The Heart
Purifying Your Heart
Heart Series hopes to take you on a journey deep into your heart. We’ll ponder together the nature of our heart, what affects it and how to keep it sincere. This is thought #4. Read #3 The Doors To Your Heart
In our journey towards a sound heart , we talked last about how our heart compared to a home, must be protected from harm. How we should not let in what corrupts it or puts it at danger.
When we protect our homes, we close our windows and doors when there is a storm outside, we look through the peep hole to see whether the one knocking outside is allowed to come in, we even install security cameras and alarms to monitor and safe guard our homes from intruders.
Now doesn’t your heart need safeguarding too, knowing that your hereafter depends on it?
Good, so you have secured all doors to your heart, and are guarding your senses, making sure all what comes in is pure, beneficial and pleasing to Allah.
What about what’s already inside? What has seeped in from past experiences? Do you have any rust over your heart? Let’s clean that up ?
I highly recommend reading Dr. Hamza Yusuf’s commentary on Purification of the Heart by Imām Mawlūd. Here are a few lines:
Poem Verses 176-179
As for action that is beneficial in purifying the heart, none is more effective than what is consistent, even if it is slight.
Include also action that is done in the absence of witnesses, or action done purely for His love or out of awe of His majesty.
The purest deed is that done by someone free of worldly wants. The opposite of this is the deed of the covetous one whose endeavors are ultimately insignificant.
The actions of those who strive out of hope are more resplendent and exalted than one whose striving is compelled by fear.
To put it more simply:
1. Find good acts that you can sustain, that can be done consistently, even if small. Frequent quick polishing and cleaning keeps a house tidy all year, So easy and consistent ibadat will keep you safe and in check, don’t start something so big you can’t stick to, don’t set yourself up for failure.
Slow and steady is what you need. Keep the spring cleaning for when Ramadan comes along 🙂
Here are some examples, but be informed, these are extras, make sure your Fard is done first and is established in your life, like the Fajr prayer for example, before doing nawafil and voluntary actions.
- Keep a short daily wird of Quran, even if it was one page.
- Keep a dhikr wird, like أذكار الصباح والمساء or recite Salams on the Prophet ﷺ 100 times , or repeat your favorite short duaa daily.
- Fast Mondays and Thursdays, or the 3 middle days of the month, or just every Monday. Whatever you can sustain.
- Give out daily sadaqa, even if it’s a pound. You can remind yourself by doing it the same time/way everyday, like keeping a sadaqa jar next to the door and feed it everytime you go out, or drop all your change in it when you come back in. See what fits your routine.
- Keep a call log and call your aunts or uncles that you don’t see much. Maintain those family bonds in these busy times we live in.
2. Good deeds that are done in secrecy, only for Allah’s sake and love, carry bigger weight in Allah’s eyes than those done publicly. Now don’t go around trying to hide every good thing you do! Not only is that inconvenient, but it also deprives us of an important element in Islam, that is sharing the good and being a good example for others to follow.
The key here is to watch your intentions, since when things are done publicly, it’s doer is prone to falling into doing good for people’s sake so they might think highly of her. Keep a healthy balance and secure your intentions.
3. Make a sincere Tawba. Ask Allah to forgive you for all past sins, no matter how small. Ask Him to purify your heart, and help you to safe guard your heart.
Life goes by so fast, we don’t even realize that our time is almost up in this world..and what really scares me is that we might not have actually fulfilled our true purpose in this world..which is pure عبادة. This post reminds all of us of the little things to do to keep us going, and to hopefully be a شفيع for us on judgement day. May Allah accept us all. Thank you for the wonderful, heart-warming post. ❤
Thank you for taking the time to write this Nahla, glad you enjoyed it. And yes! Life is too short but also very much distractive, make us forget to prepare for the REAL life ahead of us insha Allah. Amen to your prayers ❤
I really loved it ?
Glad you did Somaia ❤ thanks for stopping by 😀
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Aysheh, so glad you found solace and comfort in our words. May you always find a haven here ♥️ Amen to your prayers and the same for you and for all those who grace us with their visit ✨
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