Part 16

al-Hafiz Ibn Nasir ad-Dimishaji, ar-Raddu-/- Wafir [p. 69} said,

He possessed knowledge of the sciences, especially tafsir and usil.

He also said: Aba Bakr Muhammad Ibn al-Muhib said, as found

in his letter, “I said in front of our Shaykh, al-Mizzi, ‘Is Ibnu-l-Qayyim at the same level as Ibn

Lhn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Khuzaymah?’ He replied, ‘He is in this time, what Tbn Khuzaymah was in his time.”

As-Suyati, Baghyatu-+ Wi'at [1/62] said,

His books had no equal and he strove and became one of the great Imams in [the field of] tafsir, hadith, the Book, the Sunnah, fur‘, and the Arabic

language.

‘Alt al-Qari, al-Mirgat [8/251],

It will be clear to whoever aspires to read the explanation of Manazilu-s-S@irin [i.e. Madarij asSalikin\, that they [Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibnu-lQayyim] are from the great ones of Ahlu-s-Sunnah wa-l-Jama‘ah, and from the awfiya’ of this Ummah.

Qadi Burhan ad-Din az-Zur‘ said as quoted from him in Dhay/ Tabagat al-Fanabilah,

There is none under the heavens who has greater knowledge than he.

His Death:

Imam Ibnu-l-Qayyim passed away at the age of sixty, on the 13th night of Rajab, 751H, may Allah shower His Mercy upon him.

The Types of Hearts'

Because the heart is described as possessing life or death, it is classified into three types:

The Correct and Sound Heart

This is the truthful and sound (sa/im) heart. It is the only type of heart that a person can bring to Allah on the Day of Judgement which will rescue him. Allah, Exalted is He says,

..the Day when neither wealth nor sons will be of any use - except for he who comes to Allah with a sound and flawless heart.

[ash-Shu'ard (26): 88-89

The meaning of salim (secure) is sdlim (the one who is secure), it has come in this form because it depicts an innate attribute or description of the described. As such it is grammatically like the words tall (¢aw#/), short (gasir), or graceful and charming

(zarif).

"Taken ftom [ghathatu-L-1abfan fi Masaytd ash-Shaytan \1/11-19] of Imam ibn alQayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him.

The Correct and Sound Heart

Therefore the one whose heart is described as sadim is characterised so because this attribute of truthfulness and soundness has become its constant and established quality. In this respect it is like the terms, ‘the one who knows’ (‘a/im) and ‘the one who has power’ (gadir).

It is also the opposite of diseased (arid), sick (sagim) and

ailing (al.

People have described the sound and truthful heart in different ways. However they all revolve around the following basic concept,

[The truthful and sound heart] is that which is secure from every carnal desire that opposes the order and prohibition of Allah. It is secure from every doubt and uncertainty that would obscure or go against His narrative. It is secure from displaying servitude to any other than Him; just as it is secure from seeking ruling from any other than His Messenger (%). Therefore it becomes sound through loving Allah and seeking the ruling of His Messenger. It becomes sound through showing Him fear, hope, trust and reliance, penitence, and humility; it prefers what pleases Him in every circumstance and distances itself from everything that would displease Him in every possible way. This is the reality of servitude (‘ubiadiyyah) which can only be directed to Allah Alone.

Therefore the truthful and sound heart is that heart which is secure from committing any form of shirk whatsoever and instead its servitude is directed only to, and purely for, Allah, Exalted is He. Its desire, Jove, trust and reliance, penitence, humility, fear and hope is only for Allah and its actions are purely

for His sake. Hence if it loves, it loves for the sake of Allah; if it hates, it hates for the sake of Allah; if it gives, it gives for the sake of Allah; and if it withholds, it withholds for the sake of Allah.

But this alone does not suffice until the heart becomes secure from submitting to, and going to anybody else but, the Messenger of Allah (4g) for judgement. Therefore the heart ties a firm bond with him (gg), resolving to follow him and obey him alone in sayings and actions. These sayings comprise the saying of the heart: the matters of belief; and the sayings of the tongue which convey what the heart contains. These actions comprise the actions of the heart: its desire, love, dislike and other connected matters; and the actions of the limbs.

Therefore the judge for all these matters - the major and minor of them - is that which the Messenger (8) came with. Hence the heart does not put itself before him in any matter related to belief, saying, or action. Allah, Exalted is He, says,

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meaning: do not speak of a matter until he has spoken of it and do not act until he has commanded it.

