[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Hardness of The Heart

Hosam Ibn `Abdul-`Aziz Al Jibrin





Praise be to God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, the Patient, the All-Forbearing, the Near, the All Merciful, He answers the supplication of the supplicant when he suplicates him.And I bear witness that there is no God Allah, the One, He has no partner, He rectifies the broken if he takes refuge in His protection, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, He conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, wished the best for the nation, and struggled in way of that is owed to Him, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him. him and his family and his companions.


Afterwards,
I advise you and myself to fear God and to repeat repentance over again and to seek help from Him upon His obedience.


”O you who believe, fear Allah, and speak in straightforward words.If you do so,) Allah will correct your deeds for your benefit, and forgive your sins for you. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger achieves a great success.” [parties: 70.7].


Brothers in Islam,
The heart of the servant and its deeds are under the consideration of the Lord, glory be to Him. In the hadith:
“Verily Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth but He looks to your heart and to your deeds”.(Sahih Muslim: 2564).


Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said:piety is here, (and he pointed to his chest three times) and he informed that when heart becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart. and He only considers the dignity of a servant as he said:”

﴿ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ ﴾

Surely the noblest of you, in Allah’s sight, is the one who is most pious of you. All-Aware.”(Al-Hujrat:13).”.


And our talk today is about a heart problem related to faith, and various verses have reported in the Holy admonishing apparent and seeming faith . Because with such faith,a man becomes prone to deception and misleading of Satan. And this affliction deprives the servant of intimacy, Supplications and treaty with God Almighty. It is also a cause of dryness of tears and harsh temperament. God Almighty warned the Companions to be like previous nations who afflicted by hardness of heart, which are of varying degrees.. It is a phenomenon of hardness of the heart.


Yes, our hearts have hardened, so when listening to and reciting the Qur’an, our eyes do not shed tears and our skins do not tremble. We read chapters of Quran like Al-Qaria, Al-zilzal, Al-Haqqah and about the terrified day in which a person flees from his brother, his mother, his father, his companion and his sons. But we don’t get influenced!


We hear about the death of so-and-so, but we perform funerals rituals and enter graves but still any change does not come into ourselves!


We give sermons and hear sermons, but our hearts do not change except a little.


Brothers in Faith,
Hardness of the heart is not limited to dryness of tears and lack of remembrance. Rather, bad manners leads to hardening of the heart. Consider the Almighty’s verse:

﴿ فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنْ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ﴾

So, (O Prophet) it is through mercy from Allah that you are gentle to them. Had you been rough and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you. (“Aal-Imran:159”).


Al-saadi said: “hard-hearted meansne who has bad manner and hardness of the heart. Because the softness is antonym of the hardness.
If the heart is hardened, he does not care about the pain of his Muslim brothers and has no concern regarding the groans of the afflicted with calamity.


Servants of God,
God tests His servants with poverty, war, etc., so that they may beseech their Lord and supplicate Him. but the hardness of the heart deprives a person of supplication to God, as He, Glory be to Him, said:

﴿ فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُمْ بَاسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَكِنْ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ﴾

“Why then, did they not supplicate in humility when a calamity from Us came upon them? Instead, their hearts were hardened and Satan adorned for them what they were doing”(Al-Anaam:43).


Satan makes plot for venerable hard hearted . And they easily fall apart before the conspiracies of Satan as Allah the Almighty said:

﴿ لِيَجْعَلَ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ ﴾

”All this is allowed to be done) so that He may make what Satan casts a trial for those in whose hearts there is a disease, and whose hearts are hard. (“Al-Hajj:53).


Many people may imagine that the hardness of the heart is just a reason for disobedience, but they neglect that the hardness of the heart may be a result and punishment from God. so God punishes the servant if he disobeys him by making him suffer from the hardening of the heart.Almighty said:

﴿ فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ لَعنَّاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً ﴾

So, because they broke their pledge, We cursed them and made their hearts hardened. [Al-Ma’idah: 13].


