Dalael-us-Suluk
CHAPTER 4
QALB (THE HEART)
T asawwuf aims at inner purification which, in turn, depends on the reformation of the Qalb. This chapter deals in detail with this important aspect.
The Prophet
said, “There is a lump of flesh in the human body on which the health of the human body depends. Hearken, that lump is the Qalb.”
O n the face of it, this Hadith speaks of the physical heart, a lump of flesh, but in fact it implies the subtlety within, deeply imbedded and to facilitate easy understanding, the physical heart has been mentioned. The point to note here is that the soundness of the Qalb is inconceivable without Fana and Baqa - for details refer to Chapter VIII. At this stage the seeker attains communion with ALLAH, prior to this, he might waver in his faith. The famous dictum of the sufis:
“Whoever attains Fana is not rejected and the one who attains Divine communion stands consummated and eternalised” is supported by the Hadith narrated in al-Bukhari containing a dialogue between Abu Sufyan and the Caesar of Rome:
“I asked you if people, after embracing Islam, ever renounce it for being bad and you replied in the negative. And such is the Bashashat (delight) of the Faith that the Qalb once suffused with it, sustains.”
A fter attaining the stage of Fana fi-ALLAH and Baqa bi-ALLAH, the Faith penetrates the heart- a state described in the Qur-an in these words:
But ALLAH has endeared the Faith to you and has beautified it in your hearts. (49:7)
This means that the Qalb (the subtlety) is the one entrusted with responsibility, the addressed, the learned, the philosopher, the preceptor, the hearer, the seer and the reckoner. With regard to the body, its relationship is that of prudence and command, i.e., it acts as the planner as well as the executive. The ears and eyes gain information for it and the tongue acts as the spokesman. The real man, the sovereign of the human body is the Qalb.
Qalb - the Focal Point of Responsibility
T he entrusting of responsibility is subject to the possession of sense and perception as described in the Qur-an:
Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart of each of these will be questioned. ( 17:36)
(Here, the hearing and the sight are linked with the heart because these act as aids to its perception.)
And they say, ‘Had we been accustomed to listen or had sense, we would not have been among the dwellers of the Flames.’ (67:10)
(This lamentation of the dwellers of the Fire shows that the heart possesses sense and that the entrusting of responsibility demands sense.)
Wisdom lies in the Heart
And they have hearts wherewith to perceive. ( 22:46)
The Seat of Piety is the Heart
Those are they whose hearts ALLAH has proven into piety. (49:3)
The Addressee and the Recipient of Revelation is the Heart
For He it is Who has revealed (this scripture) to your heart. (2:97)
This proves that in reality the addressee is the heart, the perceiving and commanding master. All other body organs are subservient to it.
And lo! it is a revelation of the Rabb of the worlds, which the True Spirit has brought down upon your heart that you may be (one) of the warners. (26:192-194)
Lo! therein truly is a reminder for him who has a heart. ( 50:37)
Reckoning Dependent on the Deeds of the Heart
But He will take to task for that which your hearts have done. (2: 225)
Dissonance of Knowledge and Perception has a Direct Reference to theHeart
ALLAH has sealed their hearts... (2:7)
And they say our hearts are hardened... (2:88)
Having hearts wherewith they understand not... (7:179)
It also proves that the seat of ignorance and heedlessness is the heart.
No, there is rust on their hearts... (83:14)
Note: These Qur-anic verses prove that the heart is the trustee of revelation and Prophethood, the secrets of Divinity and Shari‘ah and is a custodian of the secrets of the Unseen. It is a treasure which cannot be robbed by forces of intellect. It is the heart which is the treasure house of ALLAH ’seffulgence, wilayah, kashf and ilham.
T he heart becomes blind and deaf because of sins, but these maladies are cured through the treatment of a spiritual guide, who can turn an ailing heart into a whole heart. And it is this whole heart which leads to salvation in the Hereafter.
The day when wealth and sons avail not (any man) save him who brings to ALLAH a whole heart. (26:88-89)
E very human being has one heart, the focal point of Divine manifestations. That is why ALLAH does not approve of any alien control of it. When the heart becomes the abode of the Divine Effulgence the spiritual ailments depart abased.
Lo! kings, when they enter a township, ruin it and make the honour of its people shame. (27:34)
T herefore when the heart is fully reformed, its discursive impulses depart and a wali exclaims:
Will not ALLAH suffice as a friend to (defend) His slave. (39:36)
The Whole Heart
T here are two conditions for it:
- Freedom from Ailments : These are described by the Qur-an as infidelity, polytheism, incredulity and sensuality. The sole method to remedy these maladies is to seek treatment of a spiritual mentor.
- Wholesome Food : Just as the physical health and vigour of the human body depends on wholesome food, so does the health of the heart, (though the type of food differs in each case). The wholesome food for hearts prescribed by the Qur-an is:
Truly in ALLAH’s zikr do hearts find peace. ( 13:28)
The treatment of the heart and its wholesome food cannot, of course, be had from anybody other than accomplished divines.