Book of Healing - Qur'anic Healing - Holy Qur'an and the Human Heart

Holy Qur'an and the Human Heart

Tags: Qalb, Heart, Satan, `Ibadat, Animal Soul, Qalb-i Salim, Hazrat Ibrahim, Inqilab, Vegetables, Animals, Rational Soul, Nafs-i Mutma'innah, Inbi`ath, Awliya', Divine satisfaction, Personal World

1. From a study of the wise Qur'an, it becomes clear for every wise Muslim, that the heart (qalb) has paramount importance in the existence of man. For, it is the heart which represents both good and evil in the personal world and the real health or sickness is related to it. Therefore, God and His Final Messenger, may the peace and salutation of God be upon him, in order to protect and save the hearts of the Muslims and mu'mins from diseases and from the whisperings of Satan, have based the foundation of every good deed and word on the purity of intention. By such a pure intention is meant that intention of heart which desires nothing but the pleasure of God, the Lord of the world. For, a heart which shines with the radiance and splendour of good intention, turns into a place where Divine grace descends.

2. If in Islam, the purity of intention is enjoined before every `ibadat and every good deed, then by this we should know that this command is, in reality, to purify the heart. For, even if we utter the best intention with the tongue of heart, but if the heart itself is sick, such intention cannot attain the goal which can be attained by a healthy heart. The importance of the heart and its health can be adequately realised from this example.

3. Heart, which in Arabic is called "qalb" means "to turn around, turn upwards, turn upside down". In anatomy, it is that conical lump of flesh, which is in the left side of the human chest. Since it is the organ of the circulation of blood and is always in motion, it is named "qalb". In the language of psychology and in literary usage, by heart is meant that spiritual quality and spiritual subtlety, which arranges the collected data of the intelligibles and the perceptibles by the senses and draws conclusions and rules from them and accepts the hidden feelings of appropriate and inappropriate and pleasant and unpleasant matters. In other words, it can be said that, it is used in the sense of "intellect", as well as in the sense of "spiritual intuition", which in today's language is appropriately called "conscience". (Qamusu'l-Qur'an, pp. 424-25).

4. The above explanation of the heart is absolutely correct. Yet, for the sake of additional information, I will say that, so long as the animal soul lives in an animal, it remains an animal and cannot progress. But when this same soul is in an human being, it can progress. As you know, there are three souls in the human existence, which in ascending order are: the vegetative soul, animal soul and the human soul, which are ruled by the partial intellect. The centres of these souls are: liver, heart and brain respectively, and on the chair of the human soul, sits the intellect. Since the intellect and the rational soul (human soul) are appointed to teach and elevate the animal soul, therefore, their workshop is where there is the centre of the animal soul, namely the heart. Thus, the workshop of the intellect and soul or the centre of intellectual and spiritual change (inqilab) is called "heart (qalb)" by the wise Qur'an. And all guidance and exhortations are made concerning it.

5. What is the workshop of the Divine law in vegetables? And what is created there? There is an amazing workshop (of the Divine law) in vegetables, where lifeless things like soil enter and are revived in the vegetative soul. What are the products of the workshop of Divine power which is in the animals? There, the Divine miracle is that the vegetables are elevated to the level of animals. In this ascent and evolution of creation, how vast is the circle of products of man, which is the final and perfect workshop of God, the Great, the Exalted? What are the things which are created here? With respect to creation, the living and speaking workshop of God, namely man, is extremely vast and great. If someone duly develops it and observes with insight, he will come to know that, not only do the animal souls annihilate into human souls in it, but in fact, each and everything related to God's Godhead is created here. For, since he is an independent world, therefore, all other workshops and treasures are also gathered in him. All this is the praise of the workshop of the heart.

6. In the above-mentioned explanation, you might have carefully seen that the human heart is the supreme living and willing workshop of the Divine law, which, for the sake of trial, is created extremely complicated and in which there are many subtleties and intricacies. Therefore, time and again, there is the possibility of a defect, i.e. a disease occurring in it. It is because of this that the noble Qur'an has given so much importance to the subject of the "human heart" and has made it the focus of its full attention. Why not, while all the powers of good and evil are linked to this workshop of the heart, in which intellect, rational soul and animal soul work together. Thus, by heart are meant all these three things.

7. It is a proof of the health and success of the intellect, if the animal soul due to the heavenly medicines, dissolves into human soul and the human soul into intellect. Such an intellect will be called the sound heart (qalb-i salim) (26:89), which will be able to attain the special proximity of God, the Benevolent, following Hazrat Ibrahim (37:84; 60:4) and the holy Prophet (21:107; 33:21), not only in the Hereafter, but also in this world.

