Spiritual Balm for the Diseases of the Heart

“Oh mankind! There has come unto you an exhortation from your Lord, a balm for that which is in the breasts, a guidance and a mercy for believers.” (10: 58).

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, My Rab (Lord, Allah) has given me this opportunity in my Friday Sermon of today to explain the remedies for diseases of the heart (7^th Part: “The Heart”). 

Note that cure and remedies of the diseased hearts lie only in obedience to the Quran and in pure and perfect Iman (faith); you can analyse and try to understand that Allah the Exalted says in the verse of Chapter Yunus which I have recited in the beginning of my sermon after Surah Al-Fatiha.

The Quran is a cure for that ignorance of the heart. Ignorance is a much more fatal disease to the heart in comparison to sicknesses of the body. Diseases of the heart are bad character, evil beliefs, destructive and ignorant customs, etc. The Quran is a salutary healer of all these diseases, for it embraces, advices, admonishes, gives warnings, encouragement, etc. Thus, the cure and healer for the disease of the heart is the Quran. 

Yaum-e-Ashura: Remembering Imam Hussein

My sermon will be on the Islamic month; especially the 10^th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic Calendar which is the Yaum-e-Ashura. It is an historical date and deeply memorable in Islam whereby lots of events, in addition to the one at Karbala, took place in the past, and also whereby other events will take place in the future. It is a day which is full of the blessings and on this day, Allah accepts and fulfils prayers made with sincerity. It is recommended to obtain a fast on this day and also one on either the eve or the next day of the Ashura.

On the day of Ashura, perform Ghusl (a complete bath); trim your nails, put on clean clothes and enable yourself to enter a state of Ibaadat (worship of Allah). On this day, besides the obligatory prayers, do some recitations of the Holy Quran, then read two cycles of voluntary prayers by reciting in each cycle after the Surah Al-Fatiha, ten times the Surah Al-Ikhlaas (Qul Huwallaaho Ahad…); After the prayer, read one time the Verse of the Throne (Ayatul Qursi) and nine times the Darood Ibrahim (which we read daily in our Salaat); afterwards ask of Allah whatever you want (which is permissible in the eyes of Allah). Invoke Him with sincerity!

Hazrat Muhammad (Peace & Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “On the day of Ashura, the one who reads four voluntary cycles of prayer, and in each cycle, after the Surah Al-Fatiha reads eleven times Surah Al-Ikhlaas, Allah forgives him all his sins and will build for him an illuminated minbar.” This form of prayer purifies a believer from all his sins, and elevates him in his faith, and attracts on him the blessings of Allah. It is recommended to observe two fasts, that is, the 9^th and the 10^th day of Muharram. Hazrat Muhammad (Peace & Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “After the obligatory fasting of Ramadhan, comes the greatness of the Ashura fast, and the latter wash away the sins of the preceding year.” It is also highly recommended on this day to perform other forms of worship to seek the pleasure of Allah, for example: to help the needy people in any way, to feed the poor, give away Sadqua (charity), etc.

The 10^th of Muharram will always remain engraved in the mind of each and every Muslim so that they may always remember the drastic days which befell upon Hazrat Imam Hussein. 

Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

Muharram 1436 Hijri

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, Allah (swt) has chosen and given preference to certain days and times that are special and sacred in our religion. As many of you may know by now, the sacred month of Muharram (which begins the new Islamic year and which has been named “the month of Allah” by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) – reported by Muslim), has started last Sunday 26 October 2014. We have thus entered the year 1436 Hijri, and today is the 06 Muharram 1436 Hijri.

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic Calendar and it is during this month itself (the tenth of Muharram) that Imam Hussein and his companions have been martyred at the hands of Yazid and his soldiers. Thus, the month of Muharram, year 61 after Hijra, hearts clashed; some were for the sanctity of Islam whereas the others were against the very spirit of Islam. They pierced the heart of the tree of Islam and cut to pieces its exquisite fruits. They tried to extinguish the Light of Allah through all means at their disposal, but Allah persisted to render manifest His Light.

On this note, by the grace and help of my Rab I continue my Friday Sermon (Part 6) for today on the same subject (The Heart), on how it is important to keep our heart clean, white, and pure; such purification with a lot of repentance so that no dot of hatred stay in the heart, so that another Yazid may not see daylight. It is only after that kind of purification that we can set up our motto: “Love For All, Hatred For None” like true believers, in such a way where there is no hypocrisy, no show in our heart. You can make thousands and thousands of signboards, stickers, t-shirts print of “Love For All, Hatred For None” but if this is only for show, if only the outside look matters to you, only to beautify the signboards, t-shirt, stickers while at the same time you have a lot of hatred in your heart, and are applying boycott against your Muslims brothers and sisters therefore this is purely hypocrisy and the manifestation of an ill heart.

Verily, hearts also become sick. Just as the body becomes sick, so does the heart. As crookedness enters the eyes, hearts also become crooked. Allah Ta’ala draws our attention to these sicknesses of the heart in the following verses of the Quran:

“Our Lord! Cause not our hearts to stray after You have guided us and bestow upon us mercy from Your Presence. Indeed, You are the Bestower.” (3: 9).