|
 In
the Name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful
Asalaamu Alaikum, may Allah (swt) grant us repentance and
protection from the bad deeds and actions that poison our hearts.
The Four Poisons
Of The Heart
You should know that all acts of disobedience are poison to
the heart and cause its sickness and ruin. They result in its
will running off course, against that of Allâh, and so its
sickness festers and increases.
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Ibn
al- Mubârak said:
I
have seen wrong actions killing hearts, And their degradation
may lead to their becoming addicted to them. Turning away
from wrong actions gives life to the hearts, And opposing
your self is best for it. |
Whoever is concerned with the health and life of his heart, must
rid it of the effects of such poisons, and then protect it by
avoiding new ones. If he takes any by mistake, then he should
hasten to wipe out their effect by turning in repentance and
seeking forgiveness from Allâh, as well as by doing good deeds
that will wipe out his wrong actions.
By the four poisons we mean unnecessary talking,
unrestrained glances, too much food, and keeping bad company.
Of all the poisons, these are the most widespread and have the
greatest effect on a heart's well-being.
Unnecessary Talking
It is reported in al-Musnad, on the authority of Anâs, that the
Prophet sallAllâhu 'alayhi wa sallam said:
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"The
faith of a servant is not put right until his heart is put
right, and his heart is not put right until his tongue is put
right." [1] |
This
shows that the Prophet sallAllâhu 'alayhi wa sallam has made the
purification of faith conditional on the purification of the
heart, and the purification of the heart conditional on the
purification of the tongue.
At-Tirmîdhi relates in a hadîth on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar:
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"Do
not talk excessively without remembering Allâh, because such
excessive talk without the mention of Allâh causes the heart
to harden, and the person furthest from Allâh is a person
with a hard heart." [2] |
Umar
Ibn al-Khattâb, may Allâh be pleased with him, said:
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"A
person who talks too much is a person who often makes
mistakes, and someone who often makes mistakes, often has
wrong actions. The Fire has a priority over such a frequent
sinner." [3] |
In a
hadîth related on the authority of Mu'âdh, the Prophet sallAllâhu
'alayhi wa sallam said,
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"Shall I not tell you how to control all that?" I said, "Yes
do, O Messenger of Allâh." So he held his tongue between his
fingers, and then he said: "Restrain this." I said, "Oh
Prophet of Allâh, are we accountable for what we say?" He saw
said, "May your mother be bereft by your loss! Is there
anything more than the harvest of the tongues that throws
people on their faces (or he said 'on their noses') into the
Fire?" [4] |
What
is meant here by 'the harvest of the tongues' is the punishment
for saying forbidden things. A man, through his actions and
words, sows the seeds of either good or evil. On the Day of
Resurrection he harvests their fruits. Those who sow the seeds of
good words and deeds harvest honour and blessings; those who sow
the seeds of evil words and deeds reap only regret and remorse.
A
hadîth related by Abû Huraira says,
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"What mostly causes people to be sent to the Fire are the two
openings: the mouth and the private parts." [5]
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Abû
Huraira also related that the Messenger of Allâh sallAllâhu 'alayhi
wa sallam said,
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"The
servant speaks words, the consequences of which he does not
realise, and for which he is sent down into the depths of the
Fire further than the distance between the east and the
west." [6] |
The
same hadîth was transmitted by at-Tirmîdhi with slight variations
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"The
servant says something that he thinks is harmless, and for
which he will be plunged into the depths of the Fire as far
as seventy autumns." [7] |
Uqba
ibn Amîr said
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"I
said: "O Messenger of Allâh, what is our best way of
surviving?' He, may Allâh bless him and grant him peace,
replied: "Guard your tongue, make your house suffice for
sheltering your privacy, and weep for your wrong actions."
[8] |
It
has been related on the authority of Sahl ibn Sa'd that the
Prophet sallAllâhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
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"Whoever can guarantee what is between his jaws and what is
between his legs, I guarantee him the Garden." [9]
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It
has also been related by Abû Huraira, may Allâh be pleased with
him, that the Prophet, may Allâh bless him and grant him peace,
said,
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"Let
whoever believes in Allâh and the Last Day either speak good
or remain silent." [10] |
Thus
talking can either be good, in which case it is commendable, or
bad, in which case it is harâm.