8. There are manifold blessings for the intellect and soul in the blessed name of God, the Exalted, and in His abundant remembrance, by attaining which the hearts become satisfied (55:78; 33:41; 13:28). To understand how exalted and vast is the concept of the satisfaction of the heart, we have to look in the holy Qur'an, particularly in the story of Hazrat Ibrahim (2:260) and in the description of the satisfied soul (nafs-i mutma'innah) (89:27). The nature of the satisfaction of Hazrat Ibrahim's heart is such that, he had in fact, observed the miracles of inbi`ath (Resurrection). Now, if we take the example of the satisfied soul from the Prophets and awliya', again the concept of it will go as high as that of the satisfaction of Hazrat Ibrahim's heart. Anyhow, you can see in the above-mentioned verse (89:27), that here the meanings of satisfaction touch the heights of Paradise. From this it becomes as clear as the bright sun, that the Divine satisfaction (13:28), which the hearts attain by the abundant remembrance of God, is infinite and in it are numerous foods as well as medicines for the intellect and the soul.

9. In ancient times, according to the theory of Ptolemy, the earth was considered to be the centre of the universe, but later research showed that it is the sun which is its centre. Thus, it is correct and true to say that the sun is the centre and the heart of the solar system, namely, macrocosm. Similarly, the heart is the sun and the centre of the microcosm, namely personal world. There is no doubt that the sun is immobile, but due to its being the universal furnace of material light, it perpetually flares, so that the universe may remain alive and continue to exist. Similarly, the heart, as the sun of the personal world, constantly beats and from its tender beats, the waves of life and survival spread in the personal world. This shows the undeniable fact that just as the sun is important in the external world, so is the heart in human existence.

10. There is not a single subject of the holy Qur'an, which is not the subject of the heart, directly or indirectly. For the noble Qur'an is a perfect and complete heavenly guide-book for all human beings, whose teachings and guidance are directed towards the centre of the external and internal senses of man, which is the heart. This shows that the real man, whether good or bad, is the heart, which the glorious Qur'an addresses. It is the responsibility of the heart to understand its address, as the holy Qur'an says: "Do they not reflect on the Qur'an or are there locks on their hearts?" (47:24). That is, the understanding of the Qur'an is the responsibility of the heart and mind. It is a different matter if someone does not reflect on it or his heart is locked. In any case, our discussion here is related to the importance of the heart, its complexity and diseases. Therefore, at the end of this article, we have furnished some examples of the diseases of the heart with Qur'anic references:

To have a seal on the heart (2:7)
Quarrel, dispute (2:204)
Hiding testimony (2:283)
Narrowness of the heart (6:125)
Negligence of the remembrance of God (18:28)
To be frightened, cowardice (3:151)
Non-understanding, stupidity (7:179)
Deviation, perversion (9:117)
Stupidity (22:46)
Blindness of heart (22:46)
Contraction of heart (39:45)
To have a lock on the heart (47:24)
Hardness of heart (2:74)
Suspicion (48:12)
Wrapping of heart (4:155)
Restlessness (43:36)
To have a veil on the heart (41:5)
Following carnal desire (18:28)
Transgression (10:74 ?)
Love of falsehood (2:92 ?)
Rancour, enmity (59:10)
Curse, far away from mercy (5:13)
Deafness of heart (7:100)
Doubt, wavering (9:45)
Hypocrisy (9:77)
Abomination or dirt of heart (9:125 ?)
Turning away of heart from the truth (9:127)
Severity of heart (10:88 ?)
Refusal to know about the Hereafter (16:22 ?)
Pride (16:22 ?)
Pre-occupation of heart (21:3)
Perplexity, confused ignorance (23:63 ?)
Ill will, secret hatred (47:29 ?)
Zealotry of paganism, feeling of being disgraced by an unbeliever (48:26 ?)
Wavering of heart (59:14 ?)
Rusting of heart, staining of heart (83:14 ?)
Insinuation, disturbing thoughts (114:5)
Temptation or trial by Satan (22:53 ?)
Waywardness, disobedience (6:110)
Inability to have pleasure from the verses of the holy Qur'an (6:110)

Note: The above-mentioned and all other severe and incurable diseases of the heart, in reality, are in those who are outside the pale of Islam. Most of the references are decisively made to them. Nonetheless, if there were not even the minor and curable diseases in us, the Muslims, then it would not have been said that the Qur'an is the means of healing. In order to understand this purport, see verses (9:14 ?; 10:57; 17:82; 41:44).

29th January, 1986.

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