Brothers and sisters! Today’s khutba is a discussion on how Ramadan is a time to purify our hearts. In a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (RA), Allah’s Messenger said, “Allah neither looks at your figures, nor at your outward appearance; He looks at your hearts and your deeds.” The reference in this hadith is to the spiritual heart. Numerous times, the Qur’an alludes to the spiritual heart. For instance, describing the Day of Judgment, it says,
يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ () إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
It is the Day when neither wealth nor children can benefit anyone except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart (ash-Shu’ara’ 26:88-89).
Just as there are diseases of the physical heart, so also there are diseases of the spiritual heart, some of which are: arrogance, showing off, stinginess, suspicion, anger, and excessive love of money, position, power and fame. Ramadan offers an excellent opportunity to cure ailments of the spiritual heart.
Arrogance(takabbur) means having or showing an exaggerated opinion of one’s own importance, merit, ability etc. This is the first step to many evils. Besides, it is unjustified. All our blessings and bounties are from Allah.
وَمَا بِكُمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ
“Whatever blessing you have is from Allah.” (an-Nahl 16:53)
What did we have when we came to this world? Nothing! What will we have when we leave this world—nothing except two pieces of cloth to enshroud our body? We have to keep reminding ourselves that we are the servants and slaves of Allah. We are totally dependent on Him for our existence.
The Prophet (SAW) warned against arrogance and said: “No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart.” Bragging or boasting is also a disgusting practice that universally sickens people. No one likes a person who boasts; the person who cannot be in the company of other people without speaking about himself or drawing attention to what he has done; or the person who cannot help but try to gain rank by mentioning his or her ancestry or accomplishments. Allah reveals His dislike of bragging.
وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ
“And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor walk on the earth arrogantly. Surely, Allah does not like any arrogant and boastful person” (Luqman, 31:18).
The repulsive behavior of arrogance and boasting cannot survive a sincere engagement with Ramadan. How can it survive, while in Ramadan we admit our complete need of Allah and His generous provision? What is the du’a before breaking the fast?
اللَّهُمَّ اِنِّى لَكَ صُمْتُ وَبِكَ امنْتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَعَلَى رِزْقِكَ اَفْطَرْتُ
“O Allah! I fasted for You and I believe in You and I put my trust in You and I break my fast with your sustenance.”
Showing off (ar-riya’) is a desire to seek praises from others. It is referred to as the “hidden shirk” (ash-shirk al-khafiy). This disease of the heart is so hidden and so dangerous that the one who feels safe from it is usually the one who gets entrapped in it. The meaning of a hadith suggests that just as the creeping of a black ant on a black rock on a pitch dark night is hidden and unnoticeable, so also is the unnoticeable disease of ar-riya. Even the person who performs the salat becomes guilty of ar-riya if his or her intention is to show off and impress others. This is why we have is Surat al-Ma’un,
فَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُصَلِّينَ () الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ () الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ
So woe to those who pray; who are unmindful of their prayer; those who show off (al-Ma’un 107:4-6
It is difficult to show off in Ramadan for a couple of good reasons. Salah or ritual prayer is an open act; so is the zakah or the obligatory charity; so is the hajj or pilgrimage. Fasting, however, because it involves abstinence, is invisible. One can stare a person in the face and not know whether or not he is fasting. This makes fasting an impossible act to show before others. Also, because many people attend the mosque in Ramadan to perform extra devotional prayers, a person prone to showing off no longer feels so significant.
Stinginessor miserliness (bukhl) is to hoard money and not to spend it on one’s family and the needy as it should be spent. It leads to an attitude of not caring for others. It holds people from fulfilling their duties and recognizing the rights of others. And what better time can there be than Ramadan to get rid of this disease. It is well known that the Prophet (SAW) was the most generous of people, and in Ramadan he was even more generous. His Companions described him like a wind that bears gifts. Ramadan is a time in which the quality of generosity is easier to attain. People are more generous in Ramadan than any other month. The Prophet (SAW) taught us to seek Allah’s refuge from stinginess. The Qur’an tells us:
وَمَنْ يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ
And whoever is stingy is only being stingy to himself (Muhammad 47:38).
This is because Allah (SWT) multiplies what we spend in His way and gives it back to us both in this world as well as putting it towards our homes in Jannah. The miser is only miserly towards himself or herself.
Another disease of the heart isjealousy.A jealous person does not like to see others happy, successful and prosperous. One must realize that being jealous of others is actually being displeased with Allah for his bounties upon that person. Allah in His infinite wisdom bestows upon who He wills what He wills. We have to be able to deal with the situation by being grateful for what He has given us and being patient on what has not been given to us. It is not blameworthy for one to ask Allah to give him what has been given to another person, but it is blameworthy to ask for it to be taken away from that person.
The Prophet (SAW) said: Jealousy devours good deeds like fire devours wood. (Ibn Maja). A person who is envious of another hurts himself by feelings of rage and frustration that consumes his heart, and in this process, he destroys his Hereafter in addition to eliminating his comfort and peace of mind. The disease of envy (hasad) is remedied by frequently praising the person against whom the jealousy is directed. Praise him no matter how difficult this may seem. Honor him and meet him with respect and humility. Another treatment is to compete with others in acts of goodness and this should be an incentive to achieve more and do better. May Allah (SWT) bless us all with physical, mental, and spiritual health and sound hearts.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! Suspicion (su’ az-Zann) is another disease of the heart. It creates cynicism, distrust and doubt and takes away hope and optimism. A suspicious person is usually inclined to think negatively about others. Suspicion may sometimes lead to making wrong decisions and even violence. It is good to be cautious and careful, but it is also important to have a positive attitude. If we want to be trusted we must trust others as well. Allah says in the Qur’an,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ
O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion; verily some suspicion is a sin. (Al-Hujurat 49:12).
Anger is a natural human trait but if it is not properly controlled it becomes very destructive. In the Hadith it is called “fire.” The Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said that in a state of anger, one should change one’s environment, one’s position, and drink some water. He also advised the angry person to seek Allah’s refuge from Shaytan by saying أعوذُ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ. He also said, “The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.”
Excessive love of money, position, power and fame (Hub ad-Duniya) is another major disease of the heart. Do we not read in the Qur’an?
أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ () حَتَّى زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ
You are obsessed by greed for more and more; until you go down to your graves (at-Takathur 102:8).
In a well known hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said, “If a son of man had a valley full of gold, he would desire to have two. Nothing can fill his mouth except the earth (of the grave). Allah turns with mercy to him who turns to Him in repentance.”
The cure for this disease is to keep reminding oneself that the transitory life in this world is a test and trial. The real and everlasting life is in the hereafter.
Brothers and sisters, each and every one of us should know from which spiritual diseases we suffer from and try our utmost to get rid of them. Spiritual health has to do with curing the diseases of the hearts. Some of the remedies to cure the sick heart are: Remembrance of Allah, reflecting upon the Qur’an, leaving sins and doing righteous deeds, leaving bad company and being in the company of good people, making sincere repentance to Allah, and last but not least, remembering that we have one day to leave this world and being prepared for it.
Remember that many who were with us during last year’s Ramadan didn’t live long enough to see this year’s Ramadan. And none of us know if we would live to see next year’s Ramadan. Why not make the most of it now before it is too late? Let us ensure that we capture as many moments of this month as we can because every moment counts. May Allah keep everyone safe, healthy and blessed, ameen.
