Supplications For a Sound Heart
While many of us remember to supplicate to Allah for guidance, knowledge, and Paradise, there is one important thing that we forget to include in our prayers.
In a narration that many of us are familiar with, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Unquestionably, in the body there is a lump of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart." [Bukhari & Muslim]
Countless scholars of Islam have dedicated books upon books to reformation and purification of the heart because it is the key to success or destruction. Just as doctors today tell us that having a healthy heart is the key to having a healthy body, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) conveys to us that having a good heart is the key to righteousness.
Anas narrated that asking for a firm and obedient heart was one of the constant supplications of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and one narration from Umm Salamah states that this was the Du'a he made the most:
"Allahumma Ya Muqallib Al Qulub Thabbit Qalbi 'Ala Deenak,"
"O Turner of the hearts! Make my heart firm upon Your Religion!"
However, there is another authentic Du'a from the Sunnah of the Messenger that is narrated in Sahih Muslim that isn't as well known. The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Verily, the hearts of all the Sons of Adam are between the two fingers out of the fingers of the Compassionate Lord as one heart. He turns that to any (direction) He likes. Then Allah's Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Allahumma Musarrif Al-Qulubi Sarrif Qulubana 'Ala Ta'atika
O Allah! Turner of the hearts! Direct our hearts to Your obedience!
Points of Benefit
Supplications on the heart are found both in the Quran and Sunnah. In the Quran, the believers supplicate, "Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us." [Noble Quran 3:8]
Also, in Surah Hashr, "And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, "Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed." [Noble Quran 59:10]
Both of these Duas are seeking refuge in Allah from corrupted hearts - the first Du'a seeks refuge in deviation after guidance, and the second Du'a is seeking His refuge from evil thoughts and ill feelings towards fellow Muslims.
The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) constantly made Du'a for a righteous and good heart. From this we learn the status of the heart, and to also supplicate as much as we can for an obedient and firm heart upon Islam.
The nature of the heart is to constantly change, and by asking Allah in this supplication to direct our hearts to His Obedience shows that we are constantly falling short in our obedience to Him. To make this Du'a is to ask Allah to keep changing back our hearts to His Obedience as we are prone to falter.
Scholars like Imam Ibn Qayyim and Ibn Uthaymeen state that the intelligence and the understanding of a human lies in their heart, and not necessarily their brain. Their evidence for this statement is the ayah,
"So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the chests." [Noble Quran 22:46]
Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen says that the brain is like the secretary processing information, then it reaches the heart and the heart decides to do good or evil based on that information.
The heart is the foundation. We must purify our hearts from associating partners with Allah, from Bid'ah, from ill feelings against our fellow Muslims and any other evil deeds in our character and our Aqidah.
The Muslim should focus on the reformation of their heart as well as accumulating good deeds.
The heart is the source of good deeds, and the heart is where we will be tested on the Day of Judgment. Allah says,
"But does he not know that when the contents of the graves are scattered, and that within the chests is brought out, indeed, their Lord with them, that Day, is [fully] Acquainted." [Noble Quran 100:9-11]
In another Hadith of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him), he pointed to his heart and said three times, "Taqwa (consciousness and fear of Allah) is here." [Musnad Ahmad]
This Hadith shows us that when the heart fears Allah, then the limbs will follow, just as the first Hadith narrated that, "If it is sound [the heart], the whole body is sound."
This Du'a is a constant reminder for us that we are not in control of our guidance.
It is crucial for us to make Du'a for our hearts on a regular basis because we do not know where our hearts will stand tomorrow.
The hearts of the Children of Adam are between the two fingers of Allah!
So, who else can we turn to than "Al Musarrif Al-Qulub" to keep our hearts towards the direction of His obedience?
-- While many of us remember to supplicate to Allah for guidance, knowledge, and Paradise, there is one important thing that we forget to include in our prayers.
In a narration that many of us are familiar with, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Unquestionably, in the body there is a lump of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart." [Bukhari & Muslim]
Countless scholars of Islam have dedicated books upon books to reformation and purification of the heart because it is the key to success or destruction. Just as doctors today tell us that having a healthy heart is the key to having a healthy body, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) conveys to us that having a good heart is the key to righteousness.
Anas narrated that asking for a firm and obedient heart was one of the constant supplications of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and one narration from Umm Salamah states that this was the Du'a he made the most:
"Allahumma Ya Muqallib Al Qulub Thabbit Qalbi 'Ala Deenak,"
"O Turner of the hearts! Make my heart firm upon Your Religion!"
However, there is another authentic Du'a from the Sunnah of the Messenger that is narrated in Sahih Muslim that isn't as well known. The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Verily, the hearts of all the Sons of Adam are between the two fingers out of the fingers of the Compassionate Lord as one heart. He turns that to any (direction) He likes. Then Allah's Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Allahumma Musarrif Al-Qulubi Sarrif Qulubana 'Ala Ta'atika
O Allah! Turner of the hearts! Direct our hearts to Your obedience!
Points of Benefit
Supplications on the heart are found both in the Quran and Sunnah. In the Quran, the believers supplicate, "Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us." [Noble Quran 3:8]
Also, in Surah Hashr, "And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, "Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed." [Noble Quran 59:10]
Both of these Duas are seeking refuge in Allah from corrupted hearts - the first Du'a seeks refuge in deviation after guidance, and the second Du'a is seeking His refuge from evil thoughts and ill feelings towards fellow Muslims.
The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) constantly made Du'a for a righteous and good heart. From this we learn the status of the heart, and to also supplicate as much as we can for an obedient and firm heart upon Islam.
The nature of the heart is to constantly change, and by asking Allah in this supplication to direct our hearts to His Obedience shows that we are constantly falling short in our obedience to Him. To make this Du'a is to ask Allah to keep changing back our hearts to His Obedience as we are prone to falter.
Scholars like Imam Ibn Qayyim and Ibn Uthaymeen state that the intelligence and the understanding of a human lies in their heart, and not necessarily their brain. Their evidence for this statement is the ayah,
"So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the chests." [Noble Quran 22:46]
Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen says that the brain is like the secretary processing information, then it reaches the heart and the heart decides to do good or evil based on that information.
The heart is the foundation. We must purify our hearts from associating partners with Allah, from Bid'ah, from ill feelings against our fellow Muslims and any other evil deeds in our character and our Aqidah.
The Muslim should focus on the reformation of their heart as well as accumulating good deeds.
The heart is the source of good deeds, and the heart is where we will be tested on the Day of Judgment. Allah says,
"But does he not know that when the contents of the graves are scattered, and that within the chests is brought out, indeed, their Lord with them, that Day, is [fully] Acquainted." [Noble Quran 100:9-11]
In another Hadith of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him), he pointed to his heart and said three times, "Taqwa (consciousness and fear of Allah) is here." [Musnad Ahmad]
This Hadith shows us that when the heart fears Allah, then the limbs will follow, just as the first Hadith narrated that, "If it is sound [the heart], the whole body is sound."
This Du'a is a constant reminder for us that we are not in control of our guidance.
It is crucial for us to make Du'a for our hearts on a regular basis because we do not know where our hearts will stand tomorrow.
The hearts of the Children of Adam are between the two fingers of Allah!
So, who else can we turn to than "Al Musarrif Al-Qulub" to keep our hearts towards the direction of His obedience?
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