THE COLOUR OF YOUR HEART

Ibrahim Dada

While the topic was chosen as the colour of your heart, it wasn’t meant to be taken in the literal sense as we know that heart has no colour variation regardless race, tribe or even faith. However it refers to the soundness, health, metaphysical strength of it and how it functions in relation to its connection with its Creator, Allah almighty.

We take a cue from the Quran wherein Allah mentions over and over again the importance of the heart with regards to belief/ disbelief; sin/ righteousness.

"The day when wealth and sons avail not (any man). Save him who bringeth unto Allah a whole heart " -the Holy Quran (26: 88-89)

"And the Garden is brought nigh for those who kept from evil, no longer distant. (And it is said): that is that which ye were promised, (it is) for every pertinent and heedful one, who feareth the Beneficent in secret and cometh with a contrite heart."

-the Holy Quran (50: 21-33)

And with the saying of the Noble Prophet, Muhammad ibn Abdullah (SAW), the heart of the believer varies between purity and blemishes, and though no heart is spotless, he explained the colour of the heart thus:

Abu Hurairah (raa) narrated: Allah’s Messenger May peace be upon Him said :

“When a slave (a person) commits a sin (an evil deed) a black dot is dotted on his heart. Then if that person gives up that evil deed (sin), begs Allah to forgive him, and repents, then his heart is cleared (from that heart covering dot); but if he repeats the evil deed (sin), then that covering is increased till his heart is completely covered with it. And this is Ar-Ran that Allah mentioned (in the Quran),

“Nay! but on their hearts is the Ar-Ran (covering of evil deeds and sins) which they used to earn” (83:14)”

We cannot over emphasize the need to continuously engage in purification of the heart as its importance can be understood in repeated mention of it in various ayahs of the Quran on the need to take heed, purify it and maintain its connection to Allah ta’ala.

However as humans though believers, the tendency to weaken is an innate nature that brings to fore our need to sin and be forgiven.

Thus Allah mentions

"But he who turneth away from remembrance" of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection. He will say: 'My Lord! wherefore hast thou gathered me (hither) blind, when I was wont to see?' He will say: 'so (it must be) our revelations come unto thee but thou didst forget them. In like manner thou art forgotten this Day."

-the Holy Quran (20:124-126)

Maintaining the purity and clarity of the Heart is a lifelong struggle, the reward of which in this dunya is the ability of the Qalb to see and guide us to traverse the path of Happiness towards Allah SWT.

On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah al-Nu'man bin Bashir, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:"Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is unlawful is evident, and in between the two are matters which are doubtful which many people do not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart."

Allah SWT has informed us that, Quran, faith, and Divine obligations are all illumination and their obedience makes the heart enlightened; although, in reality this happens in this same world but its final result is declared in the hereafter. Also, He had informed us that blasphemy, hypocrisy, sinning, non-acceptance of truth all are darkness and make the heart dark and contaminated, which would certainly become manifested in the hereafter. The Divine Prophets were dispatched by Allah(AZW) with the mission of leading human beings out of darkness of blasphemy towards the environment of illumination and belief.

Finally, as referred from Ibn al-Qayyim - rahimahullaah: “There is no doubt that the heart becomes covered with rust, just as metal dishes - silver, and their like - become rusty. So the rust of the heart is polished with dhikr (remembrance of Allaah), for dhikr polishes the heart until it becomes like a shiny mirror. However, when dhikr is abandoned, the rust returns; and when it commences then the heart again begins to be cleansed. Thus the heart becoming rusty is due to two matters: sins and ahafah ( neglecting remembrance of Allaah ). Likewise, it is cleansed and polished by two things : istighfaar (seeking Allaah’s forgiveness) and dhikr.”