What happens when you fall ill? Let’s take the example of a simple infection; we start off feeling as though we have a cough or headache or sore throat etc. Essentially something’s not quite right with a particular part of our body. Then we begin to feel worse, we start to spike a temperature or start shaking, possibly even vomiting. The infection now starts to work its way around the rest of the body. Finally what appeared to be a seemingly harmless infection caused by one of the smallest living organism launches a full scale invasion, running through every vessel in your body eventually resulting in a potentially fatal condition known as shock (if you think I mean extreme surprise please open your oxford handbook to page 804 - 9th Edition once you’ve read it close the book and slap yourself with it) What happens when your heart falls ill with a disease? (I mean with a spiritual disease not HF or IHD) Usually it starts off with a bad habit or single sin This deed becomes more frequent and easier to commit, after a while you stop feeling bad about committing it and in fact it leads on to more damaging sins. Now it starts to effect the way you deal with others or the relationship you have with your Lord and it is evident in your actions for you and others to see that something isn’t quite right Finally your heart becomes hard, so hard that youre no longer able to distinguish between what’s right and wrong, the lines are blurred and you expend all your energies in to the sole goal of doing whatever makes you feel good but nothing ever quenches that thirst. Your heart finds it difficult to distinguish between what is true and what is false and you feel this constant restlessness inside of you no longer finding true contentment in anything you do. When you’re alone you feel lost constantly feeling unsure and indecisive as you’re no longer able to take counsel from your own heart as it is too sick and every day you wake up only to find yourself on an emotional roller coaster. Can you see the similarities between how a disease progresses when the physical self is sick and when the spiritual self is sick? Just like when we are ill we need a strong immune system to stop the illness from consuming us likewise we need to build up our good deeds to help protect our hearts. Just like when we are ill we need to see a doctor likewise we need a teacher, a person of knowledge to help guide us on how to get better Just like when we are ill we need medicine likewise we need an antidote for the heart, the remembrance of our Lord. The analogies that can be made are endless I’m sure you can think of more. But if you find yourself feeling “spiritually ill” with a hard heart, Allah says in the Qur’an: “Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death! Indeed We have made clear the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations) to you, if you but understand.” (Surah al-Hadid v17) Why am I mentioning this verse, because if you open up the Qur’an and read the verse just before it (actually go and find this verse) Allah talks about those that suffer from hard hearts. Just as Allah is able to give life to the earth even when it appears lifeless He is able to give life to our hearts even when it has become harder than stones. “Most surely in the heavens and the earth are signs for those who believe” (Surah al-Jathiya v3)
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 21:25:07 +0000
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