ASK Conference 2004
Islam of the Heart

By: Sidi Hosam Raouf

Everything in creation – in the heavens and earth – has submitted, willingly or otherwise, to Allah, its Creator and its Lord. When the "heart" submits willingly, a shattering event takes place - a complete transformation of the whole being. A blessed change takes place, moving the person from the state of death to the state of the living, a shift from darkness to enlightenment.

What do we mean by the "heart"? Is it the physical fleshy lump in the chest? If not, then what is it? Where is it? Can we see it? How does it act and react with the mind, the physical body? With its surroundings and with its Creator? Does this "heart" eventually die away?

How does Islam help us to achieve the state of enlightenment? Do the acts of Islamic worship and its rituals help, or are something else at work? What are the individual and the collective benefits?

The physical senses react only to physical stimuli. This means they are limited to the seen world that surrounds us, while the unseen world is left unknown to them. Allah Ta'ala describes the "heart" in the Qur`an as a faculty of understanding and comprehension. When it is intact and empty, it becomes tranquil and acquires the ability to see things as they are. The Qur`an also describes the "heart" as sick; it is in the heart that hypocrisy, fear and doubt can arise and grow. The "heart" is also described as hard as a rock, veiled and locked. These descriptions indicate that the "heart" is a delicate  "unseen" organ with superior qualities of perception. It can sense, realize and understand another world – a world that exists parallel to our own.

In order to harness and benefit from such a unique faculty, the seeker must purify his body, his mind and empty his “heart” from anything other than Allah. That is achieved by a sincere and strict adherence to the way and character of the Prophet. Then his light will shine and becomes the true "khalifa" of Allah on earth. He will live with joy in the presence of his beloved. In Surat Yunus 10/62 Allah says, “Certainly those who are committed to Allah (the lovers of Allah) will have neither fear nor grief".