possessions just to retain it for a moment longer. Not that this is recommended by our Creator, but that is the sentiment nonetheless. Once we accept this, the next question is apparent – How do we acquire this powerful tool?
اِنَّمَا يَخۡشَى اللّٰهَ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِ الۡعُلَمٰٓؤُا
Al-Qur`an 35:28
From among the servants of Allah, only those with knowledge truly fear Him
Allahﷻ advises that knowledge is the key to truly understanding His position – He is the only one with all the power. There is no one else. He brought everything and everyone into existence by His will. This is His dominion. It is irrelevant that someone believes in Him or not, it makes no difference. Allahﷻ does not need anything from anybody. Everything and everyone needs Him for their existence. He gives provisions to anyone as He pleases, less or more, regardless of their belief in Him, until a certain decreed time. He humbles anyone He pleases, and gives control and elevates whom He pleases. To Allahﷻ is our final return. He is the judge. He is the decider. It is His mercy that matters and no one else. We have just barely scratched the surface of reality. We have no option but to dig deeper, for ignorance is only harmful to our own existence.
The book that unveils our genius and purifies our soul. The book that demands our attention and befriends our heart
This precious knowledge and wisdom is contained in The book. The book that asks the questions, challenges one to think. The book that guides the sincere and repels the disingenuous. The book that reasons with logic and provides the solutions. The book that teaches the way to successful existence. The book that does not shy away from providing tiniest of examples and solving the biggest of problems. The book that unveils our genius and purifies our soul. The book that demands our attention and befriends our heart. The book that lights-up and fills the dark empty void in our soul. The book that equally intrigues the ignorant and the intellectual. The book that speaks to its reader. The book is Al-Qur`an which has never been altered and contains literal words of our creator, Allahﷻ. Al-Qur`an is the miracle granted to our Prophet Muhammadﷺ. It is a gift to all of humanity.
ذٰلِكَ الۡڪِتٰبُ لَا رَيۡبَۛۚۖ فِيۡهِۛۚ هُدًى لِّلۡمُتَّقِيۡنَۙ
Al-Qur`an 2:2
This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of God
وَالۡقُرۡاٰنِ الۡحَكِيۡمِ ۙ
Al-Qur`an 36:2
By the wise Qur`an
تِلۡكَ اٰيٰتُ الۡكِتٰبِ الۡحَكِيۡمِۙ
Al-Qur`an 31:2
These are the verses of the Book, rich in wisdom
تَنۡزِيۡلُ الۡكِتٰبِ لَا رَيۡبَ فِيۡهِ مِنۡ رَّبِّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَؕ
Al-Qur`an 32:2
The revelation of this Book is—beyond doubt—from the Lord of all worlds
تِلۡكَ اٰيٰتُ الۡكِتٰبِ الۡمُبِيۡنِ
Al-Qur`an 26:2
These are the signs of the book that makes things clear
A day gone without reflecting over the contents of Al-Qur`an is a day that lost its potential. A day wasted. There isn’t anything else worthy of our precious time. The news will not help us, the game will go on without us, the movie will run its course, tv shows have nothing to offer, social media is only beneficial with the right purpose, and true friends are not needy. Every single one of these activities has the capability to deepen the empty void in our souls further and not much else. Pick up Al-Quran today and make friends with it. It is our guide to success. It is the source of true happiness. It is our teacher and our confidant. It is our therapist and our best friend. This is once in a universe opportunity. Do it before your time is up.
Respect the book of Allah. Al-Quran is not a trophy to be collected and displayed in a shelf. It’s not a book to be read just for the sake of reading it. It’s not a novel to be used just for the sake of discussions and story-telling. It’s not just a book of poems to compare and contrast. It’s not just a bunch of lyrics meant to embellish the voice of its reciter for admiration. Respect of Al-Qur`an is in reading it, pondering upon the words of our Lord and doing our best to implement His words in our lives. We heed advice from books written by people. We hold them in high regard even though every single one of these authors are prone to human errors and problems just like everyone else. Meanwhile being heedless of the advice from our Creator who is All-knowing. He is free from errors and problems. He is the One who willed us into existence and everything around us. In reality, His words are invaluable yet we are blinded by our own ignorance and shaitan. We read and listen to news, sports, movies. We read fiction and non-fiction books and ponder upon the ideas presented. Meanwhile Al-Quran sits on a shelf collecting dust month after month, year after year. Folks how can we stand in front of our Lord and explain this situation to Him on the ultimate day. If you do not yet understand the significance of last day, you got reading to do, you got thinking to do, you got work to do. There is so much fun to be had. We will only realize this when we make best friends with Al-Qur`an. Pickup Al-Qur`an now and every day. Do not let it sit untouched even for a single day.
