Part 6

The same applies to (the ones referred to in) His saying:

Seg Aes tor oe Bape por cone 89 ,00'Y 8 189 G2 4 SUI teks ...Lest he in whose heart is a disease be moved

with desire... [Sarab al-Ahgab (33) : 32|

Referring to the sickness of desire, for indeed if the correct heart is tempted by a woman it will not incline towards her, contrary to the heart diseased with desire, for it, due to its weakness, will incline towards what it is tempted with in accordance to the strength or the weakness of the sickness, and when it submits to the temptation, the sickness in the heart is satiated.

[1.2 The Qur'an is a cure for the hearts]

The Qur'an is a cure for that which is within the heart, and for the one who has the sickness of doubt and desire in his heart, for it contains clear proofs that distinguish the truth from falsehood, and remove the sickness of false doubts to leave certain knowledge, correct perception and understanding such that the heart sees things in accordance to their reality. It contains wisdom, goodly exhortations both encouraging good and deterring from evil, and stories which contain lessons that necessarily lead to the correction of the heart by making the heart desire what is good for it and detest what is harmful to it. Hence the heart is left desiring that which will guide it, hating that which will deviate it after it used to desire that which would deviate it and hate that which would guide it.

The Qur’an removes all the sicknesses that invoke false desites until the heart becomes pure and therefore its desires become pure and it returns to the natural state (/#/rah) that it was created in, just as the body returns to the natural state upon being treated. The heart will be nurtured with faith and the Quran such that it will become strong - for indeed the purification of the heart is like the growing of the body.

[1.2 The Quran is a cure for the hearts]

{1.3 Righteous Actions are a Cure for the Heart]

Zakéh (purification) in the language means: growth and increase in correction, it is said, ‘something has za&a’, when it has grown in correction. The heart is in need of being nurtured so that it may mature and increase until it becomes complete and correct just as the body is in need of nourishment that is good for it, but along with this there is a need to prevent anything from harming it. So the body will not grow until it gains that which will benefit it and is prevented from that which will harm it, likewise the heart will not become pure such that it may grow and become complete with respect to its correction, until it attains that which benefits it and represses that which harms it - just as the flower will not grow without these two factors.

Sadagah (charity), due to its extinguishing the sins as water extinguishes fire, causes the heart to be purified. Its zakab means something additional to it being merely free of sins.

Allah the Exalted said, ACA Areas st ae LER VANONRS TIS YOST NOSS rlen te Take a ‘from them in order to purify them

and sanctify them with it. [Sarah Tawbah (9) : 103]

[1.4 Leaving Indecent Actions are a Cure for the Heart]

Similarly abstaining from indecent actions and sins leads to purification of the heart, for these are of the same level as leprosy of the body or thorns on a flower. So when the body is freed of this leprosy by releasing the additional blood for example, the natural strength of the body emerges and it can find telief and thereby grow. Likewise when one seeks repentance from sin, the heart is released from contamination - whereby it mixed the righteous actions with evils actions, so when one repents from sins the strength of the heart emerges as does its desire to perform righteous actions and it finds relief from these false and corrupt matters that it was submerged in.

So the yakah of the heart means its growing and becoming complete. Allah the Exalted said,

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And had it not been for the Grace of Allah and His Mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure ftom sins...

[Sarah an-Nar (24) : 21]

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...And if you are asked to go back, then go back, for it is purer for you... [Surah an-Nar (24) : 28}

[1.4 Leaving Indecent Actions are a Cure for the Heart]

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Sar oe Prere, He ; pad

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and protect their private parts. That is purer for them...

[Sarah an-Nar (24) : 30}

Indeed whoever purifies himself shall achieve success, and remembers the Name of his Lord and prays.

[Sarah al.A‘la (87) : 14-15]

OE E5 ASE TOES, ll 3 Indeed he succeeds who purifies himself, and

indeed he fails who corrupts his self. [Surah ash-Shams (91) : 9-10]

OSHA, But what could tell you that perchance he might become pure? [Sérah ‘Abasa (80) : 3]

eel ye ne ae, e424 73 on de OES SO Sold ads And say to him (i.e. Fir‘aun); ‘Would you purify yourself, and that I guide you to your Lord, so

you should fear Him?’ {Sarah an-Nazi‘at (79) : 18-19]

So tazkiyah (purification), even if its basic meaning is growth,

blessing and increase in goodness, is only attained by removing the evil, and this is why purification has come to combine both these matters (i.e., performing good and avoiding evil).

