by How to Treat the Ailments of the Heart
By: Abdul Majid Bin Abdul Aziz Az-Zahim
1. Allah the Glorified and Exalted decreed,
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“Mankind! Now there has come to you an exhortation from your Lord, a healing for the ailments of the hearts, and a guidance and mercy for those who believe.” (Chapter Yunus:57)
2. The Messenger of Allah –peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- always recited the following du’a:
((يَا مُقَلِّبَ اْلقُـلُوْبِ، ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِيْ عَلَى دِيْنِكَ))
“O Allah Who turns the heart, please strengthen my heart upon Your religion.” (Narrated by At-Tirmidzi: 2/20, Sheikh Al Albani said: ‘It is a sound hadith’)
He recited the du’a plenty of times, particularly during prostration. He knew that if the heart is good, then the whole body will be good top. But if it is rotten, then the other body parts will be rotten beyond repair.
3. Some scholars said that the there are five remedies to heal the ailments of the heart: (1) Reciting the Qur’an and contemplating its meaning, (2) A stomach that is always empty (for fasting oftentimes), (3) Performing the night prayer, (4) Repenting to Allah and reciting istighfar at the sahoor time, (5) Sit and befriend the righteous men.
A poet said,
دَوَاءُ قَلْبِكَ خَمْسَةٌ عِنْدَ قَسْوَتِهِ فَدُمْ عَلَيْهَا تَفُزْ بِالْخَيْرِ وَالظَّفَرِ
خَلاَءُ بَطْنٍ وَقُرْآنٌ تَدَبَّرْهُ كَذَا تَضَرُّعُ بَاكٍ ساَعَةَ السَّحَرِ
كَذَا قِيَامُكَ جَنَحَ الَّليْلِ أَوْسَطَهُ وَأَنْ تُجَالِسَ أَهْلَ الْخَيْرِ وَاْلخِبَرِ
The remedies for your stony heart are five..
Be steadfast in it, you’ll be fortunate, of obtaining plenty of goodnesses and victories.
They are, the emptiness of stomach, and the Qur’an…contemplate its meaning..
Likewise, always kneel and cry at sahoor time
Also, your night prayer.
And join the righteous men, with vast knowledge
4. Ibn al Qayyim –may Allah have mercy on him- said,
“إِذَا أَصْـبَحَ اْلعَبْدُ وَأَمْسَى وَلَيْسَ هَمُّهُ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ.. تَحَمَّلَ اللهُ سُبْحَانَهُ حَوَائِجَهُ كُلَّهَا.. وَحَمَلَ عَنْهُ كُلَّ مَا أَهَمَّهُ.. وَفَرَّغَ قَلْبَهُ لِمَحَبَّتِهِ.. وَلِسَانَهُ لِذِكْرِهِ.. وَجَوَارِحَهُ لِخِدْمَتِهِ وَطَاعَتِهِ.
If in the morning and evening, a person thinks nothing but Allah, indeed, Allah will guarantee all of his needs, expel all his worries, and render his heart to always love Him. His tongue will always be made remembering Him. And all of his body parts will be moved in only in obedience and servitude to Him.
وَإِذَا أَصْـبَحَ وَأَمْسَى وَالدُّنْيَا هَمُّهُ.. حَمَّلَهُ الله ُهُمُوْمَهَا وَغُمُوْمَهَا وَأَنْكَادَهَا.. وَوَكَّلَهُ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ.. فَشَغَّلَ قَلْبَهُ عَنْ مَحَبَّتِهِ بِمَحَبَّةِ اْلخَلْقِ، وَلِسَانَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِهِ بِذِكْرِهِمْ، وَجَوَارِحَهُ عَنْ طَاعَتِهِ بِخِدْمَتِهِمْ وَأَشْغاَلِهِمْ.. فَهُوَ يَكْدَحُ كَدْحَ حِمَارِ اْلوَحْشِ فِيْ خِدْمَةِ غَيْرِهِ.. كَالْكِيْرِ يَنْفُخُ بَطْنُهُ.. وَيَعْصِرُ أَضْلاَعَهُ فِيْ نَفْعِ غَيْرِهِ، فَكُلُّ مَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ عُبُوْدِيَّةِ اللهِ وَطَاعَتِهِ وَمَحَبَّتِهِ، بُلِيَ بِعُبُوْدِيَّةِ اْلمَخْلُوْقِ وَمَحَبَّتِهِ..
However, if in his morning and evening, he only thinks of the world, indeed, Allah will befall upon him all kind of miseries, worries, and calamities. He will be submitted to himself. Thus, his heart will be busied with loving other creation and not Allah. His tongue will only remember them, and not Allah. His whole body will only serve and obey others, not obey and serve Him. He works hard like a mule to serve others. He is like a fire blower (of a blacksmith) which bloats its stomach and squeezes its ribs to serve others. Hence, whoever turns away from the worship to Allah, and from the love and obedience to Him, he will be tried by being a servant to other creations and only loves them.
Allah decreed,
وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ
“He who is negligent to remember the Merciful One, to him We assign a satan as his boon companion, “ (Chapter Az Zukhruf/The Gold Ornament: 36)
He (Ibn al Qayyim) also said:
“اُطْلُبْ قَلْبَكَ فِيْ ثَلاَثِ مَوَاطِنَ: عِنْدَ سَمَاعِ اْلقُرْآنِ، وَفِيْ مَجَالِسِ الذِّكْرِ، وَفِيْ أَوْقَاتِ اْلخُلْوَةِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْ فِيْ هَذِهِ اْلمَوَاطِنَ، فَسَلِ اللهَ أَنْ يَمُنَّ عَلَيْكَ بِقَلْبٍ، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ قَلْبَ لَكَ.”
“Find your heart in three places:
(1) Upon listenig to the Qur’an, (2) upon attending the lectures of dhikr, and (3) upon being alone. If you do not find it in those three places, ask Allah so that He’ll give you a heart, because you no longer have it.”
Taken from “`Ilaaju Al-Amroodhi Bi Al-Qur`aani Wa As-Sunnah” by Sheikh Abdul Majid bin Abdil Aziz az-Zahim, reviewed by al-‘Allamah ‘Abdul Muhsin al-‘Ubaikan, published by Maktabah Darul Arqom, 1414/1994.
