Understanding Heart’s Negligence: Islamic Signs and Cure
Allah, the Almighty, has created the human body in the most beautiful way, and similarly, He has created the heart, which is beautiful both in its physical form and spiritually pure and transparent. Just as the body can be affected by external harmful factors and suffer from disease and pain, similarly, the heart can be affected by internal spiritual ailments, leading to sickness and pain. When the heart becomes spiritually ill, it can become hardened, twisted, blind, sick, sealed, veiled, locked, and dead, and it falls into negligence. This negligence means it becomes unaware of the truth and beneficial things, and as a result, it can no longer provide any real benefit to the body, nor can a person attain the awareness of reality. In other words, the whole body depends on the heart; as long as the heart is spiritually healthy, the whole body benefits from it, but when it becomes ill, the body suffers corruption. The Prophet ﷺ has stated regarding this:
ألَا وإنَّ في الجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً: إذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، وإذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، ألَا وهي القَلْبُ
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 52)
Translation: “Indeed, in the body, there is a piece of flesh which, if it is righteous, the whole body will be righteous, and if it becomes corrupt, the whole body will be corrupt. That piece is the heart.”
This hadith is divine revelation, meaning that the Creator who made the human body has placed the heart at the core of the body. Its well-being is a sign of the overall well-being of the body, and its corruption leads to the destruction of the entire body.
Let’s now understand why the heart holds such significance. Allah mentions the condition of the people of Hell and their hearts in the following verse:
وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ ۖ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ
(Al-A’raf: 179)
Translation: “And We have created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. They are like cattle; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless.”
In this verse, Allah mentions the heart, eyes, and ears, as all these are faculties that help a person benefit. They should be used to recognize their Creator, observe His signs, and listen to the truths of His message. But when a person fails to use these faculties in the purpose Allah intended, they become negligent, resembling animals or even worse. This negligence of the heart is what causes it to be heedless of the truth, and this is the essence of spiritual negligence.
Spiritual negligence of the heart is a hallmark of hypocrites, polytheists, and disbelievers. Therefore, we should not take the negligence of the heart lightly, as even a Muslim can fall into this trap and share the same fate as non-believers. Though many Muslims fall into this negligence, few realize it. Allah says:
اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ
(Al-Anbiya: 1)
Translation: “The people’s reckoning has drawn near, yet they are in heedlessness, turning away.”
Looking at this verse, we can evaluate how many Muslims are truly following the religion, fulfilling its requirements, and preparing for the Hereafter. The answer would be very few. How did we acquire this negligence of the heart? Did it suddenly affect us? No, we have worked hard for it. Just as we teach a child through various stages—eating, walking, sleeping, speaking, and learning—similarly, by continuously feeding the heart with harmful spiritual food (like abandoning duties, neglecting Islamic practices, committing sins, etc.), the heart becomes negligent. Allah says:
كَلَّابَلْ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
(Al-Mutaffifin: 14)
Translation: “No! Rather, their hearts have been covered with rust due to what they have earned.”
The “rust” mentioned here refers to the coating of sins that gradually corrupt the heart and darken it. Abu Huraira (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إنَّ العبدَ إذا أخطأَ خطيئةً نُكِتت في قلبِهِ نُكْتةٌ سوداءُ، فإذا هوَ نزعَ واستَغفرَ وتابَ سُقِلَ قلبُهُ، وإن عادَ زيدَ فيها حتَّى تعلوَ قلبَهُ، وَهوَ الرَّانُ الَّذي ذَكَرَ اللَّه كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 3334)
Translation: “When a servant commits a sin, a black spot is placed on his heart. If he repents, seeks forgiveness, and turns back, his heart is cleansed, but if he repeats the sin, the black spot grows until it covers his heart. And this is the ‘rust’ that Allah mentioned, saying: ‘No! Rather, their hearts have been covered with rust due to what they have earned.'”
Just as the negligence of the heart is a severe illness for the body, its consequences are equally dangerous. The ultimate punishment will come in the Hereafter, but there is also a worldly punishment. Allah says:
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ نَسُوا اللَّهَ فَأَنسَاهُمْ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
(Al-Hashr: 19)
Translation: “And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. It is they who are defiantly disobedient.”
