how to soften the heart by sheikh muhammad mukhtaar ash shinqitee

8/2/2019 How to Soften the Heart by Sheikh Muhammad Mukhtaar Ash Shinqitee

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How to Soften the Heart

Indeed the softness of the hearts, its submissiveness

Its dejectedness to its Creator and Originator is a privilege from

the Most Merciful

A gift from the Just Ruler, deserving of pardon and forgiveness

It is a strong sanctuary and protected

fortress from transgression and sin

The heart does not soften itself to Allah Most Great and Glorious

except that its owner races to good

Busy in obedience and pleasure

The heart does not soften and humble itself to Allah

Most Great and Glorious

Except that you find it the most eager to obey and love Allah

So it is not reminded except that it remembers

It is not made to ponder except that it ponders and reflects

Humility does not enter upon a heart

Except that you find it at peace with the remembrance of Allah,

his tongue constantly thanking Him and praising Him, Most High

The heart does not soften itself to Allah Most Great and Glorious

Except that you find its owner the furthest from disobeying Allah


So a soft heart is a submissive heart in front of the Greatness and

Power of Allah Most Blessed and Lofty

The callers of shaytaan do not try to tempt him away

except that he is humbled out of fear of The Most Merciful,Most Praised and Lofty

No caller to misguidance and desires approach except

that the flesh of that heart trembles out of immense fear of

The King, Most High and Praised

The soft heart, its companion is sincerity and how sincere it is!

The soft heart, is a friend and what a great friend!

But who is able to grant us a soft and humble heart?


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Who can bless us with a heart

submissive and repenting to its Lord?

Who, if He wills, can transform this heart into the softest of hearts

in remembering Allah Most Great and Glorious and the most

fearful of His Signs and Exhortations!Who is He?

Glory to Him, none has the right to be worshipped save Him

The hearts are between two of His fingers

He turns them as He wills

Such that a slave finds his heart the hardest of hearts

But Allah willed nothing but His Mercy

Allah willed nothing but His Gentleness,

Generosity and Magnanimity

Until comes to it this strange moment

when faith penetrates its innermost cores

After which Allah permits its owner to be chosen

None has the right to be worshipped but Allah

From those recorded as wretched to those as happy

From the hard hearted to those with soft hearts

After he was harsh and rough

Not recognising good and not condemning evil,

ruled by his desires

Then suddenly he turns to Allah with his heart and soul

Suddenly this heart

That would daringly transgress Allahs limits

His limbs would follow this daringness to sin

Then in one moment his condition changes

His end becomes goodHe changes so that he begins reflecting

about where to place his every foot in his life

My dear Muslims, this is a blessing

You will not find a blessing more noble or virtuous than it,

A soft heart, repenting to its Lord Most Blessed and High

Indeed Allah Most Great and Glorious has informed us

That no heart is prevented from this blessingExcept that its companion is promised a punishment from Allah


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Allah Most High says:

Then woe to those whose hearts are hardened

against the remembrance of Allah. (39:22)

Woe and punishment to the hard heart

from remembering Allah

Whereas delight and mercy, happiness and successto the hearts that are dejected and submissive

to Allah Most Blessed and High

For this reason my brothers and sisters

There is no Muslim true to his faith except that he wonders,

what is the means to a soft heart?

What is the means to reach this blessing?

So that I be beloved to Allah Most Great and GloriousA friend form among his Awliyaa

Not knowing comfort, composure or happiness

except through His Love and Obedience,

Most Glorified and High

Because he knows that nobody is prevented

from such a blessing except that he has been

denied abundant good

For this reason, how many a good person is afflicted with situationsWhen they are in need of one to soften their hearts

For the affairs of the heart are amazing

Its state is mysterious

At times it devotes itself to good

So that it becomes the softest it can be before

Allah Most, Glorious and Great

If it were asked to spend all of its wealth

out of Love for Allah, it wouldIf it were asked to sacrifice itself for Allahs sake, it would

These are moments in which Allah Most Great and Glorious

spreads His Mercy to these hearts

There are moments when the believer falls short

before Allah Blessed and Most High

Moments of hard heartedness

There is no person except that a short period occurs

Whereby his heart hardensThus his heart aches

Until it is harder than stone, we seek Allahs refuge!


