*hold* The fault in our hearts

Qalb

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم.

Alhumdulillah. Indeed, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and seek His Help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from our souls' evils and our wrong doings. He whom Allah guides, no one can misguide; and he whom He misguides, no one can guide."

"I bear witness that there is no god except Allah- alone without any partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His 'abd (servant) and Messenger."

So before addressing all those diseases with the heart and how to overcome them, we need to get in common terms with the types of hearts and the heart itself but of course without getting you confused with heaps of ahadith and Quranic ayaats in sha Allah!

So the قلب is the Arabic term for heart (pronounced Qalb). The issue of one's Qalb is an important and sensitive issue. The word 'Qalb' in Arabic implies changing quickly and frequently. (Inqilaab means drastic change; Taqallub means hustle and bustle, alteration, variation, ups and downs.) The prophet (saw) said: The Qalb takes its name from its constant changes (Taqallub). The Prophet (Saw) illustrated, "The likeness of the heart is that of a feather at the root of a tree, being turned over and over by the wind."

So I hope I haven't scared you already with so much information but in general terms the meaning of qalb roots down to the idea that in fact the heart keeps changing and fluctuating between states. So on a general level, the state of the heart isn't settled and in fact that is what is shown through the way we may find satisfaction in something yet end up hating it the next day.

And so the prophet saw mentions:

""The heart of the son of Adam changes more quickly than a pan or a pot of rapidly boiling water." (Reported by Ibn Abee 'Aasim in Kitaab al-Sunnah, no. 226, also Reported by Ahmad)."

And let's admit it, we have, at some point in our life, stared at a pot of boiling water and seen just how the water just doesn't stay still, just like our hearts and even more like that fidgety 2 year old child (ok I'm only joking).

So when we say qalb or the heart, then what are we referring to?

It's in fact the human mind, psyche or mental processes that comprise thinking, reasoning, consciousness, intention, decision-making mindset and outlook, and which define a human being as a person which at the end of the day determines our personality and so the rapid changes being referred to in the Ahaadeeth above are changes in thoughts, outlook and mindset that occur rapidly under exposure to the strong winds blowing in the society (particularly the western society and it's curroptive nature) or the intense heat generated by the pressures of the society (magazines, models, the pressure of society to dress more revealingly, you get the gist).

The fact that Qalb refers to mind and mental processes is actually, quite frankly shown in the holy Quran:

They have (Quloob) minds with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. They are like livestock; in fact, they are worse because they are so heedless! (Al-A'raaf 7:179)

"Do they not reflect upon the Qur-aan; are there locks on their Quloob (are their minds blocked)? (Muĥammad 47:24)

And so in these cases, our personality and mindset is in question here.

If society and all these topless models can so easily influence us then the Quran can do exactly the same. I shall repeat that again! The Quran in fact CAN influences us more than society but do we let it??

And it seems that is what the Quran is mentioning above on whether we have locks on our quloob, on our heart.

Think and contemplate for a second.

Quick we are to blaming society unto it's influence on our character and heart, but surely why doesn't the Quran , the a hadeeth influence us?

Indeed we have strayed from the wrong path.

And of course it's a very sad reality but that doesn't mean we can't change. That doesn't mean we can't change what we get influenced by.

Take out time to contemplate on the Quran and ponder upon it's verses.

كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ

(This is) a Book (the Quran) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember.