Man is not what he thinks he is. Forgetful is he, heedless for the most part.
*Does he not hear the call of the inner voice? Will he not listen ?
... but what does it say and- what is the meaning of itanyway?
What has happened to man, where went his goodintentions and his great ideas?
They say this life is but a pasttime, a place of worldly gain and
play, ... oris there ever more to it? (Unknown poet)
The souls of men are not free from blame. This is why the men
ofinsight and understanding were distrustful of their souls and have
alwaysopposed it in all statesand dragged it towards what it dispises
[ ~ to raise]. How could one agree to the demands of thesoul ( nafs ),
when even a Prophet (Yusuf - peace upon him) exclaimed:
{ And I do not declare my soul free [from blame], indeed (man's) self
(soul) is wont to command (him to do) evil, except such as my Lord has
had mercy on, surely my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.} (12-53)
Man's Innermost Reality, Center Of Conciousness
About The Pure Heart
And What It Keeps Alive
Edited by Omar K Neusser — This is the second page in our Tasawwuf
section - inshah Allah.
2. Notes On The (Pure)Heart
2.1.1 The Term Heart
The term "heart" has different and multi-level connotations in the
Islamic tradition. It is not simply the organ of emotions, "feelings"
and desires,or decisions and opinions, but goes to encompass the soul,
knowledge, bravery and more. When purified it is the seat of the
intellect, i.e. theray of the Divine within the creatures.
This is why it is called the "true essence of a human being"
(Al-Jurjani), containing "all levels of inner being" (al-Hakeem
al-Tirmidhi), and for the Prophets (pbut) it is the place of
revelation.
At first the "heart" ( qalb ) is something unstable ,
unreliable,easily changing. In short it can either be sick or sound,
dead or alive, due to its beliefsand certainty and due to the person's
actions.
Concerning God-conciousness, theProphet said, while pointing to his heart:
"God-wariness is righthere" ( al-taqwâ hâhunâ ). [fn1]
And as an unstable organ, it is continuallyinfluenced and turnedby -
and eventually inspired and re-turned to - Allah Most High:
{ Allah intervenes between man and his heart } 8-24
Allah has informed us in the Holy Quran about the "heart" ( qalb ).
For example nâs or "people, men" is used 241 times, but as a
comparison "heart" not less than 137 times, which is indicative of the
importance of this term!
2.1.2 The Heart And The Intellect
Although the heart is not the same as the intellect, it is
nevertheless where the intellect would ideally reside and govern over
our emotions and passions. Then it will be the place for faith (
al-imân ), mercy ( rahmah ) [2.1.3] and certainty ( yaqîn ).
The reason for this intimate relationship between heart and intellect
is the authenticity and directness of 'Heart-knowledge' comparedto
'mind-knowledge' [WSUF52] . It is dhauq (taste), or intellectual
intuition, what is sought for.
Other words for heart (except for qalb ) used in the Quran:
- sadr , sudûr : the chest (heart) where Shaytan tries to gain access.
(25 times)
- fuâd , af'idah : the heart engrossed or inflamed in emotion:
happiness, sadness, lust, frustration, anger or regret. [fn2] F. ex.
in (28-10) (16 times) and:
- lubb , albâb : the innermost place where thelight of tawhîd resides
[fn3] , always used together with "the folk of" albâb : the people of
understanding, or intellect (16 times):
{and none receives admonition* save men of understanding.} (2-269)
* Tafsîr : none takes the lessons conveyed by the Divine Book to
heart, except for the people of of understanding and intellect. [fn4]
2.1.3 Merciful hearts
About "the mercy which Allah has put inthe hearts of His slaves" : the
merciful slaves to others;
"wa innamâ yarHamu-LLahu min `ibâdihi-rruHamâ" A sound hadith
2.2 The Human Condition
The human condition is one of utter dependance on the All-Mighty, it
means that man (or woman) can do nothing if His Lord and Master,
AllahAll Mighty does not wish so, or does not let it be. HE is the
Guide ( Al-Hadi ) and Al-Qayyum (The Self-Subsisting Sustainer) of the
universe. He guides the heart of man, everturning it:
--
|- - - - wassalam;
- -
And Allah knows the best!
~
* visite our Blog, to improve your 'Islamic Knowledge :-
http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/
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