This verse highlights that when a person forgets Allah, he becomes unaware of his own interests, and in turn, his actions lead to his own ruin. A person who is forgetful of God ends up neglecting his own soul and its well-being.
Now, let us discuss the important signs of spiritual negligence, so that we can evaluate ourselves and determine whether we are affected by this state:
- Negligence in Performing Acts of Obedience: One of the most evident signs of negligence is that a person becomes sluggish in performing acts of worship such as prayer, fasting, recitation of the Quran, and remembrance of Allah, but feels no such reluctance in committing sins like listening to music, watching movies, gossiping, indulging in immoral behavior, and eating haram.
- Treating Sin as Inconsequential: The negligent person does not take sins seriously. He feels no fear of the consequences and does not make efforts to avoid them. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (RA) describes how a believer views his sins:
إنَّ المؤمنَ يرى ذنوبَه كأنه قاعدٌ تحت جبلٍ يخاف أن يقعَ عليه، وإن الفاجرَ يرى ذنوبَه كذبابٍ مر على أنفه
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 6308)
Translation: “The believer sees his sins as though he is sitting under a mountain, fearing it will fall upon him, while the disbeliever sees his sins like a fly passing over his nose.”
- Desire for Sin: A third sign of negligence is when a person takes pleasure in sin and feels no shame in committing it. Instead of repenting, he boasts about it. The Prophet ﷺ said:
كلُّ أمَّتي مُعافًى إلَّا المُجاهِرينَ ، وإنَّ منَ المُجاهرةِ أن يعمَلَ الرَّجلُ باللَّيلِ عملًا ، ثُمَّ يصبِحَ وقد سترَه اللَّهُ ، فيقولَ : يا فلانُ ، عمِلتُ البارحةَ كذا وَكذا ، وقد باتَ يسترُه ربُّهُ ، ويصبِحُ يَكشِفُ سترَ اللَّهِ عنهُ
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 6069)
Translation: “All of my Ummah will be forgiven, except those who openly commit sins. One form of open sinning is when a man does something wrong at night, and Allah covers it, but in the morning, he says: ‘O so-and-so, I did such-and-such thing last night.'”
- Wasting Time and Forgetting the Purpose of Life: Another sign is living a purposeless life, engrossed in futile activities like excessive socializing, idle talk, entertainment, and spending time on non-beneficial things such as television, internet, and social media.
The Prophet ﷺ warned of two blessings that people often
misuse:
نعمتان مغبونٌ فيهما كثيرٌ من الناس: الصحةُ والفراغُ
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 6412)
Translation: “There are two blessings which many people lose out on: health and free time.”
- Hardening of the Heart: A heart that becomes neglectful will gradually harden. Allah says:
ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ فَهِيَ كَالحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً
(Al-Baqarah: 74)
Translation: “Then your hearts became hard after that, and they are like stones, or even harder.”
The heart of a negligent person gradually becomes harder, and it becomes harder to feel remorse, regret, or even repentance.
Cure for Heart’s Negligence
The cure to the heart’s negligence lies in:
- Turning Back to Allah: Repentance and seeking forgiveness are essential. A person should regularly turn back to Allah and ask for His guidance and mercy.
- Increased Worship: Striving to perform acts of worship with sincerity, including prayers, dhikr (remembrance of Allah), and recitation of the Quran, will nourish the heart.
- Repelling Negative Influences: Staying away from bad company, sinful activities, and distractions that lead to negligence is crucial for spiritual well-being.
- Contemplating the Quran: Reflecting upon Allah’s signs and messages in the Quran softens the heart and restores spiritual awareness.
- Seeking Knowledge: Gaining knowledge about Islam and constantly learning the meanings of the Quran and Hadith helps remove ignorance and its harmful effects on the heart.
May Allah purify our hearts, guide us towards righteousness, and keep us from negligence and heedlessness. Ameen.
Maqbool Ahmad Salafi
Islamic Da’wah Center, Misrah Taif