Purification of the Heart Series

Ramadan 2016
Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed

Youma La yanfau Malaoun wa banoon illa bi qalbin saleem.

Allah taala says you must prepare for the day of Qayamat. The day when we will not
benefit from wordly things, friends. Except for qalbun saleem. Throughout our ummah a
lot of people have tried to discover what is this qabe saleem.Another place in the Quran
Allah taala talks of diseases of the heart. Spiritual Illness. Sins of heart. And purification
of heart Allah taala talks about all these things in Quran.

Arabs would put things in poems and memorise them and recall them. Imam Mawlid put
diseases of the heart in a peom.

1. Ghil
Verse 141-144. Ghil. Burning hostility, ememity a person has for another one. Ghil is
when the heart is bound to treachery betrayal or trickery. Resentful malice. A person
wants to do something bad to someone. They want to harm him. Its become a state of
their heart, they cant let it got. Inside salah they can have Ghil. It doesnt leve the heart.
Imam Mawlid also gave cures.
 Show kindness towards the object of your ghil. You will cause the enemmies to
despair.
 Angels bring glad tidings on Mondays and Thursdays. So make dua for them.
 Allah taught a dua – Allah forgive us and all momineen who have passed away
and dont put in our heart any drop of Ghil. Any malice. You are Raoof and
Raheem. These two sifati names Allah taala has used in the Quran for Ghair ullah,
at one instance for Nabi Kareem SAW. It means Kind and overlooking and
merciful. So cure fro ghil is to become raoof and raheem. Overlook faults. We
expect Allah taala to overlook our bad and forgive us for our good. SO that how
we also have to be with others. No one is 100% evil. They only have some flaws,
sin in them. So overlook those. (Surah Hashr verse 59)
 People of Jannah will enter jannah because of their imaan and amaal but they will
still have ghil in their hearts. Allah taala will remove that when He enters them in
jannah. Dunya hee main jannati ban jayain. To remove the ghil and have
attributes of purity.

Ghil is related ujub and kibr. Iblees was the very first.

2. Displeasure with People's blame

Imam Mawlid in verses 150-154 mention something that Allah taala in Quran called
Laumatil la'il. The blame and censure of the critic when he finds you blameworthy.
Displeasure with blame is a well know diease of the heart. And to concern oneself with
the praises of others is an obstace for a person to reach the status of ehsaan – the highest
level of worship. A person can never have ehsaan if they are constantly worried about
what other people think. And the way to sever this barrie btw aperson and ehsaan is to
know deeply that there is no ability to benefit or harm except fromAllah SWT. Then he
mentions that there are somethings fromt his disease that are haraam – these things have
explained by imam ghzali in detail. The perfection of sidq is that you should not even
notice at any of the praise or blame that flows from the mouth of people. You dont want
somebody to look down on you, blame you, mock you, make fun of you, critique you. If
you worry about the blame of makhlooq then you will not be able to worry about the
blame of Allah taala. Similarly if you are overly concerned with the praise of people you
will loose ourto on those attributes and amaal praiseworthy to Allah taala.

"Oh you who believe, who soever of you apostates from their imaan, then surely soon
Allah taala will bring another qoum (another people) and those people Allah taala loves
them and they love Him. And they will be very soft, gentle, kind. They will be firm and
strong in front of disbelievers. They will not fear the repraoch of anyone, that is the Fazal
of Allah taala. He bestows it on whomsoever He wills."

There are six attributes that Allah taala bestows upon people. SO after Allah taala
revealed this verse, Sahaba took up the challenge. They did these things. They did not
worry anymore about what people will say about them.

Many times people are very relaxed and lazy in deen because they are worried about
what other people will tell them. In this day and age, we think its a thing in our mind that
we worry about what poeple will say. But actually its a spiritual disease of the heart. The
way to overcome this fear is to remember that nobody can harm me or benefit me exceot
Allah taala. If Allah taala is displeased with me then its not right. There is a dua of Nabi
SAW when people of Makkah were displeased with them. He said Allah taala if you are
pleased with me it does not concern me whether all of creation is displeased with me. If
you are displeased with me then i only seek your pleasure. So this is another cure. Do
those ibadaat that are more pleasing to Hm, those amaal and akhlaaq.

Nabi SAW once said in a hadis, you should remember Allah taala and have taqwa then
Allah will protect you. If you seek help, seek help from Allah taala. Know that if the
whole of humanity comes to benefit yoou they will only benefit if Allah taal wills so.

Outwardly it appears like people benefit or harm us. But actually its with the wish and
will of Allah taala. True meaning of ikhlaas is that you are so truly sincere that you only
worry about the pleasure of Allah taala.

