Ramadan Reflections 1444/2023 Part 20

A Sound Heart

“And do not disgrace me on the Day all will be resurrected—the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit. When the only one who will be saved is the one who comes before Allah with a pure heart devoted to Him˺.”

[Surah 26 Ash-Shu’ara/The Poets, Verses 87-89]

As we come into the last 10 days and nights of worship, let us not forget this comprehensive and beautiful duaa of our father Ibrahim/Abraham (AS), with the title 'Friend of God', who begged his Nurturing, Nourishing, Sustaining Rabb (Lord) for Salvation, by acknowledging that nothing and no one would benefit us on the Day of Resurrection, neither wealth nor children except for the salvation bestowed by bringing a 'Sound Heart', qalb-un-saleem.

This is a reminder to you and me, to bring our hearts to our worship in the remaining days of this month, with heart awareness, presence and consciousness.

Human hearts matter. Human hearts become dark, diseased, corrupted, and in some instances as hard as rocks, nay harder than rocks, for rocks tumble down for the awe of Allah. And some hearts are completely dead. The Qur'an is full of rich conversation about human hearts.

The Month of Ramadan comes to revive the spiritual heart; to bring the heart back to its Creator; to realign the heart with The Divine.

A qalb-un-saleem is a heart that is free of disease and defect, a heart with a core or ‘lubb’ reserved solely for the love, obedience, worship, and reverence of Allah alone, and contains nothing and no one else within the core. People which such hearts are known as the people of the 'lubb'. This is a heart that is peaceful, tranquil and sound; this is a heart that has returned to The Possessor of The Hearts - Allah.

So today the question is ‘Where is your heart and who does it belong to?'

Is it with Allah?

Is it with you at the centre, where everything is about 'I, me, my and mine'?

Is it with your parents?

Is it with your spouse?

Is it with your children?

Is it with it your friends?

Is it with the duniyawi temporary, transient, fickle material world?

والله أعلم