Purification of the Heart

Definition

Heedlessness (ghaflah) is a terrible lack of attention to what is infinitely more important in one's life than material goods. Imam al-Junayd, a prominent ninth century scholar, argues that heedlessness is the one pathogen that breeds all the rest of the diseases of the heart.

The heedlessness that Imam Mawlu̅d speaks of here is that of its most menacing form: being heedless of divine purpose, accountability, the resurrection, ultimate standing, and judgment in the Hereafter. The full manifestation of these events is veiled to us by the thin wall of death, the timing of which is the secret that hovers above the heads of all men and women. Even though the reality of these things is hidden in the realm of the unseen, what is expected of us is to receive and accept the message the Prophet ﷺ brought. This was the duty of all the prophets—to call people to believe in the unseen, to trust what they say, and to commit to their teachings.

Imam Mawlu̅d says ghaflah is also heedlessness of what God has commanded and what He has prohibited, or seeing the difference between the two as irrelevant.

God warns the Prophet ﷺ from conforming to those whose hearts are in the state of heedlessness (QUR'AN, 18:28).

Signs and symptoms

In the Qur'an, you will find ghaflah mentioned several times in different forms, but almost invariably referring to unawareness. The Qur'an uses other words to refer to unawareness. Those who laugh at the Qur'an are sa̅midu̅n (QUR'AN, 53:61); they are so immersed in amusement they are oblivious of reality. God speaks of the disbelievers impervious to the message of the prophets as having a cover (ghisha̅wah) over their eyes (QUR'AN, 2:7). The ultimate trauma of heedlessness, then, is not seeing reality as it truly is. It is choosing a way of living that allows divine signs to be left unnoticed.

There is a well-known allegory of some people in a cave: at the entrance of the cave was a lamp which cast shadows that the people in the cave believed to be realities. When one person left the cave and saw the real world—the sun, the stars, and the trees—he raced back in the cave to tell the others that there was much more to their world than what they saw in their cave. But the people feared what he said, causing them to deny, ridicule, and then physically attack him. The prophets came to rouse people from their stupor, to take them from their delusion and heedlessness to awareness. Many of the prophets were slain; all faced harsh opposition.

God increases the heedlessness of people who turn away from the truth.

Treatment

On of the cures for heedlessness is keeping good and sincere company. It is recognized in virtually all traditions and cultures that the company one keeps has inroads to one's heart and morality. When surrounded by people who are sincere and trustworthy, one only benefits from them. Even when a person errs, good companions remind him and set him right.

The four practices

The cure is in four practices that possess authentic rectifying qualities. The first is repentance and seeking forgiveness. As a matter of regular worship, one should ask for forgiveness (istighfa̅r) at least 70 or 100 times a day, according to the Prophetic practice, which was closely followed by our righteous forebears (salaf). This practice is connected to accounting for one's deeds. At the day's end, the merchant looks at his ledger to calculate his earnings, to see what "the scales say," so to speak. The moral scales are no less important, and each of us is a merchant with regard to what we lost or gained with respect to God's pleasure. When there is loss, which is a frequent occurrence, seeking God's forgiveness restores balance.

The second practice is visiting (ziya̅rah) righteous people, who enjoy rank with God, the Exalted. The word ṣa̅liḥ (righteous) conveys the notion of soundness of heart and excellent character. More specifically, it refers to one who gives God His due right by fulfilling His commandments and avoiding what He prohibited (e.g., a righteous person does not cheat or lie). Scholars have always encouraged visiting righteous people as part of the protocol of the spiritual ascendancy. These people include the living as well as the dead. Visiting graves is a poignant reminder of death and the Hereafter. It is an armament against heedlessness.

When visiting a righteous person, the discourse should be substantive and not one of idle talk. One should seek to benefit in gaining knowledge and in the supplication of the righteous person. In fact, one should ask for being continually remembered in their prayers, for their prayers might be more acceptable to God than one's own.

Just as one is recommended to visit the righteous, one should strive to be the righteous person that others seek out to visit.

The third cure is to invoke benedictions on the Prophet ﷺ. This is, in fact, a command from God, the Exalted, Himself: "O you who believe, invoke benedictions upon [the Prophet] and salutations of peace" (QUR'AN, 33:56). There is great light associated with invoking prayers of benediction upon the Prophet ﷺ. Sı̅dı̅ Aḥmad Zarru̅q once said, "If you do not have a murabbı̅ [a spiritual mentor], then say prayers of blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, which acts as a murabbı̅." Many scholars have attested to the fact that sending prayers of blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ purifies the soul. (Some recommend that one repeat it at least 500 times a day.) Some people make it their practice to repeat it 5,000 times a day. Imam Ma̅lik constantly sent prayers of blessings on the Prophet ﷺ. The muḥaddithu̅n (scholars of prophetic traditions) are well known for this practice.

The fourth cure for heedlessness is the recitation of the Qur'an. Reciting it with tadabbur (reflection) awakens the heart. However, plain recitation is beneficial as well. Learned Muslims have recommended that a person recite one–thirtieth of the Qur'an (juz) every day. If this is difficult, then reciting Sura Ya̅sı̅n (36) after the dawn prayer, Sura al-Wa̅qi'ah (56) after the sunset prayer, and Sura Al-Mulk (68) after the evening prayer greatly benefit the soul. The actual sounds of the language of the Qur'an—the breathtaking rhythms and words—are a medicine. From the perspective of energy dynamics, every substance has a resonance at a specific wavelength. A medicine resonates in order to cure the disease. So, too, do the sounds of recitation of the Qur'an: "O humankind, there has come to you from your Lord counsel and healing for what is in the breasts, and a guidance and a mercy to the believers (QUR'AN, 10:57). When one recites the Qur'an, one moves his or her tongue pronouncing revealed words of the Lord of the heavens and the earth. And these words have a powerful and unique sound. People are often amazed at the sound of the Qur'an, when they hear it for the first time. The beauty of the Qur'an is in its meanings as well as the sound of its recitation.