Types Of Diseases That Attack The Heart And Their Cure

**madeenahsh** · 09-08-2005

Types Of Diseases That Attack The Heart And Their Cure
Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
Excerpted from Chapter 1 in "Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet, (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam)"

There are two types of diseases that attack the heart, one doubt and error, and the second lust and desire; both are mentioned in the Qur'an. Allah says about the disease of doubt:

"In their hearts is a disease (of doubt and hypocrisy) and Allah has increased their disease."

And He said:

"...and that those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy) and the disbelievers may say: 'What Allah intends by this (curious) example?'"

Allah says concerning those who refuse to make the Qur'an and Sunnah the basis of their judgments:

"And when they are called to Allah (i.e., His Words, the Qur'an) and His Messenger, to judge between them, lo! A party of them refuses (to come) and turns away. But if the truth is on their side, they come to him willingly with submission. Is there a disease in their hearts? Or do they doubt or fear lest Allah and His Messenger should wrong them in judgement? Nay, it is they themselves who are the Dhalimoon (polytheists, hypocrites and wrongdoers)."

This is the disease of doubt and error.

Also, Allah says about desire and lust, adultery in this case:

"O wives of the Prophet! You are not likely any other women. If you keep your duty (to Allah), then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery) should be moved with desire..."

Providing proper remedies for ailments of the heart (referring to spiritual and emotional ailments) only occurs at the hands of the Prophets, ('Alayh is-Salaam), and Messengers of Allah. The heart becomes well when it acquires knowledge of its Lord and Creator and in His Names, Attributes, Actions and Commandments.

The heart also becomes well when it prefers acquiring Allah's Pleasure and prefers what He likes, all the while avoiding His prohibitions and what might lead to His displeasure.

There is no life, health, or wellbeing for the heart except by this method, which only the Messengers can provide. It is wrong to think that one can ever attain the heart's wellbeing through any other way than through the guidance of the Messengers of Allah. These errors result from confusing the heart's true well-being with satisfying and strengthening its lower animal lusts and desires. By this way the heart will be far from acquiring its true well-being, strength and even its very existence will be in danger. Those who do not distinguish between these two paths should grieve for their heart's life and health, or in fact for the lack of it. Let such people also grieve because of their lacking the light of true guidance and because they are completely in an ocean of darkness.

**Peace&Justice** · 09-08-2005

BaarakAllaahu feek

The Hardened Heart

Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah

The slave is not afflicted with a punishment greater than the hardening of the heart and being distant from Allah. For the Fire was created to melt the hardened heart. The most distant heart from Allah is the heart which is hardened. If the heart becomes hardened, the eye becomes dry.

If four matters are exceeded in quantity, beyond what is necessary, the heart shall become hardened:

Food, sleep, speech and sexual intercourse. A body afflicted by disease does not derive nourishment from food or water, similarly a heart diseased by desire does not benefit from admonishment or exhortation.

Whosoever desires to purify his heart, then let him prefer Allah to his desires.

The heart which is clinging to its desires is veiled from Allah, commensurate to the degree that it is attached to them. The hearts are the vessels of Allah upon His earth, hence the most beloved of them to Him, are the ones most compassionate, pure and resistant to deviation.

They (the transgressors) preoccupied their hearts [in the pursuance] of the Dunya, would that they preoccupied them with Allah and the Hereafter, then surely they would have reflected upon the intended meaning of His poignant Words and Verses. Their hearts would have returned to their masters with a wisdom, marvelously curious and [in possession] of the rarest of precious gems.

If the heart is nourished with remembrance, its thirst quenched with contemplation and cleansed from corruption, it shall witness remarkable and wondrous matters, inspiring wisdom.

Not every individual is endowed with knowledge and wisdom, and assumes its character is from amongst its people. Rather the People of Knowledge and Wisdom are those who infused life into their hearts by slaying their desires. As for the one who slayed his heart and vitalized his desires, then knowledge and wisdom is naked upon his tongue.

The destruction of the heart occurs by security [in this Dunya] and negligence, its fortification occurs by fear and remembrance. If the heart renounces the pleasures of the Dunya, it settles upon the [pursuance] of the pleasures of the Hereafter, and amongst those who call towards it. Should the heart become content with the pleasures of the Dunya, those pleasures [of the Hereafter] cease [to continue].

Yearning for Allah and His meeting is like the gentle breeze blowing upon the heart, extinguishing the blaze of the Dunya. Whosoever caused his heart to settle with his Lord shall be in a state, calm and tranquil, and whosoever sent it amongst the people shall be disturbed and excessively perturbed.

For the love of Allah shall not enter a heart which contains the love of this world, except as a camel which passes through the eye of a needle.

Hence, the most beloved servant before Allah is the one whom He places in His servitude, whom He selects for His love, whom He causes to purify his worship for Him, dedicates his objectives for Him, his tongue for His remembrance, and his limbs for His service.

The heart becomes sick, as the body becomes sick, and its remedy is al-Tawbah and protection [from transgression].
It becomes rusty as a mirror becomes rusty, and its clarity isv obtained by remembrance.
It becomes naked as the body becomes naked, and its beautification is al-Taqwa.
It becomes hungry and thirsty as the body becomes hungry, and its food and drink is knowledge, love, dependence, repentance and servitude.

**جوري** · 02-01-2008

I enjoyed those two posts immensely.. I think these are evolved characteristics that we need to work hard to perfect, like any craft we choose to perfect takes hard work... reminds me of this verse from the Quran

وَفِي ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ

(83:26) -----then, let all such aspire as [are willing to] aspire to things of high account:

one has to truly learn to control the desires of the lower self if they are to attain

otherworldly sensations of joy which, in a form intensified beyond all human imagination, are in store for the righteous

^^^ per Asad's commentary..

No different than reaching high status in this world after much work and dedication. . It makes perfect sense to me that any form of attainment has to come from an industrious undertaking, drive, hard work and much sacrifice!

Baraka Allah feekoum