The
Prophet sallAllâhu 'alayhi wa sallam said:
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"Everything the children of Adam say goes against them,
except for their enjoining good and forbidding evil, and
remembering Allâh, Glorius and Might is He." This was
reported by at-Tirmîdhi and Ibn Mâ'jah on the authority of
Umm Habîba, may Allâh be pleased with her. [11]
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Umar
ibn al-Khattâb visited Abû Bakr, may Allâh be pleased with
them, and found him pulling his tongue with his fingers. Umar
said "Stop! may Allâh forgive you!" Abû Bakr replied; "This
tongue has brought me to dangerous places." [12]
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Abdullâh ibn Mas'îd said: "By Allâh, besides Whom no god
exists, nothing deserves a long prison sentence more than my
tongue." He also used to say: "O tongue, say good and you
will profit;desist from saying evil things and you will be
safe; otherwise you will find only regret." |
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Abû
Huraira reported that Ibn al-Abbâs said: "A person will not
feel greater fury or anger for any part of his body on the
Day of Judgement more than what he will feel for his tongue,
unless he only used it for saying or enjoining good."
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Al-Hassan
said: "Whoever does not hold his tongue cannot understand his
deen." |
The
least harmful of a tongue's faults is talking about whatever does
not concern it. The following hadîth of the Prophet saw is enough
to indicate the harm of this fault: "One of the merits of a
person's Islâm is his abandoning what does not concern him."[13]
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Abû
Ubaida related that al-Hassan said: "One of the signs of
Allâh's abandoning a servant is His making him preoccupied
with what does not concern him." |
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Sahl
said, "Whoever talks about what does not concern him is
deprived of truthfulness." |
As we
have already mentioned above, this is the least harmful of the
tongue's faults. There are far worse things, like backbiting,
gossiping, obscene and misleading talk, two-faced and
hypocritical talk, showing off, quarrelling, bickering, singing,
lying, mockery, derision and falsehood; and there are many more
faults which can affect a servant's tongue, ruining his heart and
causing him to lose both his happiness and pleasure in this life,
and his success and profit in the next life. Allâh is the One to
Whom we turn for assistance.
Unrestrained Glances
The unrestrained glance results in the one who looks becoming
attracted to what he sees, and in the imprinting of an image of
what he sees in his heart. This can result in several kinds of
corruption in the heart of the servant. The following are a
number of them:
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It
has been related that the Prophet sallAllâhu 'alayhi wa
sallam once said words to the effect: "The glance is a
poisoned arrow of shaytân. Whoever lowers his gaze for Allâh,
He will bestow upon him a refreshing sweetness which he will
find in his heart on the day that he meets Him."[14]
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Shaytân enters with the glance, for he travels with it, faster
than the wind blowing through an empty place. He makes what is
seen appear more beautiful than it really is, and transforms it
into an idol for the heart to worship. Then he promises it false
rewards, lights the fire of desires within it, and fuels it with
the wood of forbidden actions, which the servant would not have
committed had it not been for this distorted image.
This distracts the heart and makes it forget its more important
concerns. It stands between it and them; and so the heart loses
its straight path and falls into the pit of desire and ignorance.
Allâh, Mighty and Glorious is He, says:
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And
do not obey anyone whose heart WE have made forgetful in
remembering Us- who follows his own desires, and whose affair
has exceeded all bounds. (18:28) |
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The
unrestrained gaze causes all three afflictions.
It has been said that between the eye and the heart is an
immediate connection; if the eyes are corrupted, then the heart
follows. It becomes like a rubbish heap where all the dirt and
filth and rottenness collect, and so there is no room for love
for Allâh, relating all matters to Him, awareness of being in His
presence, and feeling joy at His proximity-only the opposite of
these things can inhabit such a heart.
Staring and gazing without restraint is disobedience to Allâh:
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Tell
the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their
modesty; that is more purifying for them. Surely Allâh is
aware of what they do. (24:30) |
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Only
the one who obeys Allâh's commands is content in this world, and
only the servant who obeys Allâh will survive in the next world.
Furthermore, letting the gaze roam free cloaks the heart with
darkness, just as lowering the gaze for Allâh clothes it in
light. After the above ayah,
Allâh, the Glorious and Mighty, says in the same sûrah of the
Qur'an:
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Allâh is the light of the heavens and the earth: the likeness
of His light is as if there were a niche, and in the niche is
a lamp, and in the lamp is a glass, and the glass as it were
a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither
of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well nigh luminous,
though fire scarce touched it. Light upon light. 'Allâh
guides whomever He wants to His Light. Allâh strikes
metaphors for man; and Allâh knows all things. (24:35)
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When
the heart is a light, countless good comes to it from all
directions. If it is dark, then clouds of evil and afflictions
come from all directions to cover it up.
Letting the gaze run loose also makes the heart blind to
distinguishing between truth and falsehood, between the sunnah
and innovation; while lowering it for Allâh, the Might and
Exalted, gives it a penetrating, true and distinguishing insight.
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A
righteous man once said: "Whoever enriches his outward
behavior by following the sunnah, and makes his inward soul
wealthy through contemplation, and averts his gaze away from
looking at what is forbidden, and avoids anything of a
doubtful nature, and feeds solely on what is halâl-his inner
sight will never falter." |
Rewards for actions come in kind. Whoever lowers his gaze from
what Allâh has forbidden, Allâh will give his inner sight
Abundant light.
Too Much Food
The consumption of small amounts of food guarantees tenderness of
the heart, strength of the intellect, humility of the self,
weakness of desires, and gentleness of temperament. Immoderate
eating brings about the opposite of these praiseworthy qualities.
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Al-Miqdâm
ibn Ma'd Yakrib said: "I heard the Messenger of Allâh
sallAllâhu 'alayhi wa sallam say: "The son of Adam fills no
vessel more displeasing to Allâh than his stomach. A few
morsels should be enough for him to preserve his strength. If
he must fill it, then he should allow a third for his food, a
third for his drink and leave a third empty for easy
breathing."[15] |
Excessive eating induces many kinds of harm. It makes the body
incline towards disobedience to Allâh and makes worship and
obedience seem laborious- such evils are bad enough in
themselves. A full stomach and excessive eating have caused many
a wrong action and inhibited much worship. Whoever safeguards
against the evils of overfilling his stomach has prevented great
evil. It is easier for shaytân to control a person who has filled
his stomach with food and drink, which is why it has often been
said: "Restrict the pathways of shaytân by fasting."[16]
It
has been reported that when a group of young men from the Tribe
of Israel were worshipping, and it was time for them to break
their fast, a man stood up and said: "Do not eat too much,
otherwise you will drink too much, and then you will end up
sleeping too much, and then you will lose too much."
The Prophet saw and his companions, may Allâh be pleased with
them, used to go hungry quite frequently. Although this was often
due to a shortage of food, Allâh decreed the best and most
favourable conditions for His Messenger, may Allâh bless him and
grant him peace. This is why Ibn ‘Umar and his father before
him-in spite of the Abundance of food available to them- modeled
their eating habits on those of the Prophet sallAllâhu 'alayhi wa
sallam.
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It
has been reported that ‘Aisha, may Allâh be pleased with her,
said: "From the time of their arrival in Madina up until his
death saw, the family of Muhammad sallAllâhu 'alayhi wa
sallam never ate their fill of bread made from wheat three
nights in a row."[17] |
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Ibrahîm ibn Adham said: "Any one who controls his stomach is
in control of his deen, and anyone who controls his hunger is
in control of good behavior. Disobedience towards Allâh is
nearest to a person who is satiated with a full stomach, and
furthest away from a person who is hungry." |
Keeping Bad Company
Unnecessary companionship is a chronic disease that causes much
harm. How often have the wrong kind of companionship and
intermixing deprived people of Allâh's generosity, planting
discord in their hearts which even the passage of time-even if it
were long enough for mountains to be worn away-has been unable to
dispel. In keeping such company one can find the roots of loss,
both in this life and in the next life.
