Know that Allah made the hearts as mirrors of human facts and human nature, if it is solid then the Man’s life is solid too and vice versa. Allah Almighty told us that He does not accept people’s deeds unless it is accompanied by a solid heart, thus it is proved that a solid heart is the only way to salvation from the punishment of Allah on the day of judgment. All the hearts will be tested by the many temptations that are presented by joyments of life, bad people, and Satan, it is Man’s destiny. These tests are taking place to distinguish between people, as Allah said, Surah Al-Anfal:37 ”In order that Allah may distinguish the wicked from the good”. The prophet Muhammed said ”Temptations will be presented to men’s hearts as reed mat is woven stick by stick and any heart which is impregnated by them will have a black mark put into it, but any heart which rejects them will have a white mark put in it. The result is that there will become two types of hearts: one white like a white stone which will not be harmed by any turmoil or temptation, so long as the heavens and the earth endure; and the other black and dust-coloured like a vessel which is upset, not recognizing what is good or rejecting what is abominable, but being impregnated with passion.” For this end, our scholars wrote books and gave lessons to Muslims explaining how we can get a solid and sound heart, how we can purify our hearts once it is spoiled, and how we get connected to Allah.
Every journey of healing starts with recognizing the illness and acknowledging it. When a Muslim realizes that he is driven by the devil or a specific lust, he needs to know that this is a sign of righteousness. It means that his heart and inner self still fear Allah subsequently he can take a step back and figure out the best way to fix this mess. Muslims must believe in Allah’s Mercy, and never lose hope, Allah says in Surah Yusef, Ayah 83 ”Despair not of relief from Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people” (وَلَا تَيْأَسُوا مِن رَّوْحِ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَا يَيْأَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ). It is Allah who legislates the virtue of struggling against one’s desires and He promised us with success and support, Allah does not leave His believers alone. What was mentioned above goes with an Islamic solid doctrine, and the core of this doctrine is confessing the Oneness of Allah. To Allah, we should struggle, fight, leave, live, love and hate. This journey can go so well if it is protected by knowledge. The knowledge that any Muslim must acquire always starts with the Quran. You can not establish a strong connection if you are ignorant about the other direction that you are directed to. It is Allah who you want to please, who you want to fix your heart for the sake of Him. All your answers can be found in Surahs and Ayahs of Quran (chapters), the Quran will enlighten your heart. It will speak to you about your inner self and guide you when you are lost. It can even guard you against temptations. Learning the words of Allah must be your first station on your way to Him.
There is a crystal clear fact which we are all surrounded by that living every day of this life is a huge challenge for anyone who wants to preserve a solid heart. When your heart is exposed to filthy temptations many times daily, it gets so hard to avoid it and the battle rages. It can be found on streets, social media websites, places of work, ect. Everything around you try so hard to grab you to its net and make you lose your faith and your believing heart. The prophet Muhammed gave us valuable advice that can be the fort of ourselves, the messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “What is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, but between them are certain doubtful things which many people do not know. So he who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and his honour blameless. But he who falls into doubtful things falls into that which is unlawful.” Safety starts with avoiding temptations and not challenging them, Muslims need to know that weakness is a part of their nature. Know that going strayed is a slow process, it does not happen day and night, your heart is your real wealth in this life, for that reason the prophet Muhammed taught us to avoid all doubtful things if you want to keep your religion strong.
physical worships to connect to Allah
The heart worships and physical worships go side by side if you want to strengthen your connection with Allah. Your physical worships start with the five prayers. The prayer is the first pillar in Islam, it represents your identity as a Muslim, you show your absolute submission to Allah by performing your five prayers daily. In fact, we can say that these five prayers were a gift from Allah to us as they reinforce our faith and purify the heart, and it is a reason for forgiveness. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The similitude of the five (obligatory) Salat is like a river running at the door of one of you in which he takes a bath five times a day.” Your five prayers can wash your sins away and compensate your shortcomings. Also, you can levitate your Eman with Nawafil prayer (non-obligatory prayer). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The best prayer after the obligatory (fard) prayers is prayer at night and the best fasting after the month of Ramadan is Al-Muharram.’ The Hadith shows some examples of how to get closer to Allah. Allah Almighty gifted us with many ways to worship Him that we can do to get closer to Him according to our different capabilities that lead us to fix our shortcomings. May Allah bring us blessing in this world, blessing in the next, and guard us from the punishment of hell.