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There are ways to a soft or hard heart

Allah graciously and out of kindness,

Showed us its path in His Book

So the heart does not soften due to anything greaterThan belief in Allah Most Blessed and High

The slave does not recognise His Lord

through His Names and Attributes

Except that his heart softens to Allah


It remains within the limits of Allah

No verse from Allahs Book

Nor hadith from the Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings be upon him) comes to him

Except that his tongue says:

We hear and obey, (we seek Your) forgiveness, Our Lord, to

you is the final destination (2:285)

There is no servant who recognises Allah

by His Beautiful Names

And acquaints himself with His Lord

In Whose Hand is the Dominion

He protects all whilst nobody can protect from Him

Except that you find him racing

to good and refraining from evil

The best means to soften the hearts for Allah

Most Great and Glorious and humble them in veneration

Is awareness of Allah Most Blessed and High

The slave knowing his LordHe should know that there is nothing in this world

except that it reminds us of The Lord

The morning and evening remind us of the Great Lord

The blessings and trials remind us of The Most Gentle, The

Most Kind

Good and evil remind us to Whom

belongs the Command of good and evil.

The Most Praised and Most High


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So whoever recognises and knows His Lord

His heart softens from fear of Allah Most Blessed and Lofty

And the opposite applies

You do not find a hard heartExcept that its companion is the most ignorant of Allah Most

Great and Glorious

The furthest from realising His power and punishment

The most ignorant regarding Allahs blessings and mercy

So much so that you find some people

Despairing of Allahs mercy,

the most despondent of Allahs mercy

We seek Allahs refuge from ignorance about Allah

When one is ignorant of Allah, he will transgress Allahs limits

and boundaries by sinning

He will not recognise anything except night and day

Sin and crime, this is all he knows of this life

He considers this his aim in this life

For this reason my beloveds for Allahs sake

Knowing Allah Most Great and Glorious

Is the path to a soft heart

Whenever you find a person persistently gaining lessons and

contemplating over the Dominions of Allah

Whenever he searches his heart he finds it in softness

He finds his heart humble and lowly before Allah Most

Blessed and High

The second way that humbles the hearts and softens it

Aiding the slave in this out of fear of AllahMost Great and Glorious

Is studying the verses of this Book

Studying this is the path leading to uprightness and precision

Studying the Book, which Allah describes as:

This is a Book, its verses perfected and then

explained in detail from the One, Who is All Wise,

Well Acquainted (with all things)

(11:1)


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A slave does not read these verse

Whilst his heart is contemplating

Except that he finds his eyes shedding tears

His heart fearingHis soul glowing with faith from its deepest core

Desiring the journey to Allah Most Blessed and High

All of a sudden the substance of the heart

Transforms due to the verses, becoming fresh

And productive in good, obedience and love for Allah Most

Great and Glorious

A slave does not read the Quran

Or hear the verses of the Most MercifulExcept that he finds after his recital and reflection

A softness that shakes his heart and skin from fear of Allah

Most Blessed and High

A Book, its parts resembling each other

The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it

That is the Guidance of Allah, He guides therewith whom

He wills and whomever Allah sends astray,

for him there is no guide

(39:23)

This Quran is amazing

Some verses were recited to some companions of the

Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him)

Thus transforming them from idolworshippers to Monotheists,

From associating partners with Allah

to the worship of the Lord of lords

Most Praised and High, with just a few verses

This Quran is the Reminder of the Lord of the Worlds

The speech of the God


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The third means from the means

that aid in softening the heart

And its repentance to Allah Most Blessed and High

Is remembrance of the HereafterThat the slave remembers that he is

travelling towards Allah

That he remembers, every beginning has an end

That after death there is no discomfort

After this world there is no final abode

except paradise or hell

So if one remembers that life is vanishing,

pleasures will deplete

And its deceptions are an obstruction

The hereafter will call him

To despise this world and approach his Lord

a remorseful and sincere approach

And by this his heart softens

Whoever looks at the graves and their inhabitants,

His heart humbles

As free as it can be from harshness

and being deceived

We seek Allahs refuge

For this reason, you do not find one

Persistent in visiting the graves and reflecting deeply

When he sees the fathers and mothers

Brothers and sisters

Companions and loved onesBrothers and friends

He sees their resting place

And remembers that he will soon join them

Some of them were neighbours to each other

But their visiting each other was cut off by death

Two graves may be close to one another

However, the difference between them is as the heavens

and the earth in terms of pleasure and fireThe slave does not recall these final outcomes of people


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Which the Prophet

(Peace and blessings be upon him)

expressed sorrow over

Except that his heart softens out of fear of Allah


One dies not stand around a grave

and see the buried individual

Except that his soul prepares itself

as if he is the one entering the grave

He does not stand at the edge of the grave

Except that he sees its companion lowered into it

Thus he asks himself upon what has this coffin been closed?

