Correct your hidden state and Allah will correct your external
Every person has an internal and external essence, a secret and a public state. The internal state is what a person hides and keeps secret, and the external is what he shows and displays.
No matter what a person hides or shows, nothing, even what is hidden deep in the hearts, remains hidden from Almighty Allah. As for a sincere believer, his external state should always correspond to the internal.
Yazid ibn Al-Harith said: “When a person’s internal state corresponds to the external, this is justice. When the internal state is better than the external, this is dignity. When his external manifestation is better than the internal, this is injustice.”
Islam encourages us to improve our external state in order to show the beauty of Islam and Muslim society. But at the same time, Islam pays special attention to the internal purity of the believer, for it will lead to the improvement of his external state.
It was narrated from Abdullah ibn Sahl that he heard Yahya ibn Mu’adh say, “Hearts are like pots in the breasts, in which their contents are bubbling and the tongues are like ladles for the pots. So, wait until a person speaks, for his tongue is scooping out for you the contents of his heart.” (Abu Nu’aym, “Hilyat al-Awliya”).
It was also reported from Anas that the Messenger of God ﷺ said, “The faith of a servant of Allah is not straight until his heart is straight nor is his heart straight until his tongue is straight nor will a person enter Paradise unless his neighbor is safe from his evil.” (Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Bayhaqi “Shu‘ab al-iman”, 8)
Ways to purify one’s heart
Almighty Allah has indicated to believers many ways to purify the heart. However, the most powerful means for correcting the internal state, purifying hearts and getting rid of spiritual vices is to come under the tutelage of a spiritual mentor. Nothing helps in the matter of purifying spiritual vices as much as completing the task assigned by a true spiritual mentor.
Purification of hearts is more effective if, when coming under the tutelage of a spiritual mentor, the believer regularly carries out all his tasks and recommendations and also adds to this the following methods:
- Dua (supplication). Dua is one of the most effective ways to achieve this goal. Many duas are transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ, in which he addressed Almighty Allah with a request to purify his heart.
It was reported from Shaddad ibn Aws that he heard the Messenger of God ﷺ say, “When you see people hoarding treasures – gold and silver, you hoard treasures by repeating the following words: “O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in deeds and determination on the true path. I ask You to make me thank You for the favor You have bestowed upon me and to worship You properly. I ask You for a sound heart and a truthful tongue...” (Narrated by Imam Ahmad)
- Constant control over the heart. Control over the heart implies control by the believer over his actions, in which he realises that Almighty Allah is always looking at him, his heart and actions and sees even what he hides.
It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of God ﷺ said, “Verily, Allah does not look at your appearance or your wealth but He looks at your hearts and your deeds.” (Narrated by Muslim and Ibn Majah)
- Correction of the internal state. Improvement of the external state of a believer depends on two things: good behavior and good deeds.
To be continued…