He, the Most High, said,

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arcs A°E,2 SrA Se ae oa 2 he BEV BRNO GS Ui aN EFA ONES And woe to the polytheists, those who do not give the zakah, and are disbelievers in the

Hereafter. [Sarah Fussilat (41) : 6-7|

Meaning by zakab, the tawhid and iman by which the heart is purified, for indeed ‘awhid includes negating any lordship besides Allah and affirming the Lordship of Allah in the heart, this being the reality of ‘La Maha Illa Allah’ (there is none worthy of worship except Allah) and this being the basis by which the hearts are purified.

Taxkiyyah (purification) is the act of making something pure, either in and of itself, or in belief, or in reports. It is similarly said: ‘adaltuhu’ when you made it just, in and of itself, or in the belief of the people.

Allah, The Most High, said, “ feta re aaa Ks"

So do not ascribe purity (tuzakkt ) to yourself... [Strab Najm (53) : 32]

[1.4 Leaving Indecent Actions are a Cure for the Heart]

i.e. do not broadcast that you are pure, and this is not the same as His saying

Indeed he succeeds who purifies himself. [Sarah ash-Shams (91) : 9]

This is why Allah, the Most High, said,

He knows best who fear Allah. [Sarah Najm (53) : 32]

Zaynab was initially known as Burra, and it is said that she purified herself and so the Messenger of Allah (g) called her Zaynab. As for the saying of Allah,

wae 4 bbn5t ve F 440% ¢ ae ayes It KSAT YS SAMSON N56 Have you not seen those who claim purity for themselves, nay - but Allah purifies (yuzakki) whom He pleases. [Sarah an-Nisa’ (4) : 49]

Meaning He makes pure whomsoever He pleases and makes

his purity known, just as the purifier declares to be pure only those whose justice he can bear testimony to.

[1.5 The Effect of Sins Upon the Purity of the Heart]

‘Aal (fairness and justice) is [tidal (balance), and in balance lies the correction of the heart, just as in g/m (imbalance/ oppression) lies its corruption. This is why for every sin that the person has committed he has oppressed his self (xaliman li nafsihi). The opposite of gu/m is ‘adi, so this sinful person has not been just to his self rather he has oppressed it. The correction of the heart lies in ‘“ad/ and its corruption lies in gu/w. Therefore, when the servant oppresses himself he is the oppressor and oppressed at the same time, likewise when he is just then he is the one who is just and the one upon whom the justice is cartied out.

The person does an action and he will receive the fruit of this action, be it bitter or sweet.

Allah said,

* “Cr Aer or lQye EAT Ges ECS UGS ..He has the reward for the (good) that he has earned, and he is punished for the (evil) which he has earned... [Sérab al-Bagarah (2) : 286]

‘Aml (actions) have an effect upon the heart, either of benefit, harm, or correction, before they effect the external body. The good and pure actions constitute justice for the soul whereas

bad actions oppress the soul.

Allah the Most High, said,

[1.5 The Exfect of Sins Upon the Purity of the Heart

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Whoever does righteous deeds it is for the (benefit of) himself, and whosoever does evil, it is against his own self.

(Sarah Fussilat (41) : 46]

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If you do good, you do good for your own selves, and if you do evil, you do it against yourselves.

[Surah al-Isr@ (17) : 7)

Some of the Sa/af said, ‘Indeed good actions are a light in the heart, a strengthening for the body, a glow on the face, a cause for extensive provisions and love in the hearts of the creation. Indeed bad actions are a darkness in the heart, a blackness on the face, a weakness for the body, a cause for decrease in

provisions and hatred in the hearts of the creation.’

Allah, the Most High, said,

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Every person has a pledge for that which he has earned. [Sarah at-Tar (52) : 21}

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Every person has a pledge for what he has

*i,e. Ibn ‘Abbas as mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim in a/-Jawab al-Kafi.

earned. [Sarah al-Muddaththir (74) : 38]

estes) Doshi ad ESE PELE

But remind (them) of it (the Qur’an) lest a person be given up to destruction (tubsala) for that which he has earned, when he will find for himself no protector orf intercessor besides Allah. And even if he offers every ransom, it will not be accepted from him. Such are they who are given up to destruction because of that which they earned.

[Sérabh al-An‘am (6) : 70]

Tubsala means: to-repress, to fetter and captivate.

Similarly when the body has recovered from illness it is said: ‘He has balanced his temperament and disposition.’ This is because the sickness distorts the temperament, despite the fact that there is no way to achieve complete balance, safe from mixing both justice and injustice - but the ideal or close to the ideal should be aimed for.