3. Distaste for Death

Next illness of the heart is Antipathy towards death. Person is scared of death, does not
want to die. Imam Mawlid says karahat for death is when
- when a person flees from death
- flees from any mention of death
Quran says every sould will taste death. And we will test you with some evil and some
good. Here evil comes first because thats a greater test. Every single soul will taste death
and indeed each and every one of you will be given your full recompense on the day of
Judgement. Another thing Allah said: Wherever you might be death will seek you and
find you even if you are in fortified strong towers. Another place: Proclaim to them that
indeed the death from which you flee it will definitely meet you and then you will be
returned back to Allah SWT who knows all things that are secret and open and He Allah
will inform you about all the things that you used to do. Now when a person who hears
these ayat, who has not done well in Dunya, he will be scared. The more a person loves
the world, the more he will flee from death. When you have distates for dying, you wont
prepare for it. Imam says be content with what Allah taala has decreed. If someone is
scared of death because of a fear of ending the pleasures of the world. Then that is
Karahat un Maut.

But if A person wants to do more worship of Allah SWT and they are scared that they
will die before that. For eg a person is making qaza prayers and he is scared that he will
die before he completes it, this is not Karahat of death. This notion that you become
prepared to die. Never let death overcome you unless you are prepared for it. Welcome
the arrival of death because you are so prepared of it. Some ulema mention that Allah
taala gives us preview of death
- one is sleep. Dua of sleep also tells that: Allah taala in your name I live and in
your name I die.
- Allah taala makes your cells die constantly and then regenerates them
- A persons skills and attributes might die. All of physical self is fading –
ultimately a person fades away entirely and ends up on death.

If one completely entrusts his affairs with Allah taala, with whatever Allah taala does
with him. Either ways they will be happy with Allah taala. Such an attribute is
praiseworthy and commendable. Allah taala if its best for my akhirah that I die now so
take my soul now or give me some time. Submits the matter entirely to His maula. These
are two praiseworthy attitudes to death. But Nabi SAW forbade people from praying for
death.

Your karahat from death will not make it any further away from you.
Remembering death – the person who constantly remembers death. Allah taala dignifies
that person with qana'at. It means a person find sufficient whatever Alllah SWT has
bestored upon them. You find your provisions for the world sufficient beacuse you are
worried about provisions for aakhirah. If a person is not concerned about provision for
akkhirah, he will be more occupied in accumulating dunya. Its in man's nature to
accumulate. Either you accumulate dunya or aakhirah.

Their hearts feel obedience and repentance. If somebody doesnt remember death, they
wont have Qana'at, ita'at, tauba. Wont make true Tauba to Allah SWT. Nabi SAW
mentioned that the average life of the ummah will be 60. S0 those who passed 40, they
should be absolutely prepared for death. Other should be prepared to die by forty. Plan
your life. Actively sincerely. What knowledge, amaal, attributes you need – make a list
and get that done by forty. People spend so much time living that they dont plan dying. A
person has to plan death. We spend a lot of time planning our life. Any setback, we
would just replan it. But we're not that serious about death. A person who truly plans
death and pursues a plan of action to prepare for death, then dies before forty there is
hope that IA Allah taala will raise us prepared. Angel of death will come to each one of
us, take our rooh and then we will go to Alam e barzakh. Some mashaykh taught
muraqaba maut. That when you go to sleep you should imagine that people lower you in
your grave and you are alone with your amaal. And if you sleep well that night it means
you are well prepared for death otherwise you need to do so much more. A young ansari
asked Nabi SAW, who is most wise. He replies the one who remembers death more.
They will have the glad tidings of jannah.

This notion of preparation of death- its ajeeb: You will not have any forewarning of
death. No one knows exactly when they will die. One place in Quran Allah said a very
strong thing: If Allah taala chose to cease and take into account humanity due to their
sins, then He would not leave alive on earth a single living creature, however, But rather
Allah taala gives them respite(takheer) until a fixed time (death). But when their time
comes, they cannot delay it nor can they make it one moment earlier. Why does Allah
taala delay? So that we may make taubah. So the ishara here is taubah and Islah. This is
the real preparation for death. Sometimes at a human level if we imagine, how many
people have died already? Millions upon billions. How many people die every day? How
many people are buried in the graveyards. For this human level, Nabi SAW
recommended that we visit the cemetaries and graveyards. But you have to visit with the
niyat of zikar of maut. If you just carry a janazah and keep chatting or being on mobile, it
doesnt help. Its a sign of how hard the hearts have become. That people go for tadfeen
and it doesnt shake them. That shows how unhuman it is. Somebody you knew has just
passed away. He is being lowered in the ground. But people are still talking away. We
notice this almost at every time. Nabi SAW said just visit the graveyards to remember
death, didnt even say visit for tadfeen. This means that when you go for tadfeen you
should be remembering death more.