A servant should benefit from companionship. In order to do so he
should divide people into four categories, and be careful not to
get them mixed up, for once one of them is mixed with another,
then evil can find its way through to him:
The FIRST category are those people whose company is like food:
it is indispensable, night or day. Once a servant has taken his
need from it, he leaves it be until he requires it again, and so
on. These are the people with knowledge of Allâh-of His commands,
of the scheming of His enemies, and of the diseases of the heart
and their remedies- who wish well for Allâh, His Prophet saw and
His servants. Associating with this type of person is an
achievement in itself.
The SECOND category are those people whose company is like a
medicine. They are only required when a disease sets in. When you
are healthy, you have no need of them. However, mixing with them
is sometimes necessary for your livelihood, businesses,
consultation and the like. Once what you need from them has been
fulfilled, mixing with them should be avoided.
The THIRD category are those people whose company is harmful.
Mixing with this type of person is like a disease, in all its
variety and degrees and strengths and weaknesses. Associating
with one or some of them is like an incurable chronic disease.
You will never profit either in this life or in the next life if
you have them for company, and you will surely lose either one or
both of your deen and your livelihood because of them. If their
companionship has taken hold of you and is established, then it
becomes a fatal, terrifying sickness.
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Amongst such people are those who neither speak any good that
might benefit you, nor listen closely to you so that they
might benefit from you. They do not know their souls and
consequently put their selves in their rightful place. If
they speak, their words fall on their listeners' hearts like
the lashes of a cane, while all the while they are full of
admiration for and delight in their own words.
They cause distress to those in their company, while
believing that they are the sweet scent of the gathering. If
they are silent, they are heavier than a massive
millstone-too heavy to carry or even drag across the floor.
[18] |
All
in all, mixing with anyone who is bad for the soul will not last,
even if it is unavoidable. It can be one of the most distressing
aspects of a servant's life that he is plagued by such person,
with whom it may be necessary to associate. In such a
relationship, a servant should cling to good behavior, only
presenting him with his outward appearance, while disguising his
inner soul, until Allâh offers him a way out of his affliction
and the means of escape from this situation.
The FOURTH category are those people whose company is doom
itself. It is like taking poison: its victim either finds an
antidote or perishes. Many people belong to this category. They
are the people of religious innovation and misguidance, those who
abandon the sunnah of the Messenger of Allâh saw and advocate
other beliefs. They call what is the sunnah a bid'a and
vice-versa. A man with any intellect should not sit in their
assemblies nor mix with them. The result of doing so will either
be the death of his heart or, at the very best, its falling
seriously ill.
What Gives the Heart Life and Sustenance
You should know that acts of obedience are essential to the well
being of the servant's heart, just in the same way that food and
drink are to that of the body. All wrong actions are the same as
poisonous foods, and they inevitably harm the heart.
The servant feels the need to worship his Lord, Mighty and
Glorious is He, for he is naturally in constant need of His help
and assistance.
In order to maintain the well being of his body, the servant
carefully follows a strict diet. He habitually and constantly
eats good food at regular intervals, and is quick to free his
stomach of harmful elements if he happens to eat bad food by
mistake.
The well being of the servant's heart, however, is far more
important than that of his body, for while the well being of his
body enables him to lead a life that is free from illnesses in
this world, that of the heart ensures him both a fortunate life
in this world and eternal bliss in the next.
In the same way, while the death of the body cuts the servant off
from this world, the death of the heart results in everlasting
anguish. A righteous man once said, "How odd, that some people
mourn for the one whose body has died, but never mourn for the
one whose heart has died-and yet the death of the heart is far
more serious!"
Thus acts of obedience are indispensable to the well being of the
heart. It is worthwhile mentioning the following acts of
obedience here, since they are very necessary and essential for
the servant's heart: Dhikr of Allâh ta'âlâ, recitation of the
Noble Qur'ân, seeking Allâh's forgiveness, making du'as, invoking
Allâh's blessings and peace on the Prophet, may Allâh bless him
and grant him peace, and praying at night.
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