Some of the Sa/af said,

There is no action, even if it be small,

The Correct and Sound Heart

except that two records will be unfurled for it: why? how?

meaning: why did you do it? How did you do it?

The first question enquires about the cause, onset and motive of the action. Was it done for some temporal and worldly gain such as attaining the praise of people? Was it done for fear of people’s censure? Or was the motivation of this action establishing the rights of servitude, seeking the increase of ones love of, and closeness, to Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He, and seeking the means of drawing close (wasilah) to Him?

The essence of this question is: was it upon you to perform this action for the sake of your Master or for the sake of petsonal gain and base desire?

The second question enquires about the following of the Messenger (2) in that action of worship: was the action you did from those actions which have been legislated upon the tongue of My Messenget? Or was it an action that I did not legislate and was not pleased with?

Therefore the first question concerns sincerity (‘Rb/as) and the second concerns following (mutaba‘ah). Allah does not accept any action until both these pre-requisites are met.

The method of absolution from the first question is to putify ones sincerity such that it is for Allah Alone.

The method of absolution from the second question is to actualise the following of the Messenger (4%) and by securing the heart from any intent that would impair its sincerity and any base desire that would impair its following,

This is the reality of the sound and truthful heart from which

ensues victory and bliss.

The Dead Heart

This is the heart that contains no life. It does not know its Lord and it does not worship Him by complying to His command and doing that which He loves and is pleased with. Instead it is a slave to its carnal desires, temptations, and pleasures; oblivious of, and indifferent to whether they lead to the displeasure of its Lord and His anger or not. Therefore it worships other than Allah: it directs its love, hope, pleasure, displeasure, glorification, and submission to other than Him. If it loves, it loves for the sake of its base desires; if it hates, it hates for the sake of its base desires; if it gives, it gives for the sake of its base desires; if it withholds, it withholds for the sake of its base desires. It gives preference to its base desires and these ate more beloved to it than the pleasure of its Master.

Base desires are its leader, carnal desires are its commander, ignorance is its driving force, and negligence is the vessel upon which it embarks. It is completely engrossed in pursuing its worldly desires. It is driven wild by the intoxication of its base desires and love of temporal things. It hears the call to Allah and the Abode of the Hereafter from a distant place and does not respond to the sincere advisor. It follows every cunning devil and the world is the cause of its anger and its pleasure. Base desires have deafened it and blinded it to anything other than falsehood. In this world it is like that which is said concerning Layla,

An enemy to whosoever she displays enmity and at peace with those she likes Whosoever she draws close to,

The Dead Heart

he loves and draws close to.

Mixing with the person who has this heart is a sickness, interacting with him is poison, and sitting with him is ruin.

The Diseased Heart

This is the heart that contains life but also possesses a defect. It has two impulses calling it: one leading it to life and the other leading it to death; and it follows whichever of the two that predominates.

It contains love of Allah, Exalted is He, faith in Him, sincerity to Him, and trust and reliance upon him: those matters that are essential to its life.

It also contains the love of its carnal desires, giving preference to them, and eagerness to attain them. It contains jealousy, arrogance, self-amazement, and love of ranking through attaining leadership: those matters that necessarily lead to its destruction and ruin.

It is constantly being tried by two callers: one calling it to Allah, His Messenger, and the Abode of the Hereafter; and the other calling it to temporal, worldly matters. It responds to the one that is closest and most influential at the time.

Therefore the first type of heart is the living, humble, soft, attentive and heedful heart. The second type is the brittle, dry, and dead heart. The third type is the diseased heart, either it is

closer to its salvation or it is closer to its devastation.

Allah, the Glorious, has mentioned these types of the hearts

in His saying,

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Never did We send a Messenger or a Prophet before you without Shaytan insinuating something into his recitation while he was reciting. But Allah revokes whatever Shaytan insinuates and the Allah confirms His Signs, Allah is AllKnowing, All-Wise. That He may make what Shaytan insinuates a trial for those in whose heart is a disease and whose hearts are hardened. Indeed the wrongdoers are entrenched in hostility. And that those who have been given knowledge may know that it [the Quran] is the truth from your Lord, that they may believe therein and their hearts may submit to it with humility. Indeed Allah is the Guide of those who believe, to the Straight Path.