One more thing Allah taala mentions in Quran. That your wealth and children are the
adorments of life of this world. So another thing that can stop a person from preparing for
death if a person overly indulges in these things. These are perfectly halal things but even
then. So the cure for this is more Amaal e Saleh. Deen is not saying that you should love
your children less, but its a natural process that when you do more aamal e saleh and have
fear of Allah taala that will naturally temper a person's love for children in a way that it
remains pure and beneficial for them and yet it does harm a person in the sense that it
makes them stop wanting to die. If a person is prepared for death and prepared their
children on deen, then they will not be worried about death. Tarbiyat of Aulaad- the asal
is to prepare your children for your death and for their death. The child knows how to live
his life in way that when he dies his Rabb is pleased with him. Most parents, the only
relationship they have with their children is of dunya. The asal relationship should be
about deen.
 4. Nisyaan un nemah- oblivious to the bounties and
blessings
A person becomes oblivious to the bounties and blessings of Allah SWT. And the root of
this is that a person is unaware of the blessings of Allah taala. You should be grateful to
Allah SWT.

SO there are some blessings that a person can see. And some that a person doesnt see.
Allah taala blesses a person in ways he is not aware of it. Deeni blessings – tawfeeq to
pray and fast. Because of some barakaat Allah taala saved a person from sickness or
some calamity. They would not know about it. Anytime a person was able to lower his
gaze, that is a blessing from Allah taala. A person has to view every single good thing in
life as a blessing of Allah SWT. Loving friends and family. Somebody has children,
somebody's parents are still alove – this is a blessing from Allah SWT.

When we were in South Africa there was a person who came to us, who did not have
saliva in his mouth. He had to keep using a spray in his mouth. The greatest blessings
from Allah SWT are deen. If a person becomes oblivious to that then that is a big
spiritual disease. One should always remember their imaan is a blessing from Allah taala.
You should feel it. Like someone has cancer and then that is cured and it does not spread,
a person will remember this their whole life. It will become a part of who they are. They
will always be grateful for it. Similarly a person should be grateful when Allah taala takes
away fro sin. When a person remembers that then their obedience and worship becomes a
bit different. Then it becomes a passion, not a duty. They want to wake up for tahajjud,
they want to make extra sajdah. They want it. Why? Because they remember the
blessings of Allah SWT. It changes their worship and their zikr. If a person becomes
oblivious of the blessings of Allah taala, then they might have to sometimes force
themselves for ibadah. They always remain at the state of mujahida. So there are two
aspects : One that it makes them stay away from disobedience and two that it changes
their worship and zikr. The early people of tasawwuf they would appreciate even small
things like cold water on a hot day.

It comes in a hadis once Nabi SAW asked a sahbai do you know what the completion of
blessing is? He said I dont know. Nabi SAW replied entering Jannah. Every blessing you
have will be completed and perfected in Paradise. Blessing of eating, having friends and
family will be complete and perfect in jannah. In that sense Jannah is the completion of
Allahs blessing on a person.

Sometimes Allah taala would outwardly and apparently take away some blessing. In that
situation a person should make istighfaar. They should not complain. That surely there
were many sins that I did that Allah taal withdrew it. It might happen that Allah taala
restores that blessing and increases it. But it might also be that Allah taala continues not
giving that blessing. It doesnt mean a persons istighfaar is not accepted, there might be
some hikmah in it. We wont be able to perceive. Our job is then to continue the istighfaar
and be Raazi with Allah taala. Sometimes Allah taala takes away a blessing completely
as a result of a sin that person did. Imam Jawzi RH mention a story in which there was
hafiz of Quran and he was climbing the stairs and he happened to look at the neighbour
with lust. And Allah taala took away the blessing of Hifz of Quran. Thats a huge thing.
How long it takes to memorize Quran. Sometimes Allah taala takes away the blessig-
deen blessing or dunya as a result of disobedience. This danger increases the more
blessings increase. The more blessings Allah taala gives a person, the more they become
mukallaf. The reality is its not easy not even possible o be truly grateful for even one
blessing. So its very difficult when there a lot of blessings. Thats why sometimes people
should try to adopt consistent shukar. Dont wait for the blessing to be withheld. Always
actively do shukr. SO sometimes when people do tasbeeh and istighfaar, they would do
istighfaar ba maani shukr. Seeking forgiveness of Allah taala for not being grateful.

