'Let it be known that Allah's people always do good deeds' (qasida 62:11)

This is the motto of this section, which is for talking about the the people of Allah who are the people who are constantly preoccupied with Allah

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The best of the hearts is the best in capacity

We are to talk about the thing that if became good all the body will become good. It is the piece that the Beloved Prophet [PPBUH] told us about. We talked before about how to purify the heart of the sins and avoiding the misdeeds whoever small or big. There is also another purification for the heart which is the purification from the defects; as the heart has defects like the defects of the self. The defects of the heart are:

The attachment to the heart desires like the love of: power, superiority, glory, pride, envy, position, and exceptionality. All of these are from the heart defects. In the speech of sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim al-Burhany last year, during the Hawliya of the two Imams in his annual speech. We find him warning us from these defects saying:

Verily the love of superiority and exhibitionism is a detestable disease and an epidemic from Satan. As the love of presidency makes one extends his extremities like octopus to possess what other brothers have of the fields of service. Then he will not be able to do well the work he is charged with, rather he obstructs the rest of the fields. This way he will be strayed from the right thing.

The purification from the sins and defects of the heart is a preparation for what is to be bestowed in it, and qualification for it to be the object of the secrets and lights. That is why the Prophet [PPBUH] has a Hadith which indicates that the heart is like a vessel. This came in the book of "Asceticism" by ibn al-Mubarak narrating from the Prophet [PPBUH] that he said (Hearts are vessels and some of them have more capacity than others. So when you pray to Allah, o, people, you pray with certainty of the answer, as Allah will not answer a servant who prays with a headless heart).

Imam Ali ibn Abi-Talib [AAH] said to Kamil ibn Zeyad al-Nakhe'I "O, Kamil ibn Zeyad, these hearts are vessels and the best of the hearts is the best in capacity. So memorize what I am telling you: People are three: a godly knowledgeable, a learner on a salvation way, and rabble mob who follow every shouter and bend with every wind, they never got enlightened with the light of knowledge and they never got refuge in a trusted corner. O, Kamil, knowledge is better than money, as knowledge guards you, but you guard the money. Money is decreased by spending, but knowledge increase with spending. The deed of the money goes away as the money does. O, Kamil ibn Zeyad, learning the knowledge is a religion in it self, with which one gains the obedience in his life and the nice memory after he dies. Knowledge is judging, but money is convicted. O, Kamil ibn Zeyad, the money keepers perish while alive. On the other hand, knowledgeable scholars are eternally remaining, their bodies go away, but their wisdom stays in the hearts".

They say that the heart was call that way because it turns over too much [Qalb in Arabic very close to the word Qalab which means turn]. The Prophet [PPBUH] said (There is no heart except between two fingers of the All-Merciful, If He wills He sets it up, or else He makes it straying). The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] used to say (O, Fixer of the hearts, fix our hearts onto your religion). He also said (The balance is within the hand of the All-Merciful, He raises some people and lowers some others till the day of Judgment).

About the heart, Imam Abo-Hamed al-Ghazali said, in his book "the revival of the religion knowledge": Know that the advancer to Allah, Almighty, to gain his closeness, is the heart without the body, and I do not mean the physical piece of meat that is called the heart, rather it is a secret of the secrets of Allah, Almighty, that can not be felt physically and it is a delicate thing of His.

He also said:

The Shari'a expresses it as the heart because it is the first ride to that secret and through which the whole body becomes a ride and a machine for this delicate thing.  The uncovering of this secret is of the disclosure knowledge and it is very rarely given, rather there is no permission to mention it. The most that can be said about it is that is a precious essence and a rare pearl more honorable than those visible bodies.

Written by Issam

Translated by Mohamed

Whoever wants to get more about this, can browse the pages of Sufism in the official site of tariqa Burhaniya.

The Editors Team