Upon whom has this coffin been closed?Upon what thing has this coffin been closed?

Has it been closed over an obedient or a sinful slave?

Has it been closed upon fir or delight?

None has the right to be worshipped except Allah,

He is the Knower of their states

He is the Judge, the Just who will judge between them

The slave does not see such spectacles

Nor does his self explore such mattersExcept that his heart trembles from fear of Allah

His dread crumbles before Allah Most Blessed and High

He approaches Allah and rushes to Him

Most Blessed and High, a sincere approach

and humble repentance

My beloveds for Allahs sake

The worst disease to afflict the heart

is the disease of a hard heart

We seek Allahs refuge

And from the worst means to a hard heart

after ignorance of Allah Most Blessed and High

Is reliance upon this world and being deceived by its people

And excessively busying yourself

with its superfluous occurrences


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Indeed this is from the greatest factors that harden the heart

Allah Most Blessed and Highs refuge is sought

If the slave preoccupies himself with buying and selling

He also busies himself with itstransient afflictions and obstructing trials

How quickly his heart hardens

As such things are the furthest from

reminding him of Allah Most Blessed and High

Hence, it is necessary for one who wishes

to dedicate himself to this world

That he endow himself with gentleness and be easy going

Because out religion is not a strict religion

The Most High and Praised did not

forbid what is permissible

Nor did He permit us to prevent

ourselves from all that is good

But gradually taking things easy

The pen has preceded the utmost of destiny

Provisions have been decreed

Man obtains sustenance through various means without

trying to overcome destiny and predestination

One acquires sustenance calmly, content with Allah Most

Blessed and High for whatever little comes to him

Praising and thanking his Creator

See how quickly blessings are assigned to him

He is sufficed from the fitnah of a hard heart

We ask Allahs safety from it

For this reason hence

From the greatest of affairs that necessitate

harshness of the heart is reliance upon this world

You will generally find the hard hearted

people overprotective of this life

Sacrificing everything for it

Sacrificing the times for prayer

Sacrificing in order to commit promiscuity and major sins


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They would never sacrifice a dinar or dirham from it

Hence this world penetrates the heart

This life has branches

If the slave knew the reality of these branches

He would indeed reach the morning and evening gasping

His tongue saying to Allah

My Lord, save me from the trials of this worldly life!

Indeed in this world there are branches

No heart inclines to one of its branches

Except that it tempts him to seek more and more

Until he is distanced far from Allah Most Great and Glorious

Thus he status before Allah falls

Thus Allah does not care for him, nor does He care in whichditch he is destroyed

We seek Allahs refuge!

This slave who forgets his Lord

Whilst rushing towards this world

Honouring and venerating that which is not deserving of ven-

eration

Whilst neglecting The One deserving of veneration, glorifica-

tion and honourThe Most Praised and Lofty

Thus his end is one of the most evil of endings

From the factors that cause a hard heart

Rather from among the greatest factors that harden the heart

Is spending time with evil people

Associating with those in whom there is no good

Hence, one does not become accustomed to companion-

ship in which there is no goodExcept that his heart hardens from remembrance of Allah


Nor does one choose the best of companions to spend time

with

Except that they soften his heart for The One, The Subduer

One does not desire sitting with them

Except that tranquillity comes to him whether he likes it or not

It comes to him so that his innermost heart is at peaceAnd he emerges with piety and success


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Directing his attention to the hereafter

Hence it is necessary for one who spends

time with evil people, to take precaution

Let it be only out of dire necessityWhilst your religion is safe

Because the best wealth in this world is the religion

O Allah, we ask You by Your Most Beautiful Names

And Lofty attributes that You grant us hearts that are soft

And humble to Your Remembrance and Thanks

O Allah we ask You for hearts

tranquil at your remembrance

O Allah we ask You for tongues

dedicated to Your remembrance

O Allah we ask You for perfect faith

True certainty

A fearful heart

Fruitful knowledge

Religious deeds acceptable to You O Most Kind

O Allah we seek Your refuge from trials both apparent and

hidden

Glorified is Your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power, from

what they attribute to Him

And peace be on the Messengers

And All Praise and Thanks are to Allah, Lord of the Worlds

how to soften the heart by sheikh muhammad mukhtaar ash shinqitee

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