Saturday 22 Rajab 1439/8 April 2018
Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest
Lesson 11: Curing the heart, the Effect of making Dhikr of Allah often and the Importance of being kind
- Recap of Lesson 10
- Ibn Qayyim says a person in whose heart the love of Allah has settled, then such a person’s chest becomes tight only when he sees the people who are idle, lazy and heedless in returning to Allah, those who do not relish in his Worship become an eye sore and mixing with them troubles him as though he has been struck by a fever.
- Ibn Qayyim says from the greatest causes of suffocation of the chest is to turn away from Allah and the heart being attached to someone/something other than him, and being heedless of his remembrance
- Permissible forms of love, e.g. loving one’s spouse, child or loving someone for the sake of Allah
- However, it is possible that permissible love can go beyond bounds such that a person end’s up loving something/something more at the expense of loving Allah, then it becomes impermissible. E.g. someone loving his business or someone at the expense of his duty to Allah. This is impermissible but not shirk.
- There is another degree of impermissible love where someone loves someone or something and shows lowliness/humility, then this becomes shirk (Associating partners with Allah).
- Why is shirk the greatest of crimes?
- Because Shirk decreases love of Allah, and love of Allah is the spirit of Eemaan (Belief) and without Eemaan the heart becomes dead
- A person who commits shirk has shared the love that was only belonging to Allah, he has divided it amongst others
- Ibn Qayyim says that love is of two types:
- One form is the love that is paradise on earth, delight and nourishment of the heart, life and cure of the soul, indeed this is loving Allah with all of one’s heart
- The second form is the torture of the soul, the sadness of the spirit, the imprisonment of the heart and the tightness of the chest. Indeed this is to love others besides Allah, with love that belongs only to him
- Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami says that whoever has been given love for Allah with all his heart, then he is the one who is in a paradise in this world and will enter the Paradise of the Hereafter. Whoever dies upon that state then it is hoped that he is upon good.
- When a person loves Allah with all his heart, then the creation becomes like inanimate objects since he/she realises nothing can harm or benefit him in and of themselves. He/she realises that the command is ONLY in the hand of Allah and turns ONLY to Allah for whatever need.
- When a person loves someone/something other than Allah (in an impermissible way), then his heart becomes weary, bitter, and tight.
- NOTE: This is referring to impermissible love, whether or not shirk is present, see above.
- Ibn Qayyim says that Allah has created the sons of Adam and has given them a state of completion to each of their faculties and organs (e.g. the eye and sight), and that when such a part of him loses its completion, then the person feels uneasy about that. Ibn Qayyim says the king of all the organs is the heart and was created in order to recognise and remember its creator, to love and hate for its maker, and that when it loses its completion and perfection such a heart becomes agonised.
- So how do we cure the heart?
- Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami this is via the Prophetic medicine and that ordinary medical knowledge (anatomy, physiology etc) is not sufficient as medical doctors themselves are sometimes afflicted with diseases of the heart.
- The cure is to become preoccupied in the remembrance of Allah
- One can learn about and study his religion, the sayings and life of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), what dua to make when you eat food or go to the mosque etc.
- Making dhikr (remembrance) often means you will not forget Allah
- NEXT PART: From the means of bringing relaxation of the chest is making Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah in all situations. Likewise, being heedless is a potent means of tightening the chest
- Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami says making dhikr of Allah is easy for those whom Allah makes it easy for
- It is physically easy, yet only a few people do it
- For example, there are specific adhkaar (remembrances) for different situations e.g. when waking up, going to bathroom, eating, wearing new clothes, going out of the house, going on a journey, going to the mosque etc
- The book “Fortress of the Muslim” is a good book for dua and Dhikr.
- What is the best way of making Dhikr?= Reciting the Quran
- When a worldly issue makes you busy, you will not find any type of comfort or company except when you go back to remembering Allah. Being heedless of Allah
- What are the causes of becoming absent-minded from remembering Allah?
- being attached to money, wealth, etc
- Turning away from Allah
- Recap so far of causes of achieving relaxation of the chest:
- Tawhid (Islamic monotheism)
- Huda (guidance)
- Noor of eemaan (Light of Belief)
- Inaaba (turning towards Allah in repentance)
- Ilm (knowledge)
- Loving Allah
- Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah
- NEXT PART: From the means of bringing relaxation of the chest is being kind, generous and benevolent towards other humans as well as towards creation (e.g. animals)
- Indeed the generous and kind person has the most relaxed form of chest and has the most pleasant spirit
- Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Wealth does not diminish by giving Sadaqah (charity). Allah augments the honour of one who forgives; and one who serves another seeking the pleasure of Allah, Allah will exalt him in ranks.” [Muslim, Riyad as-Salihin]
- Next week insha Allah: What does Ibn Qayyim say about the generous person vs. the stingy person?