IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
“The perfection of Tawheed is found when there remains nothing in the heart except Allah” Ibn Al Qayyim Al-Jawziyya
“If a heart becomes attached to anything other than Allah, Allah Makes him dependent on what he is attached to, and he will be betrayed by it.” Ibn Al Qayyim Al-Jawziyya
Allah Warned us:
قُل إِن كانَ آباؤُكُم وَأَبناؤُكُم وَإِخوانُكُم وَأَزواجُكُم وَعَشيرَتُكُم وَأَموالٌ اقتَرَفتُموها وَتِجارَةٌ تَخشَونَ كَسادَها وَمَساكِنُ تَرضَونَها أَحَبَّ إِلَيكُم مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسولِهِ وَجِهادٍ في سَبيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصوا حَتّىٰ يَأتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمرِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لا يَهدِي القَومَ الفاسِقينَ
Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight … are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah). 9: 24
أَلَم يَأنِ لِلَّذينَ آمَنوا أَن تَخشَعَ قُلوبُهُم لِذِكرِ اللَّهِ وَما نَزَلَ مِنَ الحَقِّ وَلا يَكونوا كَالَّذينَ أوتُوا الكِتابَ مِن قَبلُ فَطالَ عَلَيهِمُ الأَمَدُ فَقَسَت قُلوبُهُم ۖ وَكَثيرٌ مِنهُم فاسِقونَ
Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) to be affected by Allah’s Reminder (this Qur’an), and that which has been revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before (i.e. Jews and Christians), and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of them were Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah). 57: 16
The heart changes over time and not overnight. So when a person starts to tell small lie, the lies eventually got bigger. A person may stop doing the sunnah prayers. Then begins to be late for the obligatory prayers and eventually stop doing some prayers. The guilt of sinning was tremendous in the beginning but gradually the person may not feel guilty because he/she thinks “Hey, Allah is the Most Merciful”. So he/she began to come out with excuses not to pray or to delay all prayers until after Isha, forgetting Allah’s Warning in the Qur’an:
إِنَّ الصَّلاةَ كانَت عَلَى المُؤمِنينَ كِتابًا مَوقوتًا
“…Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.” 4: 103
حافِظوا عَلَى الصَّلَواتِ وَالصَّلاةِ الوُسطىٰ وَقوموا لِلَّهِ قانِتينَ
Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawat (the prayers) especially the middle Salat (i.e. the best prayer – ‘Asr). And stand before Allah with obedience [and do not speak to others during the Salat (prayers)]. 2: 238
There are many factors which we must identify on why our hearts can become detached from Allah:
Allah did not Guide:
وَمَن يَعشُ عَن ذِكرِ الرَّحمٰنِ نُقَيِّض لَهُ شَيطانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرينٌ
وَإِنَّهُم لَيَصُدّونَهُم عَنِ السَّبيلِ وَيَحسَبونَ أَنَّهُم مُهتَدونَ
And whosoever turns away (blinds himself) from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allah) (i.e. this Qur’an and worship of Allah), We appoint for him Shaitan (Satan – devil) to be a Qarin (an intimate companion) to him.
And verily, they (Satans / devils) hinder them from the Path (of Allah), but they think that they are guided aright! 43: 36-37
وَلا تَكونوا كَالَّذينَ نَسُوا اللَّهَ فَأَنساهُم أَنفُسَهُم ۚ أُولٰئِكَ هُمُ الفاسِقونَ
And be not like those who forgot Allah (i.e. became disobedient to Allah) and He caused them to forget their ownselves, (let them to forget to do righteous deeds). Those are the Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah). 59: 19
HOW TO GET ATTACHED AND CONNECTED TO ALLAH?
The Prophet SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he mentions Me. If he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly greater than it. If he draws near to Me a hand’s length, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” [Sahih Muslim]
The Messenger SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “The example of the five (daily) prayers is like that of a clear-water river flowing in front of your houses in which a person washes himself five times a day – cleansing him from all dirt.” [Sahih Muslim]
The Messenger SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “The likeness of a righteous friend and an evil friend, is the likeness of a (musk) perfume seller and a blacksmith. As for the perfume seller, he may either bestow something on you, or you may purchase something from him, or you may benefit from his sweet smell. And as for the blacksmith, he may either burn your clothes, or you may be exposed to his awful smell.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Even if you strive to better yourself and purify your heart, it will prove to be very difficult if your company isn’t good. Just as some people can impact you positively, others can literally poison your heart. Therefore, quality is so much more important than quantity when it comes to the friends you choose to surround yourself with. It’s completely normal for us to go through phases where our faith goes up and down, but if we keep good company and don’t isolate ourselves, we can prevent our faith from plummeting to the ground. Choose to be around people who bring you closer to righteousness, people who remind you of Allah and encourage you to do good deeds, the ones who support you and believe in you in the good times, as well as the bad times.
وَاصبِر نَفسَكَ مَعَ الَّذينَ يَدعونَ رَبَّهُم بِالغَداةِ وَالعَشِيِّ يُريدونَ وَجهَهُ ۖ وَلا تَعدُ عَيناكَ عَنهُم تُريدُ زينَةَ الحَياةِ الدُّنيا ۖ وَلا تُطِع مَن أَغفَلنا قَلبَهُ عَن ذِكرِنا وَاتَّبَعَ هَواهُ وَكانَ أَمرُهُ فُرُطًا
And keep patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our
Remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost. 18: 28
Frequently assess the state of your heart and think about the way you affect others. Does your character and the way you speak to and treat others, bring them closer to Allah, or does it drive them away? I believe that a fundamental aspect of purifying one’s heart starts with working on one’s character and developing fundamental etiquette. When you’re going through a tough time in your life, go out and help somebody deal with their problem. This way, you’ll be able to shift your focus from ‘I’ to a more positive and comprehensive one and will be able to put your own matters into perspective.
We can all do our part in making the world a little better for someone. It might not impact on everyone, but if it can have an impact on even one life, on one heart, then there is still value in it and it still makes a difference. You will realize that what you do for others will not just have an effect on them, but will also soften your own heart. When we look at the Prophet SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and his companions, we can see that they never let a person feel as though they were alone or as though they had to get through trials by themselves. They didn’t look a person up and down and judge them. Be a real friend to people and someone who they can come and speak to. Think about how you being Muslim is not only a benefit to you, but also a benefit to those around you.
