If The Heart Becomes Hardened — The Eye Becomes Dry:
The Prophet(saw) on the last pilgrimage, informed his Companions and the nations of Muslims to come — that there is no Favour or no special place of the Arab over the non-Arab; nor is there any Favour or special position of White over Black, but that Favour in the sight of Allah, is with those who Fear Him, those who have taqwa. After bearing witness to that, he said that "Taqwa is in the heart."
In these statements and other similar statements, we Find stress being placed on the heart - that the heart is the part of the body, which Allah has Favoured over all other parts — It is the place of Iman.
Had there been in the body another part that were nearer to Allah, taqwa would have been placed there because iman is the most valuable thing that a human being can have. There is nothing more valuable.It is the determination ultimately of those who have belief in Allah — those who have accepted the message and who have chosen Paradise over Hell. It is the distinction of those who have belief and those who have disbelief.
The value of iman is more than all of the things of this world. This is why the Prophet Muhammad(saw) said — that For Allah to guide by your hands a single person to Islam is worth more than anything in this world. For you to help someone to Find iman is worth more than any of the things in this World.
The heart is the place by which the correctness of deeds is judged. The Prophet Muhammad(saw) said: "Deeds are judged according to the intention…." The place of the intention is not on the lips — It is in the heart.
Our deeds - what we do externally - are judged ultimately by the states of our hearts. These are good deeds. Evil deeds are evil, but these good deeds are in reference to those that we perceive to be a part and parcel of righteousness. Allah will inspect the hearts to determine whether they are truly acts of righteousness.
The Prophet Muhammad(saw) had informed us that the First three people who would be cast into the Hell Fire are people who were involved in what everybody considers great acts of righteousness. They are the scholar who taught knowledge; the wealthy person who gave fro his wealth in charity and the martyr who gave his life fighting in the path of God.
The Prophet Muhammad(saw) in an authentic narration, said that they would be among the first groups of people thrown into because the scholar, when he taught the knowledge that Allah gave him, did not do so for the sake of Allah. He taught so that people would praise him, saying what a great scholar he is and how knowledgeable he is.
Allah will say to him: "You received your praise, what you sought in that world. But there will be nothing for you in the next." So he will be drawn off on his Face and thrown into Hell.
Malik ibn Dinar (r.a) reports; There are Four signs of a wretched heart;
Hard heart Dryness of the eyes — Meaning one cannot shed tear when hearing about punishment, the afterlife and the torments of Jahannam. Quranic verses regarding warning have no impact. Long aspirations — A person has lifelong plan to study then work then earn, buy comfort in dunya, buy houses and settle comfortably. These are ambitions of the dunya. Greed For the dunya.
Nothing corrupts knowledge and da'wah more than the harshness of the heart. Where hearts have become hardened, the knowledge is of no benefit to the individual, nor can that individual benefit others with it.
Softness of the heart is the characteristic of true Muslims. If it becomes absent, then a person's life is filled with distress and discomfort. This is the promise of Allah.
Those who lack hearts that are soft will lead woeful lives. As Allah said in Al-Qur'an (39:22), "Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah."
They are in obvious misguidance. Woe to those whose hearts hear the Qur'an and they do not become Fearful and humbled as a result of it. Woe to those whose eyes are reminded of the Words of Allah, but they do not weep in Fear of Him. Woe to those who are reminded of the Warnings of Allah and they do not humble themselves to His Words.
It is a curse to have a hardened heart and it is a blessing to have a soft heart. Those with hardened hearts suffer in this life, even though they may have all of the trappings of this life. What seems to be an enjoyable life is empty — it is Filled with loneliness. They cannot Find peace of mind and of heart because their hearts are hardened to Allah to belief in Allah, to submission to Allah.
That is why Allah said, "Whoever turns away from my remembrance will have a wretched life." (Al-Qur'an 20:124)
Causes Of The Heart Becoming Hard:
Everyone is born on Fitrah (natural disposition). It is the effect and company of external Factors that lead people towards bad. There are number of things that cause the heart to harden, however below are Four main Factors:
1.Love For dunya —The world is cursed as stated in Hadith. It is Full of deception and desires. The more we run after the world the more greed we have, less contentment and become far from Allah. The company we stay in has an impact on us. Similarly, being engrossed in the company of the dunya will have an impact and that is, it will lead to a hard heart.
2.Headless of the hereafter — This comes as a result of having excessive love For the dunya. Abdullah ibn Mubarak r.a quoted Wahab ibn Munabbih r.a who said; ‘The similitude of the dunya and akhirah is like a man who has two wives, if he pleases one then the other will be displeased’. If we go after the dunya, then we are headless of the hereafter and vice versa. So, either we work for the dunya or we work for the akirah.
3.Excessive sins — When a sin is committed, a black dot appears on the heart. The more sins a person does, the darker and harder the heart becomes. However, with istighfar the darkness of the heart is removed. Therefore, when a sin is committed, quickly turn to Allah seeking His Forgiveness.
4.Forgetting the remembrance of death —When Rasulullah (saw)was asked how to purify the heart, he (saw) replied; Increase in remembrance of death and recitation of the Quran.
May Allah(swt) safeguard our hearts From becoming hard.(Ameen).
JazakAllah (May Allah Reward You [with] Goodness)For Reading.
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