The Importance of having an Open Heart
| Khatib : |
Omar Ezzeldine |
| Khutbah No: |
193 |
| Khutbah Date: |
04/14/06 |
[b]خَتَمَ اللّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عظِيمٌ[/b][i]God has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil; and awesome suffering awaits them.[/i]The verse alludes to the heart of a human being in that once the heart becomes hardened, nothing will make a difference. “God has sealed their hearts “ is often interpreted that people are predestined to have hearts that will not believe. However, Allah(swt) has created the laws of nature- if you have a muscle or any part of the body you do not use, you will cease to be able to use it even if you try. As we get older and stop being as active as we were younger, we cannot do many active things we used to be able to do. The heart is, more so than any other part of the body, subject to this law. Once we cease to use our hearts, we will no longer be able to use it even if we try. It is the people who refuse to open their hearts to listen, to understand, and to contemplate that their hearts have become hardened to the idea of faith. The reality is our heart is in an instrument that if we do not utilize it, there can be a very negative effect. If we do not have a soft or open heart, there will be harmful ramifications on our livelihood and in the future of the Ummah. The Prophet Muhammad(saw) has said in a hadith, “Beware, there is a piece of flesh in the body that if it becomes good or reformed the whole body becomes good and if it becomes spoiled the whole body becomes spoiled and this is the heart.” It's a warning to us all to beware of our heart. Of the Prophet Ibrahim, Allah(swt) says "Behold, Ibrahim was cleansed and tender-hearted and intent on turning to Allah again and again."Allah(swt) says of Prophet Issa, "And thereupon We caused [other of] Our apostles to follow in their footsteps; and [in the course of time] We caused them to be followed by Jesus, the son of Mary, upon whom We bestowed the gospel; and in the hearts of those who [truly] followed him We engendered compassion and mercy.” When we close our hearts and remove that compassion and mercy, things fall apart in our lives. Prophet Issa (ra) was one day walking with his companion when someone who hated the prophet Issa started cursing at him and he replied saying "I love you" . His companion asked him why he had responded to him with such a phrase and Prophet Issa said "the man offered me what is in his heart and I offered him what is in mine." Do we offer those who are harsh to us what is in our hearts? In another example, Prophet Musa (ra) was well known to be a very stern man and he knew he was like this and wanted to resolve this conflict inside of him. Prophet Musa often asked Allah(swt), “Oh my sustainer open up my heart" and the first thing he asked before going on his difficult task of challenging the pharaoh was “Oh Allah, make me soft in my heart so that they understand me and I can get through to them." The key to getting through to someone is to offer them not what comes from your mouth but what comes from your heart. Of the Prophet Muhammad, Allah(swt) says "It was by God’s grace that you dealt with them gently for if you had been harsh and hard of heart they would have indeed broken away from you." How many times in the life of our dear Prophet could he have been cruel towards his enemies but he chose to be kind and merciful and exuded what was within his heart, the best of hearts. He showed compassion towards children as he always rubbed them on the head when he passed by a child. He helped the elderly, in the well known story of when he carried the things of an elderly woman as she told him of the presence of evil man (himself) but his kindness was so deep she accepted Islam on the spot. In a society that was harsh towards women our Prophet was different and unique in his treatment of women. In one incident, one woman wanted to talk to him so badly she grabbed his hand and pulled him aside while he was amidst a large crowd, yet he didn't refuse to speak to her. He was open and kind in his treatment of non-Muslims and allowed them to practice their religions freely as he was open and refused to allow hatred into his heart despite the hatred that was exuded towards the Muslims. In one incident a man put a bounty on the Prophet and was in pursuit to kill him. When the Muslims caught him, the Prophet (saw) hosted him in the masjid. The Prophet fed him before himself and he gave him three days to change his mind he didn't and he was released. Ultimately, he turned around back to Madinah and accepted Islam. In the battle for hearts and minds, the only way we can win hearts is with good hearts and the only way to win minds is with compassionate hearts. Allah(swt) says in the Qur’an "Call mankind to the way of your Sustainer with wisdom and good exhortation and argue with them in the most kindly matter, and your Sustainer knows best and knows who is rightly guided."Here are a few exercises to strengthen and soften the heart – 1. Remember Allah(swt) and our place in this world. Remember that few people die with arrogance in their hearts as by the time of death they have reached that point of humility where they realize they are nothing in this world and everything they have is fleeting. Remember what it means when we say “Allahu Akbar -God is greater.”2. Take an extra moment to appreciate what you have, to hug your children, to love your spouse, to appreciate your parents, your health and your jobs, and to give thanks to Allah(swt) for all He has provided. 3. Remember the difficult people you know – you only have to deal with them for a portion of the day but they have to live with themselves. If you can accept people for whatever they are it will strengthen your own personality and make dealing with these people much easier. Allah(swt) put them there to test you and it is possible that they may be better than you. Allah(swt) says "Oh you who believe no man should deride another man it may be that those you deride are better than you."
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