Coming Home with a Sound Heart

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

All the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, all the joy and sadness in our lives, all the difficulties and comforts of this life, all the anger and hate that manifest, all the love and beauty we cherish, at the end of the day, what is important is that we meet Allah with a sound heart

يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ ﴿٨٨﴾ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّـهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children (88) But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart. (89)

[Qur'an, Ash-Shu'ara 26:88-89]

Narrated by Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Verily Allah does not look to your bodies nor to your faces but He looks to your hearts." And he pointed towards the heart with his fingers.

[Sahih Muslim]

The key to a sound heart is knowledge. The heart is nourished by knowledge. We are naturally lovers of knowledge. When the heart is sound, you want to learn. Human beings who do not love knowledge, and they are many of us, we can say that their hearts are sick. If you fill your heart with anger and appetites (passion and desires), it won't have room for knowledge. Anger and appetites are created in us but they have their proper places. If they are placed where they are supposed to be, all kinds of manifestation of goodness will appear from your heart-- dignity, self esteem, courage, etc. But if they are allowed to spin out of control, then they will destroy the heart.

The key to knowledge is practice. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "There is no valid practice without knowledge and there is no knowledge without practice."

He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said, "Whoever puts into practice what he knows Allah will give him as inheritance the knowledge of what he did not know."

"All speech comes out of the heart bearing the drape of the heart from which it came". [ibn Ata'ila]

When you learn and practice what you know, your speech comes out as a beautiful drapery and that drapery is what dazzles the people, not words. Some people may say beautiful words but there is no drapery. Wrong actions, oppressive actions or abusive actions destroy the heart because they don't leave any room for beauty.

So, seek knowledge, keep learning and learning, practice what you know. Your time is your capital. Use your time to develop your heart so we come home with a sound heart inshaa Allah.

وَٱلْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ ﴿٣

By time, (1) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (2) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and exhort each other to truth and exhort each other to patience. (3)

[Qur'an, Al-Asr 103:1-3]

May Allah protect us from talking about matters we do not practice, and help us come to Him with a sound heart. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.

Wassalaam