5. Istehzaa - Derision
To ridicule/mock/tanz people. It should be treated with the same treatment used for
arrogance. With the knowledge that by humiliating someone a person actually humiliates
himself in front of Allah taala. And then Allah taala will give the consequence of that by
inflicting some form of misfortune. Also treated by remembereing the severe warning
that comes in Hadis of prophet SAW.

Ibn Hajar RH mentioned this as a kabira sin. Huge sine. Mocking and belittling fellow
believers. Imam Ghazali RH said 'to call a persons attention and to point out their
weaknesses in an attempt to mock them this is also one of the kabira sin – it can be done
through action, speech, ishara, sign or gesture. And then all of these different types of
mocking are haram. Because they fall in the category of harming a believer. True believer
is the one from whom other believers are safe from his tongue and hand. SO the
muhaddiseen said why Nabi SAW put tongue first? Because the hurt and harm caused by
tongue is greater than the one caused by hand. That is true. Bruises heal quickly but the
feeling in the heart does not go away.

In Quran it comes again and again that this is waht the unbelievers did with Nabi SAW.
Belittling and mocking. The cure is the ame as for arrogance. Why? Because normally
you would mock someone if you feel you are better than them.
- H. Ali RA said you should try not to belittle anyone.
- Imam Qurtiubi RH said you should not ridicule/belittle anyone because how do
you know what they may be in future. Maybe they become the beloved of Allah
SWT. Example: Umar ibn al Khattab. When Khalid ibn waleed Rh was martyring
believers even then Allah taala knew he would eventually become a believer.

Allah taala mentions in Surah Hajarat – Oh you who believe let not one group (qoum) of
you belittle and mock another group (qoum). And let women not talk bad about other
women. Do not taunt one another and do not insult one other with bad names.
All of this ayat is about istehzaa that dont mock and find faults in fellow believers. Allah
taala mentions those who mock deen and believers, Allah taal will mock them on the day
of Judgement. When you are looking at the faults of a person to correct them, but if you
are doing to mock then Allah taala will expose your faults. Allah taala seeks your faults.
Istehzaa is a very negative charater trait. One direct consequence of this as that a person
becomes unaware of their own faults. And when a person becomes unaware of their own
flaws, then the path coming close to Allah taala is pretty much finished. You will alwayd
be making progress towards Allah SWT if you are aware of your own faults. And the day
you become unaware, next step will be that you are unaccepting towards your flaws. So
when a eprson is unaware they become unaccepting. They can no longer amke further
progress towards Allah taala. The flip side is that a person who is so focused on their own
faults, they will benevr have the time to mock and belittle other people.

These different spiritual illnesses they can fluctuate. They can arise in a person in which
they were never before. The ones we might think I dont have in me, dont be so sure. It
might be there and it might manifest anytime. Ones we might think we dont have this in
me dont be so sure. Whenever a person is put in a difficult trying situation, the inner
goodness and inner rot comes out. Whatever is inside comes out. And if there was a very
deeply embedded marz in the heart, it will come out. Sometimes Allah taala does this to
make a person better, and sometimes to punish. If anything bad comes out make
istighfaar. If anything good comes out of that situation then make shukr. We should be
worried. Sometimes there is the soorat and the haqeeqat. Soorat means to do anything
that resembles these things. Many momineen who are trained in tazkiya, they were be
trained to be careful about the decorum. About the way they talk. So they dont evern talk
in a way that resembles mocking. Sometimes people in the name of joking and khush
tabi, they mock others. So You are playing with fire. Prophet SAW said whoever
resembles an attribute they become like that. IF you talk the way cynical/mocking poeple
talk, and your language has similar contempt in language then you are in danger. You
resemble the way mocking people talk. And then you are in danger. Once you adopt the
soorat (resemblance). The haqeeqat is not far behind. Thats why people would also want
to flee from soorat.

Only when we are watchful/careful over ourselves, only then there is some hope that
Allah taala with His mercy will protect us from these spiritual diseases.

6. Cures for all the illnesses of the Heart

The jamay cure, holistic medicine for all these diseases is that the heart has to stop the
nafs from following its desires. When you do what your nafs wants then you break your
own heart. The more we do what our nafs wants then we break our own heart. When
someone breaks our heart we take a long time to recover. But when we follow the nafs
we break oour own spiritual self- spiritual heart. When you go with your nafs (unlawful,
Ghair shari desires), even if you dont act on it but you think of it and desire it then it hurts
your heart. Everytime the nafs has unlawful desires it leads to unlawful actions.