Signs, symptoms, and cures of the spiritual diseases of the heart
The sound heart is understood to be free of character defects and spiritual blemishes
The spiritual heart is centered in the physical heart
The heart houses the spirit (shen) according to traditional Chinese medicine
The Arabic word 'lubb' refers to the heart, as well as the intellect and the essence of something
The most ancient Indo-European word for heart means "that which leaps"
Types of people described in the Quran
Al-mu'minun (believers)
Al-kafirun (scoffers or atheists)
Al-munafiqun (hypocrites)
Believers
People whose hearts are alive and full of light
Disbelievers
People whose hearts are in darkness
Hypocrites
People whose hearts are diseased
The heart is centered slightly to the left of the body
The ritual of circumambulation around the Kaaba is performed counterclockwise, with the left side facing the House to remind us of God's presence
The heart starts beating before the brain is fully fashioned, without the benefit of a fully formed central nervous system
The heart has its own type of intelligence, not just obeying messages from the brain
Wrongdoing irritates the heart, the heart perceives wrong action
The root meaning of the word 'kufr' (disbelief) is to cover something up
Heedlessness starves the heart, robs it of its spiritual nourishment
Kufr (disbelief)
The root meaning is to cover something up
The problems we see in our society come down to covering up or suppressing the symptoms of its troubles
Agents used to suppress the symptoms of society's troubles
Alcohol
Drugs
Sexual experimentation and deviance
Power grabs
Wealth
Arrogance
Pursuit of fame
Heedlessness
A debilitating lack of awareness of God and an acute neglect of humanity's ultimate destination: the infinite world of the Hereafter
When people are completely immersed in the material world, believing that this world is all that matters and all that exists and that they are not accountable for their actions
They affect a spiritual death of their hearts
Shubuhāt
Diseases that relate to impaired or inappropriate understanding
Shahawāt
Diseases concerning the base desires of the self, when people live merely to satisfy these urges and are led by them
Islam provides the method by which our hearts can become sound and safe again
The weakness of society is a matter of weakness of character in the heart
If hearts were sound, criminal, unjust, and hateful actions would no longer be a reality
Everything we see happening outside of us is in reality coming from the unseen world within, from the unseen realm of our hearts
If a people oppress others, God will send another people to oppress them
Often the victims of aggression were once aggressors themselves
Impure people oppress, and the pure-hearted not only forgive their oppressors, but elevate them in status and character
This book is about self-purification and a manual of liberation
Adab
Courtesy, the portal to the purification of the heart
Adab
Holds several meanings in Arabic, including "courtesy" and "erudition"
Hayā'
Shame, an internal sense of shame that includes bashfulness and modesty
The Prophet stated, "Every religion has a quality that is characteristic of that religion, and the characteristic of my religion is hayā'"
Dhul
Being lowly, abject, or humbled
Humility or humbleness assumed before God is required for courtesy
When we seriously reflect on God's perfect watch over His creation and the countless blessings He sends down, and then consider the kind of deeds we bring before Him, what can we possibly feel except humility and shame?
The Prophet said, "None of you [fully] believes until his desires are in accordance with what I have brought"