Ponder over that: they were cursed and made their hearts hard. May God protect us from all of that.


following the one’s desire and leaving the obedience of Allah and His Messenger, associate with the hardness of the heart Almighty said:

﴿ فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكَ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهْوَاءهُمْ ﴾

“So if they do not respond to you, be sure that they are only following their desires”(Al-Qsas:50).


In another verse He said:

﴿ أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَى سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ عَلَى بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ اللَّهِ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴾

“So, have you seen him who has taken his desires as his god, and Allah has let him go astray, despite having knowledge, and has sealed his ear and his heart, and put a cover on his eye? Now who will guide him after Allah? Still, do you not take lesson? [Al-Jathiya: 23]) .


And God mentioned that the hearts of a people of Banee Israel had hardened until they became like stones or even more hard.


God mentioned this verse after the incident of the people of Al-Baqarah from among the Banee Israel who opposed the commands of Allah the, Almighty and their hearts were hardened then they slaughtered animal, although it appeared that they would not do it.


Perhaps, that is the reason to name this chapter of Quran by Al-Baqarah in order to exhort Umah to obey the commands of God and His Messenger and not to resemble people of Al-Baqarah, especially since chapter Al-Baqarah is the longest Surah and it is full of rulings and orders. And at the end of the Surah God mentioned the words of the believers:

﴿ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ ﴾

“We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, (we seek) Your pardon! And to You is the return.”(Al_Baqara:285).


Brothers in Faith,
Abdullah bin Masood said:” Since our acceptance of Islam and the revelation of this verse in which Allah has shown annoyance to us:

﴿ أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ﴾

“Has not the time yet come for the believers that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah?” (lvii. 16), there was a gap of four years”(Sahih Muslim:3027).
If God warned the best generations of ummah while they had adorned themselves with worship, jihad, sacrifice and piety, then how are we in this time when temptations have spread and the world is adorned?!
Our hearts have hardened because of our sins, and on account of lack of repentance and weakness in worship. In the hadith:
“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.(Shih Muslim :144).


Sins after sins hardens the heart until it becomes a covering curtain that covers the heart. God forbid).

﴿ كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴾

“No! But that which they used to commit has covered their hearts with rust.(Al-Mutaffifin: 14).


And God Almighty threatened the one with a hard hearted , saying:

﴿ فَوَيْلٌ لِلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أُولَئِكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ ﴾

“So, woe to those whose hearts are too hard to remember Allah. Those are wandering in open error.” [Al-Zumar: 22].


Brothers in faith,
hardness of the heart generally is a natural result of disobedience and sins. But there is a special factor in producing hardness of the heart, and it is, in short: to keep oneself away from the remembrance of God.


God Almighty says:

﴿ أَلَمْ يَانِ لِلَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا أَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ ﴾

“Has the time not yet come for those who believe that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah and for the truth that has descended (through revelation)? They must not be like those to whom the Book was given before, but a long period passed on them (in which they did not repent), therefore their hearts became hard, and (thus) many of them are sinners” (Al-hHadeed: 16].


see how that long period in which they did not repent and the distance from the Book of God, proved a cause of hardness of their hearts, and the Qur’an’s warning of this phenomenon that occurred in the previous nations, not for historical fun and entertainment, but in order to avoid it and take lesson from it. And note this relationship - also- between the distance from remembrance and the harshness of the heart in God’s saying:

﴿ فَوَيْلٌ لِلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ﴾

“So, woe to those whose hearts are too hard to remember Allah.” [Al-Zumar: 22].


Ibn Jarir says: The meaning of the verse is: “Woe to those whose hearts have dried up and have turned away from the remembrance of God”


Ask forgiveness from God that he is a forgiving.

Second sermon

Praise be to God...


Servants of God,
The treatment of hardness of the heart is to do sincere repentance between the servant and his Lord .so he must keep himself from sins along with abundant good deeds. And with these two things the heart can be purified from the dirt of sins and can be treated from the poison of Sins. And the best thing to soften hearts and to feel humble before Allah the Almighty are the word of God Almighty, He said).

﴿ اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُتَشَابِهًا مَثَانِيَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ﴾

Allah has sent down the best discourse, a book containing subjects resembling each other, mentioned again and again, shivered from which are the skins of those who have awe of their Lord. Then, their skins and their hearts become soft enough to tend to the remembrance of Allah [:Al_Zumar 23].


And listening to the Quran leaves wondrous effects:

﴿ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَاناً ﴾

“and when His verses are recited to them, it makes them more developed in faith; and in their Lord they place their trust”[Al-Anfal: 2].


And the Almighty mentioned the qualities of His prophets and those whom he had chosen among His servants:

﴿ إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُ الرَّحْمَن خَرُّوا سُجَّداً وَبُكِيّاً ﴾

“When the verses of The Rahman (The All-Merciful) were recited before them, they used to fall down in Sajdah (prostration), while they were weeping” [Maryam: 58].


Rather, the eyes of those who were not Muslims overflowed, as in the incident of Jaafar and his companions, may God be pleased with them, in Ethiopia, when the Negus and those with him listened to the Qur’an.

﴿ وَإِذَا سَمِعُواْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ تَرَى أَعْيُنَهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُواْ مِنَ الْحَقِّ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ ﴾

“When they hear what has been sent down to the Messenger, you will see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognized. They say, “Our Lord, we have come to believe. So, record us along with those who bear witness”[Al-Maaida:83].
And among the things that treat hardening of the heart is frequent remembrance of God Almighty, He said:

﴿ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ﴾

“The ones who believe and their hearts are peaceful with the remembrance of Allah. Listen, the hearts find peace only in the remembrance of Allah.”[Al-Raad: 28].


A man said to Al-Hasan Al-Basri, "Oh, Abu Saeed, I have a complaint of the hardness of my heart".


He said: punish it with the remembrance of Allah the Almighty.
Among the things that treat hardness of heart is to supplicate God and exhort to Him. Because the hearts are in His hand, Glory be to Him, and prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sought refuge from a heart that does not fear, and he asked his Lord for a sound heart, guidance, piety and steadfastness.


Among the things that treat hardness is to visit graveyard especially when he is alone, and he must sit for a while for contemplating and remembering his condition that he has been buried and the dirt is sacked on him, then his family and loved ones left him.


And among the things that soften the hardness of heart is to do charity in the way of Allah the Almighty.


Abu Huraira reported: xA man complained the cruelty of his heart to the prophet, peace be upon him, he said to him: if you want to soften your heart, feed the poor and wipe the head of the orphan”(Narrated by Ahmad).


And we should not despair of the hardness of the heart, even if the hardness of our hearts is prolonged. Because when God warned the people who have a long period of hardness of heart, He said:

﴿ اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحْيِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴾

” Know well that Allah revives the land after its death. We have made the signs clear for you, so that you may understand” [Al-Hadid: 17].


And in the verse which is after it, He ordered to do charity, He said:

﴿ إِنَّ الْمُصَّدِّقِينَ وَالْمُصَّدِّقَاتِ وَأَقْرَضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَاعَفُ لَهُمْ وَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَرِيمٌ ﴾

”Surely those men who give sadaqah (alms) and those women who give sadaqah and have advanced a good loan to Allah, for them it will be multiplied, and for them, there is a noble reward”[Al-Hadid: 18].
And what softens the heart and protects from the hardness of the heart is to sit in the company of the righteous people and to distance oneself from gatherings of sins of disobedience, Almighty says:

﴿ وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا ﴾

“Keep yourself content with those who call their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and let not your eyes overlook them, seeking the splendour of the worldly life. And do not obey the one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who has followed his desire and whose behaviour has exceeded the limits”[Al-Kahaf: 28].


Servants of God,
In conclusion, let us make sure to soften our hearts and to treat hardness of heart by listening to holy Quran, reciting it, reflecting on it, visiting the sick, praying, observing funeral rituals, giving charity, frequently remembrance of God, and sitting with righteous people.
Then then send peace and salutations...