“It is all in the heart”
Once a poor desert dweller asked for alms from the Muslim ruler Ali. But Ali had nothing at that moment, and he took a handful of sand, read something and blew on the sand clenched in his fist. Then he poured the contents into the Bedouin’s hand, which turned out to be gold.
The desert dweller froze in amazement and immediately began to beg the ruler to teach him the prayer by which ordinary sand turned into gold. Ali calmly replied that he had read the Sura Al-Fatiha. The Bedouin, delighted, took the sand in his hands and began to read the first Sura of the Koran and blow on it. But the sand remained sand. The Bedouin asked Ali to explain the wisdom of what had happened. Ali answered briefly, “The whole difference is in the heart.”
I think it would be more correct to call this story a parable, since there is no evidence that it happened in reality. But this is not the important thing: even if we change the characters, the meaning will remain the same. And the meaning is that everything is determined by the state of the heart.
The heart determines everything
What do the words “the whole difference is in the heart” mean? Firstly, the literal meaning of this expression comes down to the fact that people have different hearts. And the heart of a Bedouin, who may be immersed in his worldly concerns, cannot compare with the heart of one of the closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a sincere Muslim, an insightful person and a brave warrior who was promised Paradise during his lifetime. Secondly, the “difference” in the heart implies a difference in intention. The intention of the Bedouin was to receive alms, while the intention of the Caliph Ali was to give alms, relying entirely on the power of the Creator.
The heart is changeable
However, one should not expect that a person is gifted with a heart pure from vices forever. The word “heart” itself is translated from Arabic as “fickle” or “turning over”. The Messenger of God ﷺ said, “The heart takes its name from its constant changes. The likeness of the heart is a feather at the root of a tree, repeatedly turned over by the wind.” (Narrated by Ahmad).
We are surprised to observe changes in the character and behavior of others but we do not think that we ourselves risk ending up in their place. Consistency in following the truth (istikamat) is a trait of the chosen righteous, while even the best of people were afraid to stray from the right path, realizing the fickle nature of the heart. It is no coincidence that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ often turned to the Almighty with a prayer: “O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion.”
To be continued…
