How to Clean The Heart

http://www.al-miftah.com/2013/07/29/how-to-clean-the-heart/ The sin of malice and discord is serious. Even on auspicious occasions despite Allahs abundant mercy, we always find one particular class of people that are deprived; those who harbour illfeelings in their hearts towards others. In addition to this, some narrations state that such peoples salah is not accepted by Allah. (At-Targheeb, vol.3 pgs.455-462) Hereunder are a few prescriptions (from the hadith and advice of seniors) to remove ill-feelings from the heart: 1. Recite the following ayah in abundance: Rabbanagh fir lana wa li ikhwaninal lazheena sabaquna bil iman, wala tajal fee quloobina ghillal lillazheena amanu Rabbana innaka Raoofur Raheem (Surah: 59 Ayah: 10) 2. Rasulullah (sallallahualaihi wasallam) said: Offer gifts to each other, for this creates affection and removes the anger of the hearts (Muwatta Imam Malik, see Al-Tamheed, vol.15 pg.85-91 & Takhreejul ihya, hadith: 1453) 3. Greet each other with Salam and shake hands. This is also a way of bonding the hearts. (Sahih Muslim, hadith: 192) 4. Rasulullah (sallallahualaihi wasallam) said: By fasting during the month of Ramadhan and 3 days of every other (Islamic) month, the rancour of the heart is removed (At-Targheeb, vol.2 pg.121) 5. Make dua for the the person from whom one is disillusioned. 6. Praise him in his absence.

By implementing the above with the sincere intent of freeing ourselves from ill-feelings, Allah Taala will cleanse our hearts Insha Allah.

Inspiration from a Sahabi (radiyallahuanhu) Sayyiduna Anas (radiyallahu anhu) says: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (sallallahualaihi wasallam) when he said: A man who is from the inmates of Jannah is about to arrive. Soon thereafter, a Sahabi (radiyallahuanhu) came in, with his shoes in his left hand and the water of wudhu dripping from his beard. When the gathering ended, Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Amr ibn As (radiyallahu anhuma) followed this person (with the motive of learning the reason for him being blessed with such a glad tiding)

He said to him: I have taken an oath that I will not go home for 3 days. Is it possible for you to accommodate me for this time? The Sahabi agreed. Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Amr stayed with him for 3 days, but noticed nothing extraordinary in his routine. i.e, he never engaged in additional voluntary deeds as expected. However, whenever this Sahabi (radiyallahu anhu) would go to bed at night, he would recite some form of dhikr, then sleep till fajr. Furthermore, during these 3 days he did not hear him utter any word besides good. Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Amr (radiyallahu anhuma) says: After three nights I almost deemed his deeds as nothing so special. I approached him and explained that my real motive for staying with him was to discover the special act that he may be engaging in, which warranted his guarantee of Jannah. Then I asked him: How did You achieve such a rank? He said: I have no special deeds beside whatever You have seen during your stay. I accepted this and was about to leave when he exclaimed: O, Yes! there is something. I do not harbor any evil or malice in my heart against any fellow Muslim. I am not jealous over whatever good Allah bestows upon any of them. Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Amr (radiyallahu anhuma) said: That is precisely the reason for You reaching such a lofty status. (Musnad Ahmad & Nasaai. Hafiz Ibn Katheer -rahimahullah- has declared the chain of Nasaai as authentic, in accordance to the standards of Imams Bukhari & Muslim. refer: Tafseer Ibn Katheer, surah:59, Ayah: 9)

We often look for extraordinary deeds to acquire success, when the solution lies in the basics May Allah Taala guide